The Army told the Nuclear Regulatory Commission it could cost $3.2 billion to clean the area for unrestricted use. A separate study of cancer incidence by the Colorado Department of Health did not find convincing evidence of increased cancer risk in people living in residential areas surrounding the arsenal,[15] although the study was made more difficult by the large demographic changes in the area and was also confounded by smoking and obesity rates. An astonishing array of animals and habitats flourished on six obsolete weapons complexes mostly for nuclear or chemical arms because the sites banned the public and other intrusions for decades, Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), In this Oct. 13, 2005, file photo, deer cross a road striped of its asphalt at the former Rocky Flats Nuclear Weapons plant near Golden, Colo. (Ed Andrieski, AP File photo), How Denver is spending the $41M from the Broncos sale, Three members of Colorados congressional delegation seek $60 billion to reduce wildfire risk, restore Western land, Troubled K.P. Office of Public Health Practice, Planning, and Local Partnerships, Chemicals from firefighting foam & other sources, Colorado Legacy Land/Lincoln Park Superfund site, Test & Fix Water for Kids at Family Child Care Homes, Toxicology and environmental epidemiology, Engage with the Water Quality Control Division, Hazardous Materials and Waste Management Division, Bonanza Mining District Restoration Project, Colorado Smelter Community Advisory Group, Colorado Smelter Pamphlets, Charts, Forms and Reports. The facility was built in 1942, in response to the outbreak of World War II in Europe. Several were felt, but none caused damage until the window breaker that surprised Dupont and Irondale on the night of December 4. The injected fluids had very little potential for reaching the surface or useable groundwater supply since the injection point had 11,900 feet of rock above it and was sealed at the opening. Montbello is located to the south of the RMA, and Commerce City to the west. An official website of the United States government. Beginning in 1942, the arsenal was the main site at which the Chemical Corps manufactured chemical weapons such as mustard gas, nerve gas, and phosgene.The Army eventually leased part of the 27 mi 2 (70 km 2) plot of . Thousands of ducks died after coming in contact with its wastewater ponds in the 1950s. Today, the Rocky Mountain Arsenal, once some of the most contaminated land in the country, is a cleaned-up nature center. Fish and Wildlife Service to establish a field office at the RMA to help manage the abundant wildlife. A local shock awakened a few persons in Commerce City November 25. Fish and Wildlife Service, Walter Derr, The Associated Press. The site was operated by the United States Army throughout the later 20th century and was controversial among local residents until its closure in 1992. Most of the land areas now belong to the U.S. The U.S. Army later reactivated Arsenal facilities for Cold-War weapons production and demilitarization. The shock shuffled furniture around in homes, and left electrical wall outlets hanging by their wires at Irondale. Site reviews will be conducted every five years to make sure the cleanup remedy is still effective. [3] After the bald eagles were captured, tested, and found to be healthy, the National Wildlife Federation worked with policymakers to transition RMA to a wildlife refuge. 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. Waste further down than 10 is left in place in the former areas where the basins, chemical sewers, manufacturing plants, disposal trenches once were. 1942The U.S. Army establishes the Rocky Mountain Arsenal to produce chemical weapons as a war-time deterrent. By year end, the United States has out-produced the Axis Powers by 150 percent. More than 600 chemicals have been used or manufactured at the arsenal, including: Diisopropyl methylphosphonate (DIMP), a chemical unique to the Army's manufacture of nerve gas. 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. Eating fish and game from the refuge is forbidden. These restrictions must remain in place unless future sampling and scientific investigation determine they can be safely removed. 1999The RMA becomes the first environmental cleanup site in the nation to receive the Occupational Safety and Health Administrations (OSHA) highest workplace safety award. Longstanding agricultural and health concerns related to the Rocky Mountain Arsenal have resulted in a complex history of political and legal battles. Keeping our congressional leaders . There are many studies that try to estimate the total costs due to contamination of pesticides in U.S. as well as in other countries; however, indirect costs are difficult to estimate, but likely several times than total direct environmental and social costs. local news and culture, Patricia Calhoun Many residents reported it was the strongest earthquake they had ever experienced. