A small herd of wild bison was introduced to the refuge in March 2007 as part of the USFWS Bison Project. 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. Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge has catch-and-release fishing from the first Saturday in April through November 30 daily from sunrise to sunset. (9 of 9). Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge was established in 2004, in part, to protect our national symbol, the bald eagle. Since there is no further use for the building, the Army will remove it as part of a larger effort to reduce the Armys footprint at RMA. The history of the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge stretches back more than 60 years. The Act also provides that to the extent possible, parts of the Arsenal are to be managed as a Refuge in the interim. [8] It was drilled to a depth of 12,045 feet (3671 m). Fish and Wildlife Service at 303.289.0930, or visit the Refuge online. The Army is still struggling with cleaning up Jefferson Proving Ground in southeastern Indiana, part of which becameBig Oaks National Wildlife Refuge. 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. The U.S. Army permanently manages. 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. Farmers in the vicinity complained about the damage to crops due to the water pumped from the shallow alluvial aquifer. As provided by CERCLA, a Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study (RI/FS) was conducted to determine the extent of contamination. According to National Resource Damage Assessment, although the contamination has been reduced by the treatment efforts, the water in and around the arsenal may never be fully clean. Annual Highlights from Rocky Mountain Arsenal, Rocky Mountain Arsenal has recently published its annual community report. 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. Waste further down than 10 is left in place in the former areas where the basins, chemical sewers, manufacturing plants, disposal trenches once were. The land has a unique story - it has survived the test of time and transitioned from farmland, to war-time manufacturing site, to wildlife sanctuary. Marshall fire victims protested green building codes as too expensive. The U.S. Birth defects included in the analysis were: "total congenital anomalies, major congenital anomalies, heart defects, muscle and skeletal defects, and kidney and bladder defects," and these categories were inconsistent in reporting accuracy. Exchanging animals among smaller herds. 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. 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. Starting in 1942, the U.S. Army used the 27-mile site for the manufacture, assembly, and disposal . 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. 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. Legislators quickly moved from beneath chandeliers in the Denver Capitol Building, fearing they might fall. The U.S government acquired the Arsenal land in 1942 to manufacture chemical warfare agents, including mustard gas and incendiary munitions, for use in World War II. 1942The U.S. Army establishes the Rocky Mountain Arsenal to produce chemical weapons as a war-time deterrent. 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. 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. 1966Following reports of localized earthquake tremors, the U.S. Army concludes the deep well injection program. Lake Skipper (s): Congruent with the outline of the June 1996 USFWS Comprehensive Management Plan, RMA will be available for public use through both community outreach and educational programs (as provided by the Visitor Access Plan and the USFWS). The CDPHE issued the Army a notice of non-compliance, claiming its containment and treatment measures were not working. Since 1985, the mission at RMA has been the remediation of the site. But forty years ago, a series of quakes rocked the Denver area -- quakes caused not by Mother Nature, but by Uncle Sam. During the cleanup of the RMA, concern for air pollution from the hazardous materials was raised. 1999The RMA becomes the first environmental cleanup site in the nation to receive the Occupational Safety and Health Administrations (OSHA) highest workplace safety award. Two early morning shocks occurred November 14. 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). The U.S. This legacy, they say, requires restrictions on where visitors can go and obligates the government to monitor the sites for perhaps centuries. [14] The following data were derived from the Rocky Mountain Arsenal Medical Monitoring Program Surveillance for Birth Defects Compendium prepared by Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and published in February 2010. Two sites were retained by the Army: the South Plants location due to historical use[clarification needed], and the North Plant location, which is now a landfill containing the remains of various buildings used in the plants. The facility was built in 1942, in response to the outbreak of World War II in Europe. In the early 1980s the site was selected as a Superfund site and the cleanup process began. The U.S. Army later reactivated Arsenal facilities for Cold-War weapons production and demilitarization. The Rocky Mountain Arsenal was placed on the National Priorities List of Superfund sites in July 1987. The Rocky Mountain Arsenal, a manufacturing center of United States chemical weapons, is located in Commerce City, Colorado. 1943RMA employees work around the clock to manufacture mustard gas, Lewisite, chlorine gas and incendiary weapons. Slighter rumblings (below magnitude 3.0) occurred throughout the remainder of 1966, and through the first week of April 1967. Fish and Wildlife Service to establish a field office at the RMA to help manage the abundant wildlife. The Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge Act was passed in October 1992 and signed by President George H. W. Bush. 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. [11] Air quality monitoring of the Arsenal began concurrently with the decontamination process in 1997 and surveillance continued until July 2009. The JARDF is located at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal, 7270 Kingston Parkway, Building 129, Commerce City, CO 80022-1749. the Rocky Mountain Arsenal Disposal Well By D. B. Hoover and J. More recently, it has been used as a storage facility for excess office furniture and equipment. The 17,000-acre site is 10 miles northeast of Denver. The cleanup was completed in 2010 and five large parcels of land have been deleted from the NPL . 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. Contaminated areas of soil remain in the Rocky Mountain Arsenal, but are contained in basins and containment structures.[11]. 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 Rocky Mountain Arsenal manufactured chemical weapons including mustard gas, napalm, white phosphorus, lewisite, chlorine gas, and sarin. In 1982, all production at the site stopped, and the Arsenals mission changed to environmental cleanup and restoration. Rocky Mountain Arsenal, among other post-military sites, was a top priority, establishing RMA as a superfund 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. 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. A local shock awakened a few persons in Commerce City November 25. In 2009, the state of Colorado, Shell Oil Co., and the United States Army settled a lawsuit pertaining to damages to the states natural resources from past activities at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal that caused extensive contamination of soil and water at the site. Photo source: Denver Post
