Depleted uranium, a byproduct of nuclear fuel production, is used for armor-piercing shells. It was an inexpensive way to expand the national refuge system, especially in urban areas with scarce open space, said Mark Madison, the Fish and Wildlife Services historian. 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. 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. The cleanup of the refuge's 15,000 acres was completed in 2010. In response, the Army constructed an asphalt-lined impoundment for the disposal of wastes in 1956. All field work should be completed in March 2023. Reunion is located on the north border of RMA. Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge was established in 2004, in part, to protect our national symbol, the bald eagle. Not for the "stupid price" of $150 an acre foot. 1942The U.S. Army establishes the Rocky Mountain Arsenal to produce chemical weapons as a war-time deterrent. [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. The U.S. A 14-year, $2-billion remediation effort begun in 1996 will turn most of the arsenal into a national wildlife refuge. Extremely loud, explosivelike earth noises were heard. Damage on a lesser scale occurred throughout the area. The magnitude 5.2 event caused widespread minor damage in the suburban areas of northeast Denver. These monitors tested the air for several decades during the cleanup and showed the cleanup was protective of public health. 2015Black-footed ferrets are reintroduced at the Refuge as part of a nationwide recovery program for the endangered species. This resulted in subsequent earthquakes in Denver area. This was further exacerbated when the U.S. Army discovered an endangered species, the bald eagle. [11], The NRDA found several injuries to wildlife. The building was known as the Environmental Analytical Laboratory, and was used to analyze soil, water, and air samples collected during the environmental clean-up of RMA. Fish and Wildlife Service andShell Oil Company. text only version of the Rocky Mountain Arsenal Site Spotlight, Emerging Contaminants and Contaminants of Concern, Federal Agency Hazardous Waste Compliance Docket, Military Munitions and Unexploded Ordnance (UXO). Join the Westword community and help support North of the former Stapleton Airport and west of Denver International Airport, Adams County. In the early 1960s, the U.S. Army began to lease out its facilities to private companies to manufacture pesticides. The U.S. More recently, it has been used as a storage facility for excess office furniture and equipment. Starting in 1942, the U.S. Army used the 27-mile site for the manufacture, assembly, and disposal . Many residents reported it was the strongest earthquake they had ever experienced. There are multiple paved, boardwalk, or gravel trail options with a variety of lengths and difficulty levels available. 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. Soldiers test-fired millions of artillery rounds at the proving ground, some made of depleted uranium. 1966Following reports of localized earthquake tremors, the U.S. Army concludes the deep well injection program. As provided by CERCLA, a Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study (RI/FS) was conducted to determine the extent of contamination. Shell Oil Co. leased the property and manufactured agricultural pesticides in the South Plants complex from 1952 through 1982. To read the report, click here. 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. In its own account of the cleanup at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal, the Army web site offers this explanation: The Rocky Mountain Arsenal deep injection well was constructed in 1961, and was drilled to a depth of 12,045 feet. The contaminated groundwater that still exists in and around RMA continues to be actively monitored. Feds sue water company for rupture damaging Rocky Mountain National Park -- again, Family gets unexpected bill after Kaiser Permanente Colorado software error that resulted in refunds to thousands, Skygazers will have a great view Wednesday of two planets that look like they are almost touching. The refuge was created on the buffer zone surrounding the production area. Three criteria were es 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. 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. This public availability will be implemented while simultaneously supporting the remediation effort and the USFWS activities. The U.S. Army has begun removing Building 130, which is located northeast of the Refuge Visitors Center. In 2004, 5000 acres along the perimeter of the site were deleted from the National Priorities List of Superfund sites to establish the National Wildlife Refuge. During 1968, ten slight shocks were felt in Colorado. Its location was selected because it is far from the coast and it has sufficient labor force. This legacy, they say, requires restrictions on where visitors can go and obligates the government to monitor the sites for perhaps centuries. Washington state officials are worried that the Trump administration wants to reclassify millions of gallons of wastewater at Hanford from high-level radioactive to low-level, which could reduce cleanup standards and cut costs. 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. Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge. 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. By year end, the United States has out-produced the Axis . The second largest earthquake in the Denver series occurred on November 26, 1967. [citation needed] Access a text only version of the Rocky Mountain Arsenal Site Spotlight. All of these constituents constitute threats to human health and the environment, the lawsuit says. The settlement amount totaled $27.4 millionand is to be used for natural resources restoration projects in the South Platte River area. In summary, there is no current evidence of health effects. In 1987, the RMA was placed on the National Priorities List (NPL) of Superfund sites. 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. 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. 