MORE: Federal prosecutors say they cant find files on investigation into Rocky Flats nuclear arms plant. In 1984, the Army began a systematic investigation of site contamination in accordance with the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA), commonly referred to as Superfund. The Rocky Mountain Arsenal manufactured chemical weapons including mustard gas, napalm, white phosphorus, lewisite, chlorine gas, and sarin. Hanford where the cleanup has already cost at least $48 billion and hundreds of billions more are projected may be the most troubled refuge of all. In April 2007 Dick's Sporting Goods Park, a soccer-specific stadium, was opened on part of the former Rocky Mountain Arsenal land that was transferred to Commerce City. There is an 11-mile motor tour that takes you through the preserve. Join the Westword community and help support Since there is no further use for the building, the Army will remove it as part of a larger effort to reduce the Armys footprint at RMA. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Army will retain areas where hazardous wastes are managed, such as the landfill and soil covers. 1989The U.S. Army, EPA and Shell sign the Federal Facilities Agreement, which provides a framework for decision-making and for completing 14 Interim Response Actions (IRAs) while final cleanup plans are developed. Further testing revealed that the containment issue is an ongoing problem, the lawsuit says. An official website of the United States government, Rocky Mountain Arsenal has recently published its annual community report. Many of the surrounding neighborhoods have been provided with potable tap water from other areas of Adams county because of the potential effects of contaminated groundwater from wells. These restrictions must remain in place unless future sampling and scientific investigation determine they can be safely removed. One of the lessees, Julius Hyman and Company, manufactures agricultural chemicals at the site. Last week, on December 8, 2015, the Rocky Mountain Arsenal rounded up the bison herd to gather animals that had been selected for donation to the Crane Trust--a bison conservation . The Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge is 15,000 acres and features three lakes that are home to over 300 species of wildlife. The site was placed on the National Priorities List (NPL), a list of the most contaminated areas in the United States. [14] The following data were derived from the Rocky Mountain Arsenal Medical Monitoring Program Surveillance for Birth Defects Compendium prepared by Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and published in February 2010. (1 of 9) SITE HISTORY - Rocky Mountain Arsenal was listed on the NPL in 1987. A lock (LockA locked padlock) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. Any detected voids behind the casing were cemented to prevent possible contamination of other formations. Despite the complicated and expensive cleanups, significant contamination has been left behind, some experts say. After the war, it became a bustling center of industrial activity -- a top-secret center that created a lot of dangerous waste. and help keep the future of Westword, Use of this website constitutes acceptance of our, Denver boot puts the lock on the Global Business Travel Association bash. Residential and commercial property is located to the north, south and west. Most handled conventional weapons, not nuclear or chemical. From 1943 to 1956, the US Army and Shell discharged wastes into the unlined basins resulting in the contamination of the South Platte River outside the Arsenal. But the cost of the conversions is staggering, and some critics say the sites have not been scrubbed well enough of pollutants to make them safe for humans. Rocky Mountain Arsenal. Statistically significant findings (p<0.01) of this study included demographic differences in the mothers as follows: median age 24, compared to 27 years of age in Colorado as a whole, higher percent of mothers who were white/Hispanic and black, mean education level of 11.8 years compared to 13.1 years in Colorado as a whole, fewer mothers who were married, and fewer prenatal visits on average. 1952Shell Chemical Co. purchases Julius Hyman and Company and continues to manufacture agricultural chemicals at the RMA until 1982. The defendants must build a system to actively dewater Shells trenches to prevent the mixing of effluent with groundwater, the lawsuit says. 1950North Korea invades South Korea, and the U.S. Army reactivates the RMA to produce chemical weapons and incendiary munitions for the Korean War and Vietnam Conflict. But cleanup costs for an area where contaminated waste is stored are soaring, and Department of Energy investigators say the project has been plagued by fraud and mismanagement. A monitoring program was developed to monitor the success of exposure prevention efforts during the environmental cleanup at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal. The Rocky Mountain Arsenal was a United States chemical weapons manufacturing center located in the Denver Metropolitan Area in Commerce City, Colorado. In 1996, after a lengthy process in which site investigations were conducted and completed, an approach to