Business Parks
The Joliet Arsenal Development Authority (JADA)
was established by the State of Illinois pursuant to
the Illinois Land Conservation Act of 1995. When
JOAAP was decommissioned, Will County lost a major
employer for its citizens. The mission of JADA was to
facilitate and promote the reuse of 3,000 acres of
JOAAP land with diversifi ed projects and land uses
that would create new job opportunities and foster
new economic development within the area of Will
County.
The location of JOAAP was originally selected
because it was adjacent to a major railroad line and
within commuting distance for a large pool of skilled
labor in Chicago. These same features still make the
property a great location to site a business. The fi rst
transfer of land from the Army to JADA occurred in
2000 and by 2005 JADA was successfully transforming
JOAAP property into manufacturing and distribution
business parks. The 1,500-acre CenterPoint Intermodal
Center provides connection for multiple rail
companies and the 770-acre ProLogis Park Arsenal
features 12 million square feet of distribution space.
The park also includes the 1,100-acre Island City
Industrial Park, and the 300-acre International Union
of Operating Engineers-Local 150 Apprenticeship and
Skill Improvement Training Facility.
As of 2008, it is estimated that 1,770 construction jobs
and 1,755 permanent jobs have been created as a
result of the transfer and redevelopment of the 3,000
acres of land transferred to JADA.
Prairie View Landfi ll
In 2002, 455 acres were deeded to Will County and
IEPA granted authorization for Prairie View Landfi ll
to begin operating in 2004. The Prairie View Landfi ll
accepts non-hazardous municipal solid wastes and
uses the latest landfi ll technology to be protective
of the environment. These technologies include a
leachate collection system, composite liner, ground
water monitoring system, and surface water and
gas management systems. There are also plans to
install a system to capture and use the methane
gas produced by decomposition in the landfi ll to
generate electricity at the facility. It is expected that
the landfi ll will serve the needs of the community into
2027.
For more information, call or write:
U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
Offi ce of Solid Waste and Emergency Response
Federal Facilities Restoration and Reuse Offi ce
1200 Pennsylvania Ave, NW
Mail Code: 5106P
Washington, DC 20460-0001
Phone: (703) 603-0048
www.epa.gov/fedfac
Visit the FFRRO Web site for more information
about federal facility cleanups, including success
stories, descriptions of new initiatives, policy and
guidance documents, and our newsletter.
EPA-505-F-08-001 April 2008
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Federal Facilities Restoration and Reuse Office
Collaboration Leads to Early Cleanup Completion
Joliet Army Ammunition Plant
The former Joliet Army Ammunition Plant (JOAAP)—one of the largest and most productive ordnance
complexes ever built—has a new identity as the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, Abraham Lincoln
National Cemetery, Prairie View Landfi ll, and several state-of-the-art manufacturing and distribution
business parks. After extensive environmental investigation and cleanup, and close collaboration
between federal, state, and local governments, community groups, and the private sector, the
cleanup of JOAAP was completed in early 2008 – three years ahead of schedule.
HISTORY
The 36-square mile JOAAP is located 40 miles southwest of Chicago in
Will County, Illinois and was the site of vital operations in the protection
and promotion of American welfare and security during World War
II. Operations began in 1940 with the United States’ entrance into the
war. During World War II and the Korean and Vietnam Wars, JOAAP
was used for the manufacture, loading, assembling, packaging and
shipping of bombs, projectiles, fuses and supplementary charges. The
plant was divided into two main areas based on operations: the 14-
square mile Manufacturing Area and the 22-square mile Load, Assemble
and Package Area. Activities at the Manufacturing Area included the production of chemical constituents
of munitions, propellants and explosives, such as TNT and DNT, and an extensive explosives storage facility. It
is estimated that up to 57 percent of the Army’s TNT was produced at
the Manufacturing Area at JOAAP. Munitions were loaded, assembled
and packaged for shipping at the 22-square mile Load, Assemble and
Package Area. The plant served as a major local employer – employing
over 20,000 people at the height of production in the 1940s and
employing 8,000 people in the 1960s. As production declined, JOAAP
was decommissioned in 1976 and by 1977 all production stopped. In
1993, the Army declared JOAAP excess property and maintained a
minimal staff at the installation.
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JOAAP Restoration Advisory Board
CLEANUP
In 1978, subsequent to the halt of operations at JOAAP, the U.S.
Army Environmental Command Environmental Assessment identifi ed
53 areas of concern and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(U.S. EPA) commenced a Preliminary Assessment to determine
areas requiring further investigation.