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. [8][9] The well remained unused until 1985 when the Army permanently sealed the disposal well. The Colorado departments Hazardous Materials and Waste Management Division filed the lawsuit Monday in U.S. District Court in Denver to force the Army to comply with standards set by the federal Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA). The refuge was created on the buffer zone surrounding the production area. Soon after, Congress enacted legislation designating the RMA as a future national wildlife refuge. Theyre not going to want to be in a place with chemical pollution or radiation problems., Email: newsroom@coloradosun.com Waste that was left in place is now interred beneath largeengineered covers that prevent intrusion by humans or animals,and also preventfurther contamination of groundwater. The Rocky Mountain Arsenal was placed on the National Priorities List of Superfund sites in July 1987. The animals were transferred from the National Bison Range in Montana. The U.S. The Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge Act was passed in October 1992 and signed by President George H. W. Bush. In the early 1960s, the U.S. Army began to lease out its facilities to private companies to manufacture pesticides. EPA and the State concurred with the approach. A lateral was built off the High Line Canal to supply water to the Arsenal. An acoustical ceiling and light fixtures fell at one school. The Rocky Mountain Arsenal (RMA) is a former chemical weapons manufacturing facility located just outside and northwest of the Denver, Colorado metropolitan area (Figure 21). Just watch where you step. One monitoring project has demonstrated incremental improvements over time, and specifically measured 640 parts per billion (ppb) in 1987 and 55 ppb in 1989, while a different off-post monitoring well measured 138 ppb in 1985, 105 ppb in 1987, 14 ppb in 1988, and 6.7 ppb in 1989. Since its establishment in 1942, the Rocky Mountain Arsenal (RMA) has played a unique role in the service of our nation. 1952Shell Chemical Co. purchases Julius Hyman and Company and continues to manufacture agricultural chemicals at the RMA until 1982. After the attack on Pearl Harbor and the United States entered World War II, the U.S. Army began looking for land to create a chemical manufacturing center. Fish and Wildlife Service enter into a unique public-private teaming arrangement called the Remediation Venture Office (RVO) to facilitate the safe, timely and cost-effective cleanup and transition of the site. However, the Army estimates that the waste was a more dilute version of the Basin F liquid which is now being incinerated. (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. Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge. Three shocks in 1965 -- February 16, September 29, and November 20 -- caused intensity VI damage in Commerce City and environs. Rocky Mountain Arsenal. After a $2.1 billion cleanup, the site was reborn as Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, with 24 square miles (61 square kilometers) of idyllic prairie where visitors can take scenic drives or hikes. Fish and Wildlife Service is responsible for managing the Arsenals wildlife and habitat. This led the State of Colorado to take legal action over who has legal authority over RMA remediation efforts, payment of natural resource damages (NRDs), and reimbursement of costs expended for cleanup activities (response costs). The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment established monitoring systems throughout various locations of the RMA. For questions about Refuge programs and conservation efforts, please contact the U.S. 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. 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. [citation needed]. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has sued the U.S. Army claiming that dangerous chemicals including pesticides continue to leach into groundwater at Rocky Mountain Arsenal . [20] In the case of Rocky Mountain Arsenal, total indirect cost was not estimated at all. For more information please visit U.S. Spills occurred in the central processing areas, storage areas, and out of chemical sewers that existed underground. The Rocky Mountain Arsenal was placed on the National Priorities List of Superfund sites in July 1987. Although the U.S. Army and Shell used accepted disposal practices of the time, decades of chemical and agricultural production led to contamination of some of the soil, structures and groundwater. Please click here to see any active alerts. Additionally, some of this land was used for a prisoner of war camp (for Germancombatants) and later transferred to the city of Denver as Stapleton Airport expanded. 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. As provided by CERCLA, a Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study (RI/FS) was conducted to determine the extent of contamination. The Colorado School of Mines rated this shock magnitude 5.0. From 1950 to 1952, the Army constructed the North Plants complex to manufacture the nerve agents VX and GB, (also called sarin). Rated magnitude 1.5, it was not strong enough to be felt by area residents. The military closed the sites to keep people safe from the dangerous work that went on there, not to save the environment, said Havlick of the University of Colorado. More recently, it has been used as a storage facility for excess office furniture and equipment. Access a text only version of the Rocky Mountain Arsenal Site Spotlight. 1996The U.S. Army, Shell and U.S. Today, it is considered a hazardous waste site according to the Colorado Department of Public and Environmental Health. Converting a heavily polluted weapons complex into a wildlife refuge is cheaper than making it safe for homes, schools and businesses, said Adam Rome, who teaches environmental history at the State University of New York at Buffalo. The perfect trail for those who like to enjoy nature from the comfort of their air-conditioned vehicle with a latte in hand. 