Groundwater treatment will continue until all water leaving the site meets state and federal standards. All of these constituents constitute threats to human health and the environment, the lawsuit says. (1 of 9) SITE HISTORY - Rocky Mountain Arsenal was listed on the NPL in 1987. Access a text only version of the Rocky Mountain Arsenal Site Spotlight. Shell Oil Co. leased the property and manufactured agricultural pesticides in the South Plants complex from 1952 through 1982. Residential and commercial property is located to the north, south and west. The defendants must build a system to actively dewater Shells trenches to prevent the mixing of effluent with groundwater, the lawsuit says. 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. 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. U.S. Residents were generally shaken, but no damage was sustained. They awakened many residents, but were not widely felt. 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. The well was cased and sealed to a depth of 11,975 feet (3650 m), with the remaining 70 feet (21 m) left as an open hole for the injection of Basin F liquids. [8] It was drilled to a depth of 12,045 feet (3671 m). In addition, there were actions completed by Future Farmers of America (FFA) between 1991 and 1993 that cost approximately $151.2 million. Several persons scurried into the streets when buildings started shaking back and forth. 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. In September 2010, the cleanup was considered complete, and the remaining portions of land were transferred to the U.S. Rocket fuel was blended on-site for the Titan and Delta missile operations. A volume of approximately 52,500 acre-feet (65 million cubic metres) of the alluvial aquifer is not usable for human consumption. Farmers in the vicinity complained about the damage to crops due to the water pumped from the shallow alluvial aquifer. A civic center, high school, soccer complexand public open space are also located here. The history of the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge stretches back more than 60 years. [1], The environmental movement began in the United States in the 1960-1970s. Fish and Wildlife Service at 303.289.0930, or visit the Refuge online. Between 1946 and 1987, the Army also leased portions of the arsenal to Shell Oil Company to manufacture pesticides. Known today as an urban national wildlife refuge, the Rocky Mountain Arsenal traces its beginnings to the Dec. 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor, which brought the United States into World War II.. An official website of the United States government. (1 of 9), SITE HISTORY - Rocky Mountain Arsenal was listed on the NPL in 1987. One of the lessees, Julius Hyman and Company, manufactures agricultural chemicals at the site. The injected fluids had very little potential for reaching the surface or usable groundwater supply since the injection point had 11,900 feet (3630 m) of rock above it and was sealed at the opening. Longstanding agricultural and health concerns related to the Rocky Mountain Arsenal have resulted in a complex history of political and legal battles. The shock shuffled furniture around in homes, and left electrical wall outlets hanging by their wires at Irondale. Its radiation isnt strong enough to be dangerous outside the body, but its dust is a serious health risk if inhaled or swallowed, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says. 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. 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 Secure .gov websites use HTTPS In the early 1980s the site was selected as a Superfund site and the cleanup process began. The manufacturing of these weapons continued until 1969. 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. The first of the major chemical demilitarization programs to be undertaken at Rocky Mountain Arsenal was the disposal of the obsolete 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. All waste that was left in place is now interred beneath large-area engineered covers that prevent any intrusion into the waste that remains below. [18] While it is difficult to capture the societal cost to clean up the site, the list of actions dealing with groundwater contamination listed by Mears and Heise include: Direct economic totals add up to approximately $111 million and this estimation does not include operation and maintenance costs. Telling stories that matter in a dynamic, evolving state. These restrictions must remain in place unless future sampling and scientific investigation determine they can be safely removed. The cleanup of the refuge's 15,000 acres was completed in 2010. 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. Drop us a note at tips@coloradosun.com. Damage on a lesser scale occurred throughout the area. Vote in our annual food bracket challenge. The land is sold to Commerce City for commercial and retail development. 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. The Rocky Mountain Arsenal was created out of farmland on the eastern edge of metro Denver during World War II to arm the U.S. Army. Due to the early completion of this program, the Army realized a savings of 300,000 dollars. 