A 14-year, $2-billion remediation effort begun in 1996 will turn most of the arsenal into a national wildlife refuge. Another strong shock rumbled through the Denver area on November 14, 1966, causing some damage at Commerce City and Eastlake. If agency officials believed the sites were unsafe for the public, he said, they would not work there. [1], The environmental movement began in the United States in the 1960-1970s. 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 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. These field activities began in the fall of 1997 and significant portions of the cleanup have already been accomplished. A medical monitoring program to monitor the success of exposure prevention efforts during the environmental cleanup. Several were felt, but none caused damage until the window breaker that surprised Dupont and Irondale on the night of December 4. But CERCLA empowers Colorado to enforce federal standards, the lawsuit claims. The Army was dumping dangerous chemicals into a deep injection well out at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal. independent local journalism in Denver. 1973The Vietnam Conflict ends, and demilitarization becomes the primary focus of the RMA. (1 of 9), SITE HISTORY - Rocky Mountain Arsenal was listed on the NPL in 1987. 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. These monitors tested the air for several decades during the cleanup and showed the cleanup was protective of public health. 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 . 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. 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. Much of the site is now protected as the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge. Montbello is located to the south of the RMA, and Commerce City to the west. 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. After the war, it became a bustling center of industrial activity -- a top-secret center that created a lot of dangerous waste. During the development of the remedy for the Arsenals contamination, there was a lot of public concern that the cleanup itself might pose a risk to the surrounding residents. The perfect trail for those who like to enjoy nature from the comfort of their air-conditioned vehicle with a latte in hand. As cleanup progressed, the Army transferredmost of the land to the U.S. 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 purpose of this Natural Resource Damage Assessment Plan is to document the State Trustees' basis for conducting the damage assessment that provided the basis of the lawsuit and to set forth the proposed approaches for quantifying harm to natural resources and calculating the damages associated with those injuries. Most handled conventional weapons, not nuclear or chemical. All field work should be completed in March 2023. 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. 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. 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. In 1942, during World War II, the U.S. Army bought 17,000 acres of farmland outside of Denver to develop chemical weapons to be used as a war deterrent. Fish and Wildlife Service andShell Oil Company. The Rocky Mountain Arsenal was a United States chemical weapons manufacturing center located in the Denver Metropolitan Area in Commerce City, Colorado. 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. 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. There is no appropriate standard by the EPA, but the state of Colorado has a standard treatment protocol for this chemical. 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. [11] Air quality monitoring of the Arsenal began concurrently with the decontamination process in 1997 and surveillance continued until July 2009. 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. There is an 11-mile motor tour that takes you through the preserve. The Off-Post Record of Decision was finalized in December 1995 and its requirements consist of actions for off-site groundwater and soil. 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 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 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. "Without the support of multiple federal agencies including the EPA Commerce City would have not been able to leverage a remediated property into a true community asset." Longstanding agricultural and health concerns related to the Rocky Mountain Arsenal have resulted in a complex history of political and legal battles. Both those cases are pending in federal court. In 1992, Congress designated the sites as a wildlife refuge. 1943RMA employees work around the clock to manufacture mustard gas, Lewisite, chlorine gas and incendiary weapons. 2003The EPA removes 917 acres of RMA land from the National Priorities List. The Arsenal also played a role in Americas space exploration by manufacturing the rocket fuel used to power the Apollo 11 flights. Already since 1995, the buildings became the seat of the National Eagle Repository, an office of the Fish and Wildlife Service that receives the bodies of all dead Golden and Bald Eagles in the nation and provides feathers and other parts to Native Americans for cultural uses. Fish and Wildlife Service that at least 20,000 ducks died in a 10-year span during the 1970s. From 1962 -- 1963, the fluids were pumped from Basin F into the well. The Act also provides that to the extent possible, parts of the Arsenal are to be managed as a Refuge in the interim. 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. 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. Shell Oil Co. leased the property and manufactured agricultural pesticides in the South Plants complex from 1952 through 1982. Today, only the foundation of a watch post from Rose Hill is visible, and then only when pointed. Drop us a note at tips@coloradosun.com. SITE HISTORY - Rocky Mountain Arsenal was listed on the NPL in 1987. 