6-605: The Longhorn Army Ammunition Plant (LOW) was a 8,493-acre (34.37 km) government-owned, contractor-operated (GOCO) facility in Karnack, Texas that was established in 1942. The Monsanto Chemical Company selected the site in December 1941 to produce TNT . The plant produced 393,000,000 pounds of TNT throughout World War II. After the signing of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty on December 8, 1987,
12-407: Is a rural unincorporated community in northeastern Harrison County near Caddo Lake in the eastern region of the U.S. state of Texas . The town is named after Karnak , Egypt (near modern-day Luxor ). It was thought that the community's alignment with the city of Port Caddo was relative to that of Karnak and Thebes . The Caddo Lake National Wildlife Refuge founded in 2000, formerly
18-656: The Longhorn Army Ammunition Plant in operation there from 1942 to 1997, is located in Karnack. Karnack is located in the pine woods of Northeast Texas and beside Caddo Lake , one of the largest natural lakes in the Southeast. The surrounding country is mostly farm and timber land. According to The Handbook of Texas , Caddo Lake was one of the largest natural lakes in Texas before the construction of Caddo Dam in 1900 made
24-628: The Longhorn plant was used to destroy Pershing 1a and Pershing II missiles. The plant was operated by Thiokol . The property was transferred to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service in 2000 to become the Caddo Lake National Wildlife Refuge . The Longhorn Army Ammunition Plant was listed as a Superfund site on the National Priorities List on August 30, 1990. The United States Environmental Protection Agency listed
30-656: The lake even larger. It is often called Texas' only natural lake, but many small natural lakes and oxbow lakes are found in Texas. The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Karnack has a humid subtropical climate , abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps. Karnack is served by the Karnack Independent School District . Karnack Elementary School and Karnack Junior/Senior High School serve
36-654: The primary contaminants of concern as solvents used at the site. Methylene chloride and trichloroethene were detected in the groundwater on the plant, but were only detected in limited amounts in streams flowing into Caddo Lake . The groundwater, surface water, and soil on the plant have been found to be contaminated with perchlorate . Sediment samples from streams near Caddo Lake found elevated levels of lead and mercury . Cleanup activities began on October 25, 1996 and continue to this day. 32°40′21″N 94°07′41″W / 32.6725°N 94.1281°W / 32.6725; -94.1281 Karnack, Texas Karnack
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