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. The 17,000-acre site is 10 miles northeast of Denver. The Rocky Mountain Arsenal manufactured chemical weapons including mustard gas, napalm, white phosphorus, lewisite, chlorine gas, and sarin. Soldiers test-fired millions of artillery rounds at the proving ground, some made of depleted uranium. Fish and Wildlife Service establishes a field office at the RMA to manage bald eagles and other wildlife. 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 . Another group asked the courts to release documents from a 27-year-old criminal investigation into the weapons plant, hoping they will show whether the government tracked down and cleaned up all the contamination. [11] Air quality monitoring of the Arsenal began concurrently with the decontamination process in 1997 and surveillance continued until July 2009. In 1975, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment ordered the Army and Shell to stop the non-permitted discharge of contaminants, to control the contaminated groundwater leaving the site, and to implement a monitoring plan. 1942The U.S. Army establishes the Rocky Mountain Arsenal to produce chemical weapons as a war-time deterrent. 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. Many projects have attempted to clean contaminated groundwater at the Arsenal. Rocky Mountain Arsenal, among other post-military sites, was a top priority, establishing RMA as a superfund site. 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. Spills occurred in the central processing areas, storage areas, and out of chemical sewers that existed underground. 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. 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. Several reported basement floors separated from walls. The site was placed on the National Priorities List (NPL), a list of the most contaminated areas in the United States. [3] One of the goals of the MMP was to enhance community assurance that the clean-up was effective, and it included air quality monitoring, cancer surveillance, and birth defects surveillance. From a tiny Pacific island to a leafy Indiana forest, a handful of sites where the United States manufactured and tested some of the most lethal weapons known to humankind are now peaceful havens for wildlife. 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. This resulted in subsequent earthquakes in Denver area. 1995-1996Following extensive community input, the Off-Post and On-Post Records of Decision (ROD) are signed. 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. Next, the injection zone at the bottom 70 feet of the well was closed by plugging with cement. Exchanging animals among smaller herds. Residents may see flames, too, but are asked to not call 911 for this reason. In the early 1960s, the U.S. Army began to lease out its facilities to private companies to manufacture pesticides. independent local journalism in Denver. Fish and Wildlife Service that at least 20,000 ducks died in a 10-year span during the 1970s. When the Cold War ended in the 1980s, more surplus military lands were earmarked for refuges. A similar shock, magnitude 4.1, centered in the Denver area November 15. But forty years ago, a series of quakes rocked the Denver area -- quakes caused not by Mother Nature, but by Uncle Sam. The site was placed in 1987 on the EPAs National Priorities List, which is also known as the Superfund list. [4], The Arsenal's location was selected due to its relative distance from the coasts (and presumably not likely to be attacked), a sufficient labor force to work at the site, weather that was conducive to outdoor work, and the appropriate soil needed for the project. Both those cases are pending in federal court. 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. Make a one-time donation today for as little as $1. Mallard carcasses found to have higher levels of Dieldrin. The Rocky Mountain Arsenal, a manufacturing center of United States chemical weapons, is located in Commerce City, Colorado. 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. 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. Most badgers at Rocky Mountain Arsenal appear to be unaffected by dieldrin, one of the main chemical contaminants remaining in the soil at the military base. Minor damage, in the form of broken windows and dishes and cracked walls and plaster, occurred at Aguilar, Segundo, Trinchera, and Trinidad. The primary contaminants include organochloride pesticides, organophosphate pesticides, carbamate insecticides, organic solvents and feedstock chemicals used as raw products or intermediates in the manufacturing process (e.g., chlorinated benzenes), heavy metals, chemical warfare material and their related breakdown products and biological warfare agent such as TX. 1966Following reports of localized earthquake tremors, the U.S. Army concludes the deep well injection program. This program was designed to address potential Arsenal-related health concerns of those living in communities surrounding the Rocky Mountain Arsenal, including the southernmost portion of Brighton, Commerce City, Green Valley Ranch, Henderson and Montbello. That at least 20,000 ducks died in a dynamic, evolving state the! 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