The Manufacturing Area and the Load, Assemble and Package
Area were listed on U.S. EPA’s National Priorities List (NPL) in
1987 and 1989, respectively. Subsequently, a Federal Facilities
Agreement was signed between the Army, U.S. EPA and the
Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) to develop and
coordinate environmental assessment and cleanup activities at
JOAAP. The Federal Facilities Agreement initiated relationships that were critical to the cleanup process and
remained strong over the next 17 years. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Louisville District managed
remedial design and construction efforts that included: excavation and treatment or disposal of contaminated
soils; capping of three landfi lls; excavation and disposal of two ash piles; monitoring of the natural attenuation
of ground water; and investigation, removal and disposal of munitions and explosives-related devices and
debris.
As part of the cleanup, 280,000 tons of explosive-contaminated
soil was treated at a bioremediation facility constructed on-
site. The soil underwent an average 32-day process of bacterial
bioremediation and the treated soil was then used to restore grade
and drainage at numerous areas around JOAAP. Approximately
120,000 tons of non-explosive-contaminated soil and 487,000
tons of ash were excavated and disposed appropriately off-site.
Additionally, more than 8,100 munitions and explosive-related items
were removed and disposed. Natural attenuation of ground water
at the site continues to be monitored.
REUSE
With the 1993 Army declaration that JOAAP was excess
property, the 24-person Joliet Arsenal Citizens Planning
Commission assembled to develop a reuse plan for the
JOAAP property that would be both complementary
to the needs and desires of the local community and
appropriate for the protection of human health and the
environment. The commission included representatives
from federal, state and local government and non-
government organizations. A reuse plan served as the
basis for the Illinois Land Conservation Act of 1995, which
authorized the cleanup and transfer of 19,100 acres of
the JOAAP property to the U.S. Department of Agriculture,
Forest Service to establish the Midewin National Tallgrass
Prairie. The remaining acreage was cleaned up and
transferred as follows:
982 acres to the Department of Veterans Affairs to establish the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery
455 acres to Will County for the Prairie View Landfi ll
3,000 acres to the State of Illinois for several business parks: CenterPoint Intermodal Center, ProLogis
Park Arsenal, Island City Industrial Park, and an engineer Apprenticeship and Skill Improvement Center
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Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie
Named for a local Potawatomi word meaning
“Grand Medicine Society”, the Midewin National
Tallgrass Prairie was established in 1996 and
is the fi rst national tallgrass prairie in the country.
The fi rst transfer of JOAAP land was completed in
1997 when 15,080 acres of lands that did not require
cleanup were transferred to the auspices of the U.S.
Forest Service. Subsequent land transfers occurred as
the remediation process progressed.
The ecological value of the JOAAP property was
established through surveys contracted by the
Department of Defense and conducted by the
Nature Conservancy and the Illinois Department of
Natural Resources in 1993. It is estimated that less than
one percent of native Illinois prairies remain intact
today, highlighting the signifi cance of this protected
land.
When fi rst transferred, less than three percent of the
acreage was undisturbed and contained native
vegetation. As specifi ed under the Illinois Land
Conservation Act of 1995 establishing the
In 1995, the JOAAP Restoration Advisory Board (RAB) was established to ensure community involvement and
participation in the cleanup and reuse plans for JOAAP. Composed of community members representative
of the diverse local interests, the JOAAP RAB met regularly over the next ten years, from January 1996 until
September 2007, and provided vital input throughout the cleanup process.
With the combined efforts of many parties with an interest in JOAAP, the cleanup and reuse plans established
an integrated approach to addressing the Manufacturing Area and the Load, Assemble and Package Area
simultaneously. This approach helped achieve a coordinated and ultimately more effi cient process, as cleanup
could be tailored to the future use of the area. Including the community early and often ensured consideration
of their needs and promoted local support for the planned reuse.
Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery
In 1999, the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery
was dedicated as the 117th Department of Veterans
Affairs national cemetery. When fully developed, this
982-acre cemetery will provide 400,000 burial spaces;
a public information center; three committal service
shelters; and a carillon and Kiosk grave locator. The
Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery also features a
memorial walk that commemorates soldiers of 20th
century wars on 11 memorials.
Congressman George E. Sangmeister, a veteran
of the Korean War, served as a representative
and senator in the State of Illinois, 1973-87, and a
U.S. Representative from Illinois, 1988-95. He was
instrumental in the acquisition of 982 acres from
the former Joliet Arsenal and its redevelopment as
Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery.
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national prairie, the Midewin Land and Resource
Management Plan was completed in 2002 as an
outline to restore the prairie habitat and provide
opportunities for research, education and recreation.