West Virginia Ordnance Works
Encyclopedia
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
ammunition
Ammunition
Ammunition is a generic term derived from the French language la munition which embraced all material used for war , but which in time came to refer specifically to gunpowder and artillery. The collective term for all types of ammunition is munitions...
manufacturing facility constructed and operated during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. It was located north of Point Pleasant, West Virginia
Point Pleasant, West Virginia
Point Pleasant is a city in Mason County, West Virginia, United States, at the confluence of the Ohio and Kanawha rivers. The population was 4,637 at the 2000 census...
in Mason County
Mason County, West Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 25,957 people, 10,587 households, and 7,569 families residing in the county. The population density was 60 people per square mile . There were 12,056 housing units at an average density of 28 per square mile...
encompassing 8323 acres (33.7 km²). The $45 million plant employed 3500 at its peak and operated from 1942 to 1945.http://www.wvculture.org/History/military/wvordnance07.html The site was disposed of following the war and land was utilized by creating a landfill
Landfill
A landfill site , is a site for the disposal of waste materials by burial and is the oldest form of waste treatment...
, the McClintic Wildlife Management Area
McClintic Wildlife Management Area
McClintic Wildlife Management Area, known locally as the "TNT area", is located in Mason County about north of Point Pleasant, West Virginia...
, the Mason County Airport and an industrial park
Industrial park
An industrial park is an area zoned and planned for the purpose of industrial development...
among others.
It was also around here that the first known sighting of the cryptid
Cryptid
In cryptozoology and sometimes in cryptobotany, a cryptid is a creature or plant whose existence has been suggested but is unrecognized by scientific consensus and often regarded as highly unlikely. Famous examples include the Yeti in the Himalayas and the Loch Ness Monster in...
dubbed "Mothman
Mothman
Mothman is a legendary creature reportedly seen in the Point Pleasant area of West Virginia from 15 November 1966 to 15 December 1967. The first newspaper report was published in the Point Pleasant Register dated 16 November 1966, entitled "Couples See Man-Sized Bird...Creature...Something"...
" occurred in November, 1966.
Superfund
Dinitrotoluene
2,4-Dinitrotoluene or Dinitro is an organic compound with the formula C6H32. This pale yellow crystalline solid is well known as a precursor to trinitrotoluene but is mainly used in the polymer industry....
and other residual contaminants from World War II operations were discovered. On September 8, 1983 the site was listed on the National Priorities List
National Priorities List
The National Priorities List is the list of hazardous waste sites in the United States eligible for long-term remedial action financed under the federal Superfund program. Environmental Protection Agency regulations outline a formal process for assessing hazardous waste sites and placing them on...
(NPL) making it eligible for cleanup as part of the Superfund
Superfund
Superfund is the common name for the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 , a United States federal law designed to clean up sites contaminated with hazardous substances...
program. The site was West Virginia's "top priority" cleanup site and was among the national top ten most polluted sites. Portions of the site have been cleaned up or determined uncontaminated and were later removed from the list, but cleanup has not been completed as of 2007.
According to the FY2006 Defense Environmental Restoration Program Annual Report To Congress, 2704 acres (10.9 km²) remained on the NPL and $71.4 million in cleanup funding had been appropriated. Estimated completion was FY2020 for an additional $27.9 million.
See also
- MothmanMothmanMothman is a legendary creature reportedly seen in the Point Pleasant area of West Virginia from 15 November 1966 to 15 December 1967. The first newspaper report was published in the Point Pleasant Register dated 16 November 1966, entitled "Couples See Man-Sized Bird...Creature...Something"...
(alleged sightings in the vicinity known as the "TNT area") - McClintic Wildlife Management AreaMcClintic Wildlife Management AreaMcClintic Wildlife Management Area, known locally as the "TNT area", is located in Mason County about north of Point Pleasant, West Virginia...
received around 2788 acres (11.3 km²), the industrial portion of the site - Mason County Airport (FAA location identifierLocation identifierA location identifier is a symbolic representation for the name and the location of an airport, navigation aid, or weather station, and is used for manned air traffic control facilities in air traffic control, telecommunications, computer programming, weather reports, and related services.-ICAO...
: 3I2) - Mason County Fairgrounds