remedy the chemical contamination at the Arsenal was set forth by the US Army. If you have additional questions, please call 303.289.0300. In 1982, all production at the site stopped, and the Arsenals mission changed to environmental cleanup and restoration. August 24, 2011 Brighton is 6 miles north, and Barr Lake State Park is about 5 miles northeast. The military reserved the right to oust these companies and restart chemical weapon production in the event of a national emergency. The Rocky Mountain Arsenal, located ten minutes outside of downtown Denver, Colorado, offers one of the most unique urban wildlife refuges in the country. (4 of 9), CREATION OF WILDLIFE REFUGE In the 1980s a roost of bald eagles, which were then on the Endangered Species List, was discovered. The animals were transferred from the National Bison Range in Montana. Opinion: Colorado farms going fallow? Thousands of ducks died after coming in contact with its wastewater ponds in the 1950s. The Army discontinued use of the well in February 1966 because the fluid injection triggered a series of earthquakes in the area. In the mid-1980s, wildlife, including endangered species, moved into the space and the land became a protected park. The arsenal's animals are intended to refresh bloodlines of the national park's herd, Rocky Mountain Arsenal Refuge Manager David Lucas told CBS4. The Colorado Sun is a journalist-owned, award-winning news outlet based in Denver that strives to cover all of Colorado so that our state our community can better understand itself. Finally, the Act provides for the transfer of some Arsenal land for road expansion around the perimeter of the Arsenal and 915 acres (3.70km2) to be sold for development and annexation by Commerce City. [13], As part of the clean up of the RMA, much of the soil, up to 10 feet below the surface was removed from the site. The 17,000-acre site is 10 miles northeast of Denver. 1989The U.S. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment established monitoring systems throughout various locations of the RMA. The U.S. Army constructed the Arsenal in 1942 to develop chemical weapons as a deterrent against the Axis Powers. The U.S. Army later reactivated Arsenal facilities for Cold-War weapons production and demilitarization. Today, only the foundation of a watch post from Rose Hill is visible, and then only when pointed. The magnitude 5.2 event caused widespread minor damage in the suburban areas of northeast Denver. "They have a very distinctive emerald green eye shine. Also, they noted that if all groundwater were to be cleared for human consumption, the cost would be $500 million annually. Rocky Flats historical public exposure studies, Final Consent Decree between the United States and the State of Colorado, Final Consent Decree between Shell Oil Company and the State of Colorado, Colorado Attorney General's Colorado Natural Resources Trustees website, Colorado environmental health site assessment. Madison, the Fish and Wildlife Service historian, said the refuges are salvaging something valuable from ecological devastation. Rocky Mountain National Park Tour from Denver 49 Recommended Full-day Tours from $195.00 per adult Private Rocky Mountain National Park from Denver and Boulder 49 Recommended Full-day Tours from $849.00 per group (up to 5) Hiking Adventure in Rocky Mountain National Park from Denver 265 Recommended Full-day Tours from $139.00 per adult At the borders of the RMA and at some places in the sites interior, contaminated groundwater is pumped from the below the surface and cleaned before reinjection. The U.S. Army will permanently retain and manage about 1,000 acres of Arsenal land that contain the landfills, waste consolidation areas and groundwater treatment facilities to ensure they remain protective of human health and the environment. The second largest earthquake in the Denver series occurred on November 26, 1967. The Rocky Mountain Arsenal was placed on the National Priorities List of Superfund sites in July 1987. Photo source:CBS Denver It stipulates that the majority of the site will become a National Wildlife Refuge under the jurisdiction of the Fish and Wildlife Service when the environmental restoration is completed. The first of the major chemical demilitarization programs to be undertaken at Rocky Mountain Arsenal was the disposal of the obsolete As production declined at wars end, the U.S. Army leased some of the facilities to private companies, one of which Shell Oil Co. purchased, for the production of agricultural chemicals. Some waste disposal pits presented short-term hazards sufficient to preclude their excavation. Theyre not going to want to be in a place with chemical pollution or radiation problems., Email: [email protected] Extremely loud, explosivelike earth noises were heard. OVERVIEW - Just 10 miles northeast of Denver, Colorado lies one of the largest urban wildlife refuges in the country, an area that only 30 years ago was listed on the Superfund National Priorities List due to being contaminated by over 600 chemicals. Feds light fires at Rocky Mountain Arsenal to restore prairie for multiplying bison and the visitors who flock there Prescribed fire is meant to invigorate about 875 acres of short-grass . (2 of 9), CLEANUP - The remedy selected for the Rocky Mountain Arsenal included the removal of contaminated soil down to 10 over much of the contaminated area, which is contained in two hazardous waste landfills that remain on the site. Some were among the most dangerously polluted sites in the nation but held swaths of hard-to-find habitat. Since 1985, the mission at RMA has been the remediation of the site. If agency officials believed the sites were unsafe for the public, he said, they would not work there. As portions of the cleanup are completed, this property becomes part of the National Wildlife Refuge system and is transferred to the U.S. Department of Interior. Through events, communications, advocacy and fundraising, we support the refuges in. However, when the Basin F liquids were actually introduced, the process required more time than anticipated to complete because of the impermeability of the rock. The Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge has been transformed from a 17,000+ acre facility used for weapons and chemical manufacturing into a beautiful nature sanctuary. Rocky Mountain Greenway Trail Open: Year-round to hiking, bicycles, and Class 1 e-Bikes Length: 4.8 miles This regional trail corridor will link Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge with Two Ponds and Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuges, along with many other protected open space and park lands throughout the Denver metro-area. Reunion is located on the north border of RMA. Starting in 1942, the U.S. Army used the 27-mile site for the manufacture, assembly, and disposal . The manufacturing of these weapons continued until 1969. The refuge was created on the buffer zone surrounding the production area. A $7 billion cleanup concentrated on 2 square miles (5 square kilometers) where workers assembled plutonium triggers for nuclear warheads, and that area is fenced and closed to the public. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Shell Oil for failure to obtain a proper-post closure permit for Basin F, a section of the Rocky Mountain Arsenal. Both the landfills and the covers are built to prevent intrusion by humans or animals, and also to prevent further contamination to the groundwater. The Energy Department estimates it will cost between $323 billion and $677 billion more to finish the costliest cleanup, at the Hanford Site in Washington state where the government produced plutonium for bombs and missiles. Safety concerns for neighboring residents, Economic impact of contamination and clean up, Last edited on 17 February 2023, at 15:23, Learn how and when to remove this template message, Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, "The Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge: On a Rocky Road to Creating a Community Asset", "Remediation Management of Complex Sites, Case Study 6.4 Rocky Mountain Arsenal, Colorado", "A Brief History of Rocky Mountain Arsenal", "Remediation of Groundwater Contamination at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal: Numerical and Geostatistical Analysis", "Colorado Sues Government Over Rocky Mountain Arsenal Site", "Rocky Mountain Arsenal Oversight Program FAQs", Rocky Mountain Arsenal, Commerce City, Adams County, CO, Rocky Mountain Arsenal Archive: A collection of primary, historical documents, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rocky_Mountain_Arsenal&oldid=1139926896, North boundary groundwater treatment system (197982) $4.3 million, Irondale groundwater treatment system by Shell (1981) $1.1 million, Basin F liquid evaporation and contaminated sewer removal (1982) $1.5 million, Northwest boundary groundwater treatment system (1984) $5.5 million, Removal of 76,000 drums of waste salts (1986) $10.5 million, Treatment in the public water supply and The Klein Water Treatment Facility supplies safe drinking water to 30,000 south Adams County residents (1989) $23.1 million, Removal and containment of 10.5M gallons of Basin F liquids and 564,000 cubic yards of sludges (1989) $42 million, Improvements and modifications to North boundary system (19901) $2.75 million, Basin F groundwater intercept system (1990) $0.7 million, Basin A neck groundwater treatment system (1990) $3.1 million, Northwest Boundary System Improvement (1991) $1.4 million, Rail classification yard and motor pool ground water (1991) $3.0 million, South tank farm plume (1991) $0.5 million, Reapplication of windblown dust control (1991) $0.25 million, Groundwater treatment system to the north (19923) $8.7 million, Building 1727 sump cleanup (1993) $0.18 million, This page was last edited on 17 February 2023, at 15:23. Fish and Wildlife Service andShell Oil Company. In 1986, it was discovered that the absence of human activity had made the area an involuntary park when a winter communal roost of bald eagles, then an endangered species, was discovered on site. Today, it is considered a hazardous waste site according to the Colorado Department of Public and Environmental Health. The military, the U.S. Department of Energy and private companies have spent more than $57 billion to clean up the six heavily polluted sites, according to figures gathered by The Associated Press from military and civil agencies. Get the latest updates