b'76 IGMENVIRONMENTALKingman Municipal Closes the Book onUnderground Contamination After World War II BY KRISTIN V. SHAWEnvironmental cleanups atlead. In the early 2000s, the dross was airports often involve oldburied under an asphalt cap by a U.S. underground fuel tanks, errantArmy Corps of Engineers contractor,deicing fluid or chemical contaminationand then paved over to create anFACTS&FIGURESfrom firefighting foam. At Kingmanaircraft ramp. Project: Excavating & Removing Toxic WasteMunicipal Airport (IGM) in northwestEventually, the dross pit was Location: Kingman Municipal Airport, in AZ Arizona, the issue was toxic aluminumcompromised by heavy summer rains. Source of Contamination: Dross containing cadmium &dross.This activated the buried material, lead from melting obsolete military aircraft to recover aluminumNever heard of aluminum dross?creating heat and toxic, flammable gases content Youre not alone.that pressed against the asphalt above Project Cost: $43.5 million, plus $9 million set aside forIn this case, the dross was alike a heavy Thanksgiving meal pushes contingencies on ones waistband. byproduct of the process used to recycle Funding: $52.5 million settlement from lawsuit with federalaluminum from obsolete military aircraft.The ground in that area of the airport government (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers hired contractor that buried the waste)After World War II, thousands of surpluswas lifting like a giant volcano, says Waste Removed: 96,000 tonsplanes were sent to IGM, then known asDoug Breckenridge, who took the reins as Kingman Army Air Field. Throughout thegeneral manager at IGM in 2021. It was Timeline: Initial settlement reached in 2016; request formid- to late-1940s, thousands were soldcreating FOD [foreign object debris] hazard excavation & removal proposals issued Dec. 2021; investigationto the public, and some B-17 bombersfor our tenants aircraft. Our tenants are & design contract awarded to Haley & Aldrich May 2022; final settlement approved by city March 2023; excavation beganwere even repurposed to spreadthe heart and soul of this community, and Sept. 2023; cleanup complete May 2024 pesticides to fight a fire ant invasion inwe knew we had to do something.Design Build Contractor: Haley & Aldrich Constructionthe southwest part of the country.Over time, roughly 15 acres of Services Most of the aircraft, however, werethe airfield became unusable as the Engineer: C&S Engineers melted down on the south side of theunderground dross continued to crack Hazardous Waste Transport & Disposal: Cleanairfield to recover their aluminum content.and fracture the pavement. Finding Harbors That process left behind a grayish drossa solution became a top priority Key Benefits: New, improved apron free of broken pavementmaterial with toxic levels of cadmium andfor Breckenridge and his staff. The from buried toxic waste May | June 2025AirportImprovement.com'