1987The EPA places the RMA on the National Priorities (or Superfund) List. Rocky Mountain Arsenal. Then a year and half after the Rocky Mountain Arsenal waste dumping practice stopped, the strongest and most widely felt shock in Denver's history struck that area on August 9, 1967, at 6:25 in the morning. All surface work related to the environmental cleanup ended in 2010, one year ahead of schedule and within budget. Fish and Wildlife Service to create and later expand the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge. Following the war and through the early 1980s, the facilities continued to be used by the Army. These restrictions must remain in place unless future sampling and scientific investigation determine they can be safely removed. From 1962 -- 1963, the fluids were pumped from Basin F into the well. 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. 6:54AM. The well remained unused for nearly 20 years. 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. August 24, 2011 Rated magnitude 1.5, it was not strong enough to be felt by area residents. The Rocky Mountain Arsenal manufactured chemical weapons including mustard gas, napalm, white phosphorus, lewisite, chlorine gas, and sarin. 2010All surface environmental cleanup work concludes. 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. Please direct your comments and questions to: Rocky Mountain Arsenal, 7270 Kingston Parkway, Building 129, Commerce City, CO 80222 or by email to: Patty.l.lee6.civ@army.mil Annual Monitoring Reports In cooperation with federal, state and local regulatory agencies, the U.S. Army maintains and monitors the remedy to ensure its ongoing protectiveness. Roughly 10 miles (16 kilometers) from downtown Denver, the arsenal was once an environmental nightmare where chemical weapons and commercial pesticides were made. There is no appropriate standard by the EPA, but the state of Colorado has a standard treatment protocol for this chemical. The organic content of the solution was high but is largely unknown. The arsenal's animals are intended to refresh bloodlines of the national park's herd, Rocky Mountain Arsenal Refuge Manager David Lucas told CBS4. Despite yesterday's earthquake that hit the Trinidad region, "Colorado is considered a region of minor earthquake activity," according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The Army and Shell operated Basin F, a hazardous waste surface impoundment for the storage and treatment of liquid and solid hazardous wastes, but the facility leaked wastes into the environment after waste disposal ended in 1981, the lawsuit says. Reunion is located on the north border of RMA. Many mammals and birds were found dead and may have suffered lower reproduction rates or birth defects.[11]. Jefferson County Finds Itself Up a Tree Over Controversial Forest-Thinning Practices, Dominion Has the Cure for Foxitis: $1.6 Billion Defamation Lawsuit, Celebrate the 303: From Crocs to Cannabis, Colorado Has Your Number, No Liberal Tears: We Build the Wall's Colorado Conspirator Sentencing PostponedAgain, Have Thoughts About the Denver Moves Everyone Plan? [12] Though the cleanup of the site was considered complete in 2010, soil and groundwater monitoring practices occur every five years to ensure the effects of the clean-up remain. Photo source: Denver Post In 1992, Congress designated the sites as a wildlife refuge. 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, and Shell Oil for failure to obtain a proper-post closure permit for Basin F, a section of the Rocky Mountain Arsenal. Further, in 1961, the Army constructed a 12,000-foot deep injection well for the disposal of wastes. The Army and Shell Oil Co. began conducting detailed site investigations in the 1970s to define the extent of contamination. The program consisted of four tests between September 3 and October 26. The second largest earthquake in the Denver series occurred on November 26, 1967. Another strong shock rumbled through the Denver area on November 14, 1966, causing some damage at Commerce City and Eastlake. Some were among the most dangerously polluted sites in the nation but held swaths of hard-to-find habitat. 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. The Army told the Nuclear Regulatory Commission it could cost $3.2 billion to clean the area for unrestricted use. Many residents reported it was the strongest earthquake they had ever experienced. 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. Some waste disposal pits presented short-term hazards sufficient to preclude their excavation. 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 (RMA) is a former chemical weapons manufacturing facility located just outside and northwest of the Denver, Colorado metropolitan area (Figure 21). The U.S. The Army and Shell took remedial actions to prevent the contamination that includes the installation of the groundwater barrier system which treated approximately 1 billion gallons of water every year. 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. EPA and the State concurred with the approach. In September 2017, the state of Colorado filed a lawsuit to sue the United States government for the right to control the contaminated areas of the RMA. Rocky Mountain Arsenal continues to leak contaminants into groundwater, Colorado health department lawsuit says Contaminants include organochlorine pesticides, heavy metals and solvents. Both the landfills and the covers are built to prevent intrusion by humans or animals, and also to prevent further contamination to the groundwater. 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. 2004After the EPA certifies that cleanup actions are complete, the U.S. Department of Defense transfers 5,000 acres of RMA land to the U.S. Department of the Interior to officially establish the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge. These monitors tested the air for several decades during the cleanup and showed the cleanup was protective of public health. Also, they noted that if all groundwater were to be cleared for human consumption, the cost would be $500 million annually. 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. This was further exacerbated when the U.S. Army discovered an endangered species, the bald eagle. 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. 1942The U.S. Army establishes the Rocky Mountain Arsenal to produce chemical weapons as a war-time deterrent. When the cleanup was completed, it was clear that no Arsenal chemicals had been released into the air that exceeded the health-protective levels established for the site since the environmental cleanup began in October 1997. 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. The deep injection well was closed in 1985 and Basin F was closed in 1988 [10] The Rocky Mountain Arsenal was placed on the National Priorities List of Superfund sites in July 1987. Due to the early completion of this program, the Army realized a savings of 300,000 dollars. 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.. The Act also provides that to the extent possible, parts of the Arsenal are to be managed as a Refuge in the interim. As provided by CERCLA, a Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study (RI/FS) was conducted to determine the extent of contamination. independent local journalism in Denver. 1969Powered by rocket fuel propellant manufactured at the RMA, Apollo 11 lands on the moon. 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. Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge (credit: CBS) Nick Kaczor and his team were also out -- trying to find the black footed ferrets. But parts of the refuge remain off-limits, including specially designed landfills where the Army disposed of contaminated soil. To read the report, click here. The Army is still struggling with cleaning up Jefferson Proving Ground in southeastern Indiana, part of which becameBig Oaks National Wildlife Refuge. Provisions for a permanent water supply for off-post residents affected by arsenal groundwater contamination. Get the latest updates in news, food, music and culture, and receive special offers direct to your inbox. 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. Three shocks in 1965 -- February 16, September 29, and November 20 -- caused intensity VI damage in Commerce City and environs. By year end, the United States has out-produced the Axis Powers by 150 percent. Known today as an urban national wildlife refuge, the Rocky Mountain Arsenal is one of the most studied environmental cleanup sites in the country. Rocky Mountain Arsenal on FishExplorer has 222 historic conditions reports, 90 historic water temperature updates, 120 historic status updates, 138 historic water level updates, available to subscribers. 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. This soil is contained in hazardous waste landfills. 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. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment established monitoring systems throughout various locations of the RMA. Critics sayRocky Mountain Arsenalin Colorado illustrates the shortcomings of a cleanup designed to be good enough for a refuge but not for human habitation. The Rocky Mountain Arsenal was placed on the National Priorities List of Superfund sites in July 1987. 1973The Vietnam Conflict ends, and demilitarization becomes the primary focus of the RMA. 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