in news, food, music and culture, and receive special offers direct to your inbox. But CERCLA empowers Colorado to enforce federal standards, the lawsuit claims. Mitchell first started writing the Cold Case blog in Fall 2007, in part because Colorado has more than 1,400 unsolved homicides. The site was completed December 1942,[1] operated by the United States Army throughout the later 20th century and was controversial among local residents until its closure in 1992. Kirk Mitchell is a general assignment reporter at The Denver Post who focuses on criminal justice stories. Its location was selected because it is far from the coast and it has sufficient labor force. Photo source: Denver Post 24,590 were here. Fish and Wildlife Service, bringing the total to 15,000 acres (61km2). In the early 1960s, the U.S. Army began to lease out its facilities to private companies to manufacture pesticides. This public availability will be implemented while simultaneously supporting the remediation effort and the USFWS activities. 1943RMA employees work around the clock to manufacture mustard gas, Lewisite, chlorine gas and incendiary weapons. 2010All surface environmental cleanup work concludes. selected for the Rocky Mountain Arsenal includes the removal of contaminated soil down to 10 over much of the contaminated area, and that contaminated overburden is contained in two hazardous waste landfills that remain on the site. Located just north of Denver, in Commerce City and close to the Stapleton Airport, the U.S. Army purchased 20,000 acres (81km2). This legacy, they say, requires restrictions on where visitors can go and obligates the government to monitor the sites for perhaps centuries. The end result was approximately 165 million gallons of Basin F liquid waste being injected into the well during the period from 1962 through 1966. (5 of 9), Mayor Pro Tem Ren Bullock, who also sits on the Board of Directors for the Friends of the Front Range Wildlife Refuges, stated "As a decades-long participant in transitioning this site from munitions manufacturing to wildlife sanctuary, I can honestly say the Refuge is an shining example of promises made, promises kept and should serve as the gold standard for how to make former Superfund sites benefit the communities in which they are located." Rocky Mountain Arsenal continues to leak, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Get to know all 17 Denver mayor candidates , Rocky Mountain Arsenal continues to leak contaminants into groundwater, Colorado health department lawsuit says, Feds sue water company for rupture damaging Rocky Mountain National Park again. Fish and Wildlife Service management, and they now protect black bears and black-footed ferrets, coral reefs and brushy steppes, rare birds and imperiled salmon. One of the major lessees, Shell Oil Company, along with Julius Hyman and Company and Colorado Fuel and Iron, had manufacturing and processing capabilities on RMA between 1952 and 1982. It cited seven violations. They awakened many residents, but were not widely felt. Spills occurred in the central processing areas, storage areas, and out of chemical sewers that existed underground. Solid and liquid chemical hazardous wastes were disposed of in trenches, burn pits and pooled in open basins covering wide areas. Another strong shock rumbled through the Denver area on November 14, 1966, causing some damage at Commerce City and Eastlake. The Off-Post Record of Decision was finalized in December 1995 and its requirements consist of actions for off-site groundwater and soil. RMA contained a deep injection well that was constructed in 1961. Soon after, Congress enacted legislation designating the RMA as a future national wildlife refuge. 4300 Cherry Creek Drive South Denver, CO 80246, Colorado Health Information Data Set (CoHID), Office of Public Health Practice, Planning, and Local Partnerships (OPHP), Air Quality - Monitoring, Modeling and Data. From 1964 -- 1966, waste was removed from an isolated section of Basin F and was combined with waste from a pre-treatment plant, located near Basin F, and then pumped into the well. For testing purposes, the well was injected with approximately 568,000 US gallons (2150 m) of city water prior to injecting any waste. An official website of the United States government. This is unprecedented: Avian flu has killed 12,000 birds in Colorado, Smart sensors on I-25 promise really significant traffic improvements, pilot study shows, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, Denver just got a direct flight to this Caribbean island known for music history and vegetarian cooking, Denver gang member gave 14-year-old permission to open fire on woman with AR-15 after fender-bender, DA alleges, Multiple Colorado schools temporarily placed under secure status due to threats, Denver East High student dies more than two weeks after being shot outside school, Letters: Proposed age limit for gun ownership in Colorado doesn't make sense. Montbello is located to the south of the RMA, and Commerce City to the west. Following a final land transfer, the Refuge expands to 15,000 acres and becomes one of the largest urban national wildlife refuges in the United States. 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