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. The Rocky Mountain Arsenal, located ten minutes outside of downtown Denver, Colorado, offers one of the most unique urban wildlife refuges in the country. Between 1946 and 1987, the Army also leased portions of the arsenal to Shell Oil Company to manufacture pesticides. In addition to the containment structures, the agreed-upon remedy directs that the entire area is subject to restrictions on land use in perpetuity, including residential development, agricultural use, any potable use of the groundwater, and any consumption of fish or game from the Arsenal. 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. Two early morning shocks occurred November 14. These monitors tested the air for several decades during the cleanup and showed the cleanup was protective of public health. Reunion is located on the north border of RMA. 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. Vote in our annual food bracket challenge. Its latest plan calls for waiting 20 years in hopes that better, less expensive technology emerges or the unexploded shells degrade to a safe level. Most skeptics agree the refuges are worthwhile but warn that the natural beauty might obscure the environmental damage wreaked nearby. Known today as an urban national wildlife refuge, the Rocky Mountain Arsenal is one of the most studied environmental cleanup sites in the country. In September of that year, the Army began removing fluid from the Arsenal well at a very slow rate, in hope that earthquake activity would lessen. Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge (credit: CBS) Nick Kaczor and his team were also out -- trying to find the black footed ferrets. Madison, the Fish and Wildlife Service historian, said the refuges are salvaging something valuable from ecological devastation. Become a member to support the independent voice of Denver The contaminated groundwater that still exists in and around RMA continues to be actively monitored. The Rocky Mountain Arsenal was a United States chemical weapons manufacturing center located in the Denver Metropolitan Area in Commerce City, Colorado. They would be worse if they were surrounded by a fence and left off-limits for decades and decades, said David Havlick, a professor at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs who studies military-to-wildlife conversions. Additionally, studies performed at Colorado State University found no increased risk of Arsenic, Mercury, or neurotoxicity in communities within 15 miles of the RMA.[16][17]. It was also helpful that the location was close to Stapleton airfield, a major transportation hub.[5]. The U.S. Army has begun removing Building 130, which is located northeast of the Refuge Visitors Center. 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. The defendants must build a system to actively dewater Shells trenches to prevent the mixing of effluent with groundwater, the lawsuit says. Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge was established in 2004, in part, to protect our national symbol, the bald eagle. The Act also provides that to the extent possible, parts of the Arsenal are to be managed as a Refuge in the interim. The Denver series was forgotten, however temporarily, in October 1966, when a southeast Colorado tremor rocked a 15,000 square-mile area of that State and bordering New Mexico. For example, DIMP (diisopropyl methyl phosphonate) was one of the main contaminants in the area. The Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge is 15,000 acres and features three lakes that are home to over 300 species of wildlife. Minor damage, in the form of broken windows and dishes and cracked walls and plaster, occurred at Aguilar, Segundo, Trinchera, and Trinidad. Parts of a C-shaped buffer zone around the perimeter are open to visitors asHanford Reach National Monument. Legislators quickly moved from beneath chandeliers in the Denver Capitol Building, fearing they might fall. 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. Last Conditions Report for Rocky Mountain Arsenal: 11.15.21. By year end, the United States has out-produced the Axis . (7 of 9), BENEFIT - Cleanup of the Rocky Mountain Arsenal has bolstered the economy of the greater Denver metro area and provides its neighbors with jobs, recreation, and a peaceful escape to nature. Cancer incidence in the communities near the arsenal was also monitored and found to be varied across location, gender, race and time, and have been determined to not be related to past Arsenal exposure or cleanup activities. Fish and Wildlife Service establishes a field office at the RMA to manage bald eagles and other wildlife. The following data were derived from the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission. A volume of approximately 52,500 acre-feet (65 million cubic metres) of the alluvial aquifer is not usable for human consumption. The CDPHE issued the Army a notice of non-compliance, claiming its containment and treatment measures were not working. 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 . 