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Kansas Army Ammunition Plant – Munitions and Explosives Decontamination & Demolition

Matrix self-performed a wide range of tasks under this Environmental Services Cooperative Agreement, including munition response, building decontamination and demolition, and soil remediation of the former munition manufacturing lines, commonly referred to as load lines. Efforts involved building clearances in locations where munition items were removed from within buildings and work areas, decontamination for explosive contamination, demolition where soil contamination was present under slabs, excavation, and disposal of contaminated soils to close Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) permitting units and remove the parcels from the RCRA permit. Tasks also included in-situ groundwater remediation, assisting with permit modifications, performing inspections and well maintenance, mowing of landfills and RCRA permitted units, and conducting surface water and groundwater sampling. Matrix has safely provided munition response work at the Kansas Army Ammunition Plant since 2009 without a single OSHA-reportable safety incident.

Matrix has utilized innovative solutions to solve complex problems throughout the service period. As an example, our team used specialized shape charges to remove sensitive explosives residues such as lead azide and mercury fulminate from piping. Matrix also built and operated a 1,000,000 BTU high-temperature thermal unit to treat explosives by super-heating whole buildings, as well as piping from all buildings. This process allowed 97% of all metal to be recycled.  Matrix used high pressure water-jet equipment to strip PCB-paint from concrete walls and steel and to safely and remotely cut piping that could potentially contain explosive residue. We designed, built, and operated a steam cleaning system that treated and recycled rinse water, reducing the volume of water that required disposal by 95%.