Denver's independent source of The Surveillance for Birth Defects utilized passive observational data from an existing birth defects registry March 1989 March 2009. Estimating exact direct and indirect impact of the contamination is very challenging as the cleaning and monitoring costs are complex. 1986Workers discover a communal roost of bald eagles at the RMA. By the end of December 1962, 190 earthquakes had occurred. Over 1,300 earthquakes were recorded at Bergen Park between January 1963 and August 9, 1967. 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). Several persons scurried into the streets when buildings started shaking back and forth. Join the Westword community and help support Kauffman violated state order to stop selling its oil and gas, Colorados air pollution permitting process for oil and gas, other industries may get a lot stricter, (720) 263-2338 Call, text, Signal or WhatsApp, Proudly powered by Newspack by Automattic. During 1968, ten slight shocks were felt in Colorado. Rocky Mountain Arsenal. (1 of 9), SITE HISTORY - Rocky Mountain Arsenal was listed on the NPL in 1987. RMA is also one of the few sites that had a stockpile of Sarin gas (aka nerve agent GB), an organophosphorus compound. 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. The Rocky Mountain Arsenal (RMA), a few miles northeast of Denver, was originally constructed and operated by the Chemical Corps of the United States Army. The Army needs to find a way to clean up the depleted uranium safely.. Many projects have attempted to clean contaminated groundwater at the Arsenal. Organochlorine pesticides, heavy metals, agent degradation products and manufacturing by-products, and chlorinated and aromatic solvents are getting into groundwater in unsafe levels, it says. Eating fish and game from the refuge is forbidden. Photo source:CBS Denver
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. In this study, baseline birth defects were estimated from the time period 19891997, which was the point at which the clean-up began, and inclusion criteria included mother's address at the time of birth being within the geographical study area. The second largest earthquake in the Denver series occurred on November 26, 1967. A lock (LockA locked padlock) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. 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. 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. 1984The U.S. Army conducts the RMA Remedial Investigation / Feasibility Study, which includes the systematic investigation of contamination and the development and evaluation of cleanupalternatives. The defendants must build a system to actively dewater Shells trenches to prevent the mixing of effluent with groundwater, the lawsuit says. U.S. 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. He began working at the newspaper in 1998, after writing for newspapers in Mesa, Ariz., and Twin Falls, Idaho, and The Associated Press in Salt Lake City. These monitors tested the air for several decades during the cleanup and showed the cleanup was protective of public health. The location was ideal, not only because of the proximity to the airport, but because of the geographic features of the site, it was less likely to be attacked. Kirk Mitchell is a general assignment reporter at The Denver Post who focuses on criminal justice stories. Soon after, Congress enacted legislation designating the RMA as a future national wildlife refuge. Rocky Mountain Arsenal, which was once a U.S. Army chemical weapons manufacturing facility, became a wildlife refuge in 1992. Site reviews will be conducted every five years to make sure the cleanup remedy is still effective. independent local journalism in Denver. (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. 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 Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge is 15,000 acres and features three lakes that are home to over 300 species of wildlife. Become a member to support the independent voice of Denver At Commerce City merchandise fell in several supermarkets and walls cracked in larger buildings. Further testing revealed that the containment issue is an ongoing problem, the lawsuit says. 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. Contaminants included solvents, metals, pesticides, and miscellaneous manufacturing-related chemicals. A lateral was built off the High Line Canal to supply water to the Arsenal. Between 1946 and 1987, the Army also leased portions of the arsenal to Shell Oil Company to manufacture pesticides. Additional cement barriers were placed inside the casing across zones that could access water-bearing formations (aquifers). 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. All manufacturing activities ended in 1982. Take the Rocky Mountain Arsenal Self-Guided Wildlife Drive This was the highlight of the park for us. Following the war and through the early 1980s, the facilities continued to be used by the Army. Not for the "stupid price" of $150 an acre foot. Roughly 10 miles (16 kilometers) from downtown Denver, the arsenal was once an environmental nightmare where chemical weapons and commercial pesticides were made. 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). 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. However, the Army estimates that the waste was a more dilute version of the Basin F liquid which is now being incinerated. For testing purposes, the well was injected with approximately 568,000 US gallons (2150 m) of city water prior to injecting any waste. Fish and Wildlife Service andShell Oil Company. Who makes the best hot chicken sandwich in Denver? 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. RMA contained a deep injection well that was constructed in 1961. 