RAVENNA, Ohio - Decades after the processing came to a halt; the Army National Guard is still working to clean up munitions sites in Trumbull and Portage counties. 

Now officials are calling for the community to weigh in on plans to clean up the former munitions factory lines in Ravenna. 

The sites are part of the former Ravenna Army Ammunition Plant (RVAAP) currently known as Camp James A. Garfield. 

Five sites, which sit near State Route 5, have been identified as "areas of concern." 

Four of the sites were used from 1941 through 1971 to create large-caliber ammunition, and then used for the demilitarization of projectiles and the production and reconditioning of anti-tank mines from 1973 and1974. 

Workers would periodically use steam and hot water to hose down equipment and the floors and walls of buildings contaminated with explosive dust, spills, and vapors. Wash-down water and wastewater from the load line operations were collected in concrete sumps, pumped through sawdust filtration units, and then discharged to a settling pond. Wash-down water from the melt-pour buildings would, in some instances, be swept out through doorways onto the ground surrounding the buildings. 

The fifth site was used to produce ammonium nitrate from 1941-1943 and 1946-1950. Also, from 1949 to 1993, munitions were periodically demilitarized at the site. 

Building wash-down water and wastewater from the bomb melt out facility operations were collected in a house gutter system and flowed through a piping system to two stainless steel tanks. The first tank was used for settling, and the second tank was used for filtration.

According to site plan information, all of the locations are areas of concerns for soil, groundwater, sediment, and surface water contamination. 

A proposed plan looks to use ex-situ thermal treatment and administrative land use controls. 

Ex-situ thermal treatment is a process to remove soils from an area and put them in a system that heats the soil up to remove the contamination (thermally treating the soil).

On Thursday, June 20, 2019, a public meeting will be held at the Shearer Community Center (Paris Township Hall) at 9355 Newton Falls Road, Ravenna, Ohio 44266 beginning at 6:00 pm, with an informal open house. 

Technical staff will be available to answer questions. At 6:30 pm, the Army National Guard will briefly describe the assessment of the AOCs, present the Ex-situ Thermal Treatment and Administrative LUCs recommendation, and then request verbal comments from the public. 

Written comments regarding this recommendation may be submitted to the Army National Guard during the 30- day comment period from June 10, 2019, to July 10, 2019. 

All written comments should be addressed to, Camp James A. Garfield Environmental Office; 1438 State Route 534 SW, Newton Falls, OH 44444 and must be postmarked no later than July 10, 2019.