1992Congress passes the 1992 Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge Act, which designates the site as a future national wildlife refuge. The site was placed in 1987 on the EPAs National Priorities List, which is also known as the Superfund list. Slighter rumblings (below magnitude 3.0) occurred throughout the remainder of 1966, and through the first week of April 1967. Since then, the US Army started to operate the site. Contaminated ground water was first discovered to have migrated off of the Arsenal in the mid-1950s when crop damage and affected livestock was noted on farms north of the Arsenal. The military reserved the right to oust these companies and restart chemical weapon production in the event of a national emergency. Make a one-time donation today for as little as $1. State officials say they want long-term and legally binding assurances. 1942The U.S. Army establishes the Rocky Mountain Arsenal to produce chemical weapons as a war-time deterrent. The U.S. 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. A monitoring program was developed to monitor the success of exposure prevention efforts during the environmental cleanup at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal. 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 timeline below highlights important milestones from each decade. Fish and Wildlife Service establishes a field office at the RMA to manage bald eagles and other wildlife. The Army is still struggling with cleaning up Jefferson Proving Ground in southeastern Indiana, part of which becameBig Oaks National Wildlife Refuge. 2007The EPA honors the RMA with its national Land Revitalization Award. Here's the history of the Arsenal quakes from the USGS site: It was 32 minutes after 4 a.m. on April 24 when the first shock of the Denver series was recorded at the Cecil H. Green Geophysical Observatory at Bergen Park, Colorado. 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. Brighton is 6 miles north, and Barr Lake State Park is about 5 miles northeast. An official website of the United States government. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment established monitoring systems throughout various locations of the RMA. RMA is also one of the few sites that had a stockpile of Sarin gas (aka nerve agent GB), an organophosphorus compound. Rocky Mountain Arsenal continues to leak contaminants into groundwater, Colorado health department lawsuit says Contaminants include organochlorine pesticides, heavy metals and solvents. Many slight shocks occurred near the well during this period. Conditions reports for this lake are available when logged in. The Army needs to find a way to clean up the depleted uranium safely.. CDPHE is asking the federal court to compel the Army to install or modify the existing treatment system to effectively prevent pollutants from contaminating groundwater, the lawsuit says. The Army discontinued use of the well in February 1966 because the fluid injection triggered a series of earthquakes in the area. State and federal officials say its safe, but skeptical activists filed a lawsuit saying the federal government didnt test the refuge carefully enough. 1986Workers discover a communal roost of bald eagles at the RMA. 1943RMA employees work around the clock to manufacture mustard gas, Lewisite, chlorine gas and incendiary weapons. The U.S. A. Dietrich f. h,_ During the 1968 pumping tests at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal disposal well, the U.S. Geological Survey was responsible for moni wring earthquakes occurring in the area of the arsenal ami making chemical analysis of the fluids removed. The On-Post Record of Decision was signed in June 1996 and describes the cleanup plan for soils, groundwater and structures within the approximately 27-square-mile on-post Operable Unit. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Other demographics of the mother were gathered as well. Is there a risk of cancer related to Rocky Flats contamination? In the early 1960s, the U.S. Army began to lease out its facilities to private companies to manufacture pesticides. This was further exacerbated when the U.S. Army discovered an endangered species, the bald eagle. [8] It was drilled to a depth of 12,045 feet (3671 m). An official website of the United States government. 1995-1996Following extensive community input, the Off-Post and On-Post Records of Decision (ROD) are signed. Residents may see flames, too, but are asked to not call 911 for this reason. Today, the Rocky Mountain Arsenal, once some of the most contaminated land in the country, is a cleaned-up nature center. The government converted them into refuges under U.S. 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. Get the latest updates in news, food, music and culture, and receive special offers direct to your inbox. Included in the RMANWR Act, areas within RMA that were still contaminated were still owned by the U.S. Army, however, the vast majority of the land that was deemed clean would be managed by the Federal Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). The Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge Act was passed in October 1992 and signed by President George H. W. Bush. Its location was selected because it is far from the coast and it has sufficient labor force. Rocky Mountain Arsenal, which was once a U.S. Army chemical weapons manufacturing facility, became a wildlife refuge in 1992. At Commerce City merchandise fell in several supermarkets and walls cracked in larger buildings. 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. CERCLA also gave the Federal government the authority to respond to the release of life-threatening hazardous materials.[2]. The contamination of the underlying alluvial aquifer occurred due to the discharge of waste into unlined basins. In some cases, they could have conceivably made the site into something that was economically valuable, but that would have cost more, Rome said. More recently, it has been used as a storage facility for excess office furniture and equipment. And the biggest bills have yet to be paid. Annual Highlights from Rocky Mountain Arsenal, Rocky Mountain Arsenal has recently published its annual community report. 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. In September 2017, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment sued the U.S. Army, U.S. Access a text only version of the Rocky Mountain Arsenal Site Spotlight. 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