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 new publication offers highlights from the past year, along with news about upcoming projects scheduled for 2022. 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. Groundwater is also pumped and treated at the site. In September 2017, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment sued the U.S. Army, U.S. Since then, the US Army started to operate the site. 1987The EPA places the RMA on the National Priorities (or Superfund) List. For example, DIMP (diisopropyl methyl phosphonate) was one of the main contaminants in the area. An official website of the United States government. As cleanup actions were successfully completed, the U.S. Army transferred land to the U.S. The Friends of the Front Range Wildlife Refuges (FFRWR) is a community that supports the two largest national wildlife refuges in the Denver metro area-the Rocky Mountain Arsenal and the Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuges. The waste fluid chemistry is not known precisely. 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? Theyre not going to want to be in a place with chemical pollution or radiation problems., Email: newsroom@coloradosun.com 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. 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. Additionally, ordnance (including incendiary munitions) was manufactured and tested, and asbestos and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were used at RMA. Share Them by March 3. Access a text only version of the Rocky Mountain Arsenal Site Spotlight. After the war, it became a bustling center of industrial activity -- a top-secret center that created a lot of dangerous waste. 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. Solid and liquid chemical hazardous wastes were disposed of in trenches, burn pits and pooled in open basins covering wide areas. "They have a very distinctive emerald green eye shine. 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. 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 . The manufacturing of these weapons continued until 1969. From 1950 to 1952, the Army constructed the North Plants complex to manufacture the nerve agents VX and GB, (also called sarin). Several were felt, but none caused damage until the window breaker that surprised Dupont and Irondale on the night of December 4. PDF Jun 1, 2022 Laws, rules, and regulations General Fishing Laws Please click here to see any active alerts. Today, only the foundation of a watch post from Rose Hill is visible, and then only when pointed. Theoretically, if the Earth still exists in the year 3000, theyll still be monitoring groundwater at the arsenal, he said. Telling stories that matter in a dynamic, evolving state. A civic center, high school, soccer complexand public open space are also located here. The following data were derived from the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission. 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. Provisions for a permanent water supply for off-post residents affected by arsenal groundwater contamination. The organic content of the solution was high but is largely unknown. Most handled conventional weapons, not nuclear or chemical. There is no appropriate standard by the EPA, but the state of Colorado has a standard treatment protocol for this chemical. [20] In the case of Rocky Mountain Arsenal, total indirect cost was not estimated at all. [8][9] The well remained unused until 1985 when the Army permanently sealed the disposal well. 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 contamination of the underlying alluvial aquifer occurred due to the discharge of waste into unlined basins. Today, the Rocky Mountain Arsenal, once some of the most contaminated land in the country, is a cleaned-up nature center. Residents may see flames, too, but are asked to not call 911 for this reason. Next, the injection zone at the bottom 70 feet of the well was closed by plugging with cement. [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. [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. "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." The Rocky Mountain Arsenal was a United States chemical weapons manufacturing center located in the Denver Metropolitan Area in Commerce City, Colorado. Trace amounts of the chemical 1,4-dioxane has been found in some samples of drinking water. They have been left in place to excavate, so they have been left in place. It remained controversial among residents until it was closed in 1992. The 17,000-acre site is 10 miles northeast of Denver. The U.S. Army has begun removing Building 130, which is located northeast of the Refuge Visitors Center. 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.. Both the landfills and the covers are built to prevent intrusion by humans or animals, and also to prevent further contamination to the groundwater. 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. The cleanup was completed in 2010 and five large parcels of land have been deleted from the NPL, creating opportunities for reuse development and expansion of the Refuge. 24,590 were here. Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge. The government converted them into refuges under U.S. In some cases, they could have conceivably made the site into something that was economically valuable, but that would have cost more, Rome said. How? Many of the conversions came after the first and second world wars. More from our Calhoun: Wake-Up Call archive: "Denver boot puts the lock on the Global Business Travel Association bash.". 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. Colorado health officials contendthat Shells trenches and slurry walls have not prevented pesticides and other dangerous chemicals from leaching into the groundwater. The cleanup of the refuge's 15,000 acres was completed in 2010. In the early 1980s the site was selected as a Superfund site and the cleanup process began. After 42 years of chemical manufacturing, in 1984, the United States Army began to inspect the level of contamination at Rocky Mountain Arsenal (RMA). 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. A 14-year, $2-billion remediation effort begun in 1996 will turn most of the arsenal into a national wildlife refuge. 2011In cooperation with federal, state and local regulatory agencies, the U.S. Army permanently maintains 1,000 acres at the site containing the landfills, waste consolidation areas and groundwater treatment facilities. 150 an acre foot five years to make sure the cleanup was completed in 2010 this legacy, say. 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