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. (9 of 9). The Army discontinued use of the well in February 1966 because the fluid injection triggered a series of earthquakes in the area. Early 1980sAll production at the RMA ceases, and the mission shifts to environmental remediation and restoration. (3 of 9), REDEVELOPMENT - Commerce City, CO a northern suburb of Denver,and a sports enterprise business have invested more than $120 million in the property, which yields 1.7 million visitors annually. The waste from the pre-treatment plant was generally a solution containing 13,000 parts per million sodium chloride (salt), with a pH ranging from 3.5 to 11.5. So theres a huge downside to converting it into a wildlife refuge, because it allows residual contamination to remain in place, said Jeff Edson, a former Colorado state health official who worked on the cleanup. 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. Today, the Refuge encompasses more than 15,000 acres of restored shortgrass prairie and provides habitat to more 300 species of wildlife, including American bison, bald eagles, mule and white-tailed deer, burrowing owls and black-footed ferrets. Subsequently, through the 1970s until 1985, RMA was used as a demilitarization site to destroy munitions and chemically related items. When the Cold War ended in the 1980s, more surplus military lands were earmarked for refuges. State health officials are asking the federal courts to intervene to stop the contamination on the north and northwest boundaries of the trenches. It remained controversial among residents until it was closed in 1992. Rocky Mountain Arsenal, among other post-military sites, was a top priority, establishing RMA as a superfund site. (credit: Rocky Mountain Arsenal/Twitter) That section borders 56th Avenue at the Gateway and Montbello neighborhoods. These field activities began in the fall of 1997 and significant portions of the cleanup have already been accomplished. The magnitude 5.2 event caused widespread minor damage in the suburban areas of northeast Denver. An official website of the United States government, Archives: Project Descriptions / Fact Sheets, Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil. 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 The land is sold to Commerce City for commercial and retail development. 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 civic center, high school, soccer complexand public open space are also located here. 2007The EPA honors the RMA with its national Land Revitalization Award. Brighton is 6 miles north, and Barr Lake State Park is about 5 miles northeast. During removal of contaminated soil and construction of the remedy containment structures, air monitoring was conducted at multiple sites in the Arsenals interior and fence line, and several sites in the surrounding communities. [6][7] On May 21, 2011, the official visitor center for the refuge was opened with an exhibit about the site's history, ranging from the homesteading era to its current status. In an effort to foster economic growth in the area and maintain the facilities for national security, private companies were encouraged to lease facilities beginning in the mid-1940s. An official website of the United States government. State and federal officials say its safe, but skeptical activists filed a lawsuit saying the federal government didnt test the refuge carefully enough. Residents were generally shaken, but no damage was sustained. 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. Fish and Wildlife Service andShell Oil Company. After a $2.1 billion cleanup, the site was reborn as Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, with 24 square miles of idyllic prairie where visitors can take scenic drives or hikes. A lot of the environmental stories are kind of doomy and gloomy, and these are successful ones, something positive, he said. A similar shock, magnitude 4.1, centered in the Denver area November 15. The Army is still struggling with cleaning up Jefferson Proving Ground in southeastern Indiana, part of which becameBig Oaks National Wildlife Refuge. 1943From 1943 to 1946, the Rose Hill Prisoners of War Camp houses captured German soldiers at the RMA. U.S. [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. Then, on April 10, the largest since the series began in 1962 occurred; 118 windowpanes were broken in buildings at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal, a crack in an asphalt parking lot was noted in the Derby area, and schools were dismissed in Boulder, where walls sustained cracks. The U.S. Army selected 17,000 acres of farm land just 10 miles northeast of Denver in Commerce City, Colorado, as the site of the new Arsenal. 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. Today, only the foundation of a watch post from Rose Hill is visible, and then only when pointed. Rocket fuel was blended on-site for the Titan and Delta missile operations. First, the well casing was tested to evaluate its integrity. [citation needed] It cited seven violations. 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. Critics say Rocky Mountain Arsenal in Colorado illustrates the shortcomings of a cleanup designed to be good enough for a refuge but not for human habitation. During the cleanup of the RMA, concern for air pollution from the hazardous materials was raised. Drop us a note at tips@coloradosun.com. Telling stories that matter in a dynamic, evolving state. The well was cased and sealed to a depth of 11,975 feet, with the remaining 70 feet left as an open hole for the injection of Basin F liquids. Opinion: Colorado farms going fallow? There are multiple paved, boardwalk, or gravel trail options with a variety of lengths and difficulty levels available. 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