| In 1942 and 1943, the U.S. War Department acquired about 12,000 acres of farmland in Dakota County for the construction of the Gopher Ordnance Works (GOW). The GOW facility was designed to manufacture smokeless gun powder and related products, assisting the war effort by producing a propellant for American military ordnance. Production got under way in January 1945, and ceased in October 1945.
Title to 8,000 acres of the property was transferred to the University of Minnesota in two stages: Approximately 4,700 acres in August 1947 and another 3,320 acres in March 1948. The 1947 parcel includes the land south of 170th Street and the west third of the land north of 170th Street. The 1948 parcel includes the east two-thirds of the land north of 170th Street.
University research, including aeronautical, medical and agricultural projects, began on sections of the land immediately, frequently making use of some of the remaining 298 GOW buildings for studies and storage.
Influenced by a New York state report regarding World War II-era munitions facilities, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) inspected the property in 1981 and concluded on the basis of its limited investigation that there was no contamination of concern. Under a federal law that provides funding for environmental restoration of former defense sites, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has conducted several inspections and evaluations of the property, beginning in 1985. In a 1999 report, the Corps determined that the entire property was eligible for restoration funds. In 2005 the Corps revised its position and for the first time stated that only the land transferred in 1947 (south of 170th Street) is eligible for federally funded investigation and restoration.
The University was recently informed that the Corps has selected a contractor to perform a detailed site investigation of the environmental condition of the 1947 parcel. Site work will proceed in Fall 2006, and lead to the development of plans for any necessary environmental remediation of GOW-related contamination.
The University, the Corps and the MPCA are in discussions about the scope of federal financial responsibility for GOW-related contamination and debris on the 1948 parcel. The outcome of discussions will be important since most of the GOW manufacturing and industrial activities were located on this parcel. It also bears the majority of GOW building remnants.
What the University learns about the environmental condition of the property will play a part in shaping the future development of UMore Park. Development plans would incorporate restoration or remediation as appropriate.
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