Marty Gordon
NRVsports@mainstreetnewspapers.com
Officials from the Radford Army Ammunition Plant say three totes of Dibutyl Phthalate, a chemical used in the manufacturer of propellant at the factory, are still missing.
The totes were swept out of a warehouse near the New River during last year’s floodwaters associated with Hurricane Helene.
Over the past year, 10 have been recovered, while search efforts continue for the remaining three.
Radford Army Ammunition Plant leadership held a virtual media roundtable this past week, offering journalists across Virginia direct access to military and environmental officials overseeing the facility’s operations.
Rob Davie, Deputy to the commander Rob Davie, said there are lingering impacts of Hurricane Helene in 2024, and the amount or rate of storm had an unbelievable rate of flow.
“The water flowing through the warehouse was the equivalent of what goes over Niagara Falls in one second, and that was happening over and over. It was a massive amount of water and a very small amount of chemicals,” Davie said. “We have already removed all material out of the warehouses to prevent future incidents during flooding.”
The problem associated with the rising water has left debris up and down the river as far away as 20 miles northward from the plant. It is expected the remaining totes could be buried underneath some of that debris.
A local company, Tangent Outfitters, began both a ground and water search on Dec. 27, and used aerial assets, boats and employees on foot. They searched a 70-mile area from Radford to the Blue Stone Dam.
DBP is a liquid placticizer found in nail polish and hair spray, which was being stored in Area 13 of the facility.
To deal with any future floods, as many as seven warehouses are being located at the plant.
The project will relocate seven Operating Contractor warehouses (Buildings 4934-1, 9387-2, 9387-3, 530, 531, 532, and 533) and one Tenant warehouse (Building 9387-1) outside of the floodplain and into new facilities.
In addition, Davie said many other upgrades are being executed through BAE because of the floodwaters. “These projects will address a number of equipment repairs and upgrades required as a result of the flood,” he said.
An estimated 1,575 gallons of Dibutyl Phthalate was released into the floodwaters.
If totes are found in areas downstream of the plant, RAAP officials ask the public to contact the nonemergency line of your respective county’s sheriff’s department, providing contact information.
Labeling on the totes may include the product, Dibutyl Phthalate, or the manufacturer, Island Pyrochemicals. It is possible the white internal container may be separated from the aluminum cage and pallet.
BAE Systems personnel will then reach out to schedule an in-person visual assessment of the tote to determine if it was released from the plant. If the tote is confirmed to be property of BAE Systems, we will replace it with a new tote of the same volume if interested.
Plant officials also addressed two recent acid spills.
A Nitric acid spill involving a railcar took place in April. According to the plant, there was a spill of weak nitric acid, a diluted form of nitric acid onto the gravel at the railcar unloading area.
After stabilizing the area so personnel could directly measure the amount of material lost from the rail car, Radford updated the spill amount for all agencies from an estimated 600 gallons to 6500 gallons.
As part of the cleanup effort, the plant treated the acid spill and removed gravel/soil from spill site.
Because of team’s neutralization efforts, spill was contained to railcar area ensuring no impacts to the environment or threat to public health. The Department of Transportation is working with the railcar company to prevent future incidents.
The second incident was a mixed acid spill this past June. The plant reported an intermittent leak of mixed acid.
A full investigation into the source and determined the cause to be a failing sump in the Legacy NC Area. The mixed acid flowed into a wastewater line and was able to be treated with lime for neutralization purposes prior to being released. A small portion of soil in the immediate area was affected, and removal and remediation of this soil was completed. Updates to inspections and maintenance procedures for the sump have been completed.
During the roundtable, RAAP’s commander, Lt. Col. Marie Hough emphasized the plant’s role in national defense and its commitment to safety.
“I want to make sure we are following the three C’s, making sure we are epitomizing, competence, commitment, and character. We want to make sure that while producing these propellants, that’s going to end up in the hands of the men and women that defend the station that we’re doing it safely and responsibly. That is very important to me.”
A major focus of the roundtable was the upcoming Energetic Waste Incinerator/Waste Processor Complex, set to be completed in June 2026. The facility is an alternative technology to open burning and provides a modern solution for safer waste removal with air pollution control devices.
Andrea Henry of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said the facility will reduce open burning by 95%, calling it “the first-of-its-kind facility for Radford, the community, and the Army.”
Radford officials also reported that 95% of the plant’s waste in 2024 was recycled or reused. In the last decade, the Army has invested over $700 million in environmental upgrades at the facility, including the elimination of coal-fired power and the construction of acid concentrators.