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. Three shocks in 1965 -- February 16, September 29, and November 20 -- caused intensity VI damage in Commerce City and environs. In September 2017, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment sued the U.S. Army, U.S. In 4 years, Lori Lightfoot went from breakout political star to divisive mayor of a Chicago beset by pandemic and crime, Florida lawmakers to consider expansion of so-called dont say gay law, Drone crashes at Disneyland after hovering over visitors heads See video, Rapper Travis Scott wanted for assaulting Manhattan club sound engineer, destroying $12K in equipment, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. In 1992, Congress Passed the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge Act (RMANWR Act). Throughout the decades of cleanup, the air monitors revealed there was no safety hazard to public health as no arsenal chemicals had been released into the air. The magnitude 5.3 tremor caused the most serious damage at Northglenn, where concrete pillar supports to a church roof were weakened, and 20 windows were broken. All manufacturing activities ended in 1982. By the end of December 1962, 190 earthquakes had occurred. American bison are reintroduced to the site that same year as part of a nationwide conservation effort. The cleanup was completed in 2010 and five large parcels of land have been deleted from the NPL . The arsenal's animals are intended to refresh bloodlines of the national park's herd, Rocky Mountain Arsenal Refuge Manager David Lucas told CBS4. After 42 years of chemical manufacturing, in 1984, the United States Army began to inspect the level of contamination at Rocky Mountain Arsenal (RMA). Annual Highlights from Rocky Mountain Arsenal, Rocky Mountain Arsenal has recently published its annual community report. JavaScript appears to be disabled on this computer. 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. 1943RMA employees work around the clock to manufacture mustard gas, Lewisite, chlorine gas and incendiary weapons. The Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge Act was passed in October 1992 and signed by President George H. W. Bush. The Rocky Mountain Arsenal manufactured chemical weapons including mustard gas, napalm, white phosphorus, lewisite, chlorine gas, and sarin. Longstanding agricultural and health concerns related to the Rocky Mountain Arsenal have resulted in a complex history of political and legal battles. Because of the Superfund site status and the dramatic cleanups, many residents in neighborhoods surrounding the RMA voiced concern about ongoing health risks of living within the close vicinity of the site. Catch . Photos source: US Fish and Wildlife Service
The Rocky Mountain Arsenal, located ten minutes outside of downtown Denver, Colorado, offers one of the most unique urban wildlife refuges in the country. Through events, communications, advocacy and fundraising, we support the refuges in. Roughly 10 miles (16 kilometers) from downtown Denver, the arsenal was once an environmental nightmare where chemical weapons and commercial pesticides were made. 1992Congress passes the 1992 Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge Act, which designates the site as a future national wildlife refuge. Colorado health officials contendthat Shells trenches and slurry walls have not prevented pesticides and other dangerous chemicals from leaching into the groundwater. The final step was adding Bentonite, a heavy clay mud that later solidified, to close the rest of the hole up to the ground surface. Beginning in 1942, the Army used the 27-square-mile arsenal at 5650 Gateway Road in Commerce City for the manufacture and disposal of chemical warfare agents, and chemical and incendiary munitions. 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 the mid-1980s, wildlife, including endangered species, moved into the space and the land became a protected park. A monitoring program was developed to monitor the success of exposure prevention efforts during the environmental cleanup at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal. 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. Two early morning shocks occurred November 14. 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. For testing purposes, the well was injected with approximately 568,000 US gallons (2150 m) of city water prior to injecting any waste. 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. the Rocky Mountain Arsenal Disposal Well By D. B. Hoover and J. The Army was dumping dangerous chemicals into a deep injection well out at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal. Between 1946 and 1987, the Army also leased portions of the arsenal to Shell Oil Company to manufacture pesticides. But forty years ago, a series of quakes rocked the Denver area -- quakes caused not by Mother Nature, but by Uncle Sam. 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. Researchers have not examined the health risks to wildlife at the cleaned-up refuges as extensively as the potential danger to humans, but few problems have been reported. Drop us a note at tips@coloradosun.com. Eating fish and game from the refuge is forbidden. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS Legislators quickly moved from beneath chandeliers in the Denver Capitol Building, fearing they might fall. (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." It remained controversial among residents until it was closed in 1992. The CDPHE issued the Army a notice of non-compliance, claiming its containment and treatment measures were not working. The Energy Department told the state it has no current plans to change the classification. Brighton is 6 miles north, and Barr Lake State Park is about 5 miles northeast. The documents provide the framework, purpose and overall rationale for remediation of the site. To read the report, click, Archives: Project Descriptions / Fact Sheets, Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil. 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 . Several reported basement floors separated from walls. The manufacturing of these weapons continued until 1969. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Army will retain areas where hazardous wastes are managed, such as the landfill and soil covers. Rocky Mountain Arsenal continues to leak contaminants into groundwater, Colorado health department lawsuit says Contaminants include organochlorine pesticides, heavy metals and solvents. 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. For more information please visit U.S. Following the war and through the early 1980s, the facilities continued to be used by the Army. Weapons manufactured at RMA included both conventional and chemical munitions, including white phosphorus (M34 grenade), napalm, mustard gas, lewisite, and chlorine gas. The Off-Post Record of Decision was finalized in December 1995 and its requirements consist of actions for off-site groundwater and soil. Groundwater treatment will continue until all water leaving the site meets state and federal standards. 1947The U.S. Army places the RMA on standby status and leases some facilities to private industry. 1942The U.S. Army establishes the Rocky Mountain Arsenal to produce chemical weapons as a war-time deterrent. 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. The Rocky Mountain Arsenal was placed on the National Priorities List of Superfund sites in July 1987. 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