The Charlotte Army Missile Plant consisted of 80.05 acres in Charlotte, NC, located in Mecklenburg County. The Army originally acquired the property, a former Ford Model T factory, for the Charlotte Quartermaster (QM) Depot in in 1941. The Army constructed warehouses and support buildings and the Charlotte QM Depot managed supplies for posts, camps, and stations in surrounding states. After WWII the American Graves Registration Service used one of the warehouses to receive and distribute deceased WWII service members to their families.
In 1954, the Army redesignated the post as the Charlotte Ordnance Missile Plant (later renamed Charlotte Army Missile Plant). The Army rehabilitated the property with the equipment and facilities necessary for manufacturing Nike missiles. From 1956 until 1965 the Charlotte Army Missile Plant manufactured Nike Ajax and Nike Hercules missiles as well as Honest John Rockets. After May 1965 manufacturing was confined to spare parts capability and phased out parts manufacturing by early 1967. The General Services Administration sold the property to a private developer in July 1967.
Potential HTRW related features of the former Charlotte QM Depot and Charlotte Army Missile Plant included storage and warehousing of various supplies, sewers systems and industrial waste treatment, Petroleum, Oils and Lubricant (POL) storage, electrical equipment, maintenance operations, pesticides, firefighting, metal plating operations, paint shops, and bulk chemical storage. Although this PA evaluates these operations for their HTRW potential, the investigation only found evidence of releases related to some of the activities.
Previous investigations identified a plume of chlorinated volatile organic compounds
(VOCs), primarily trichloroethylene (TCE) in groundwater on the FUDS property. Based on the confirmed use of TCE for processes associated with Nike missile manufacturing it appears that the TCE contamination is a result of Army operations. The existing FUDS HTRW Project 01 is currently addressing the groundwater contamination plume.
Contaminated groundwater infiltrates the existing storm sewer through sections of open joint design on the FUDS property. The storm sewer system discharges to a surface water outfall and exits the property near the intersection of Statesville Avenue and Woodward Avenue. Based on the potential for TCE laden water to flow offsite via the storm sewer system action may be warranted to prevent groundwater infiltration into the system.
Total chromium and hexavalent chromium is confirmed to exist inside of a manhole access in Building No. 5 at concentrations above regulatory limits for industrial soil. Further action may be warranted to prevent exposure to the elevated chromium in the soil.
The project is currently in the remedial investigation phase.