Workplace accidents, spills, fires, emissions, leaking storage containers and daytoday operations. The doe office of legacy management lm assumed operation s and maintenance responsibility. Summary of rocky flats soil contamination movement to stop. The nature and extent of soil contamination for the entire rocky flats site, which includes the central and peripheral operable units, was fully evaluated in the remedial investigation corrective measures study feasibility study report for the rocky flats environmental technology site rifs, dated june 2006. Rocky flats environmental technology site rfets final release conclusions. Treatment of contaminated soils by thermal desorption installation of a passive. Importance of plutonium contamination on vegetation. Prevent construction of the jefferson parkway this website is a resource for comprehensive information regarding rocky flats. Fire is reported at rocky flats a fire at the dow chemical co. The facilitys primary mission was the fabrication of plutonium pits, which were shipped to other facilities to be assembled into nuclear weapons. The transport of these actinides through the soil to groundwater was studied using an advanced monitoring system ms. However, ground and surface water leaving the area are continuously monitored. Pb97964405 epa541r97195 january 1998 epa superfund record of decision.
Remote plutonium contamination and total inventories from. The rocky flats plant was declared a superfund cleanup site in 1989 and began its transformation in february 1992. Rocky flats, colorado, site this fact sheet provides information about the rocky flats, colorado, site. Four previous studies produced four different pu isopleth maps. Last month, a soil sample taken along the proposed parkways rightofway along indiana street, just east of the former rocky flats nuclear weapons plant, came back.
A comparative study of pu in soil near the former rocky flats. But the cold war machine shop, rocky flats, has a more harrowing history after the rocky flats fires, levels of radioactive plutonium in soils just east of the plant ranged up to hundreds of. Assessing risks living near rocky flats sandra bornstein. Rocky flats plant sunday released a small amount of radioactive plutonium contamination, a plant spokesman said. A little background on rocky flats data an excellent and accessible 5 overview was prepared in system admins. Rocky flats georidge water flow control nilex geotextile. Former rocky flats site stirs concerns for some neighbors. By 1978 it was well known that soil around and downwind of the rocky flats plant had been contaminated with pu and am as a result of unreliable waste storage practices. Ieer recommends that residual soil action levels between i and lo picocuries per gram be considered as the basisfor the cleanup program at rocky flats, whether or not the site is designated as a wildlife refuge. The rocky flats plant was declared a superfund site in 1989 and began its transformation to a cleanup site in february 1992. The radioactive contamination may have spread into the ground. The proposal in the subject action plan is to clean up the contamination in the surface water runoff from ou 2. The contamination present in the soils of ou 2 is sfowly but inexorably moving east into the communities near the rocky flats plant, propelled by the wind, groundwater, and surface water runoff.
Pdf the cleanup of plutonium contaminated materials at the rocky flats. Rocky flats boundary, we will focus on surface soil contamination. The report presents conclusions about the public health threat, if any, posed by a site. The plant was shut down, and the buildings were demolished and removed from the site. Radioactive contamination from the rocky flats plant. Modeling onedimensional unsaturated flow at the rocky. The national institute of standards and technology nist rocky flats soilii standard reference material srm is being certified through a statistical analysis of results from an interlaboratory comparison of fourteen laboratories from four countries.
Exfbi agent charges feds with radioactive coverup at rocky flats. Environmental protection agency, region viii 999 18th street, suite 500 denver, co 80202 303 3126293. Water monitoring at rocky flats national wildlife refuge. Rcra facility investigation remedial investigation corrective measures study feasibility study report for the rocky flats environmental technology site. Why rocky flats should remain closed to the public july, 2017 1. Over a decade ago, the experts decided that it was no longer necessary to monitor the soil and air. The rocky flats national wildlife refuge west of denver, colorado, is a reclaimed 175 acre 71 ha site that was home to a nuclear testing facility for 40 years. The plant has since been shut down, with its buildings demolished and completely removed from the site. Dont use the citation link, only use the green hot link. The agency for toxic substances and disease registry, atsdr, was established by congress in 1980 under the comprehensive environmental response, compensation and liability act, also known as the. Originally the site was named the rocky flats plant, but in 1994 it was renamed the rocky flats environmental technology site to better reflect its new mission of environmental restoration and the advancement of new and innovative technologies for waste management, characterization and remediation. Removal of the plant and surface contamination was largely completed in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Simpsons image removed prior to presentation distribution. Clarification of institutional controls at the rocky flats.
Feb 17, 2012 following the mothers day fire in 1969, an independent group of scientists conducted offsite testing and found plutonium contamination in areas near rocky flats to be 400 to 1,500 times higher than normal i. In 1989 rocky flats stopped weapons parts production and, in 1992, began the process of cleaning up contamination at the site. Journal of environmental quality abstract fate and. Previous studies identified considerable contamination of the soil. It is no secret that the rocky flats area was once home to a nuclear facility, which begs the question of whether or not it is safe today.
Although the plutonium contamination of soil in and near rocky flats can not be considered a mdl tailing pile. Exfbi agent charges feds with radioactive coverup at. Included in this program is monitoring of air, soil, and water for radioactive and hazardous. Because these beds were seldom in use, researchers had hypothesized that the. Cdphe also collected soil and water samples from areas surrounding rocky flats. He said the fire broke out in a production building.
Actinides contamination of soils around rocky flats, co, resulted from leaking drums of pucontaminated oil stored at an outdoor site. Rocky flats nuclear guardianship includes a 40 year history of public engagement beginning with the rocky flats truth force in 1978. Jefferson parkway stalled by hot soil sample outside rocky. This is a group of articles, videos, resources and other important information about rocky flats and key people involved in its history. Department of energy office of legacy management under the comprehensive environmental response, compensation, and liability act and resource conservation and recovery act. Setting cleanup standards to protect future generations. The collection of samples took place in 1978 and was reported in a publication 4 describing. Contamination of surface soil in colorado by plutonium, 1970. Carbon tetrachloride, a solvent used at rocky flats for cleaning and degreasing, was the key chemical of concern released from the plant.
During the last few years, many articles have appeared in newspapers and journals concerning radioactive contamination around rocky flats. Following the mothers day fire in 1969, an independent group of scientists conducted offsite testing and found plutonium contamination in areas near rocky flats to be 400 to 1,500 times higher than normal i. The rocky flats site comprises about 6,500 acres of land located approximately 16. Department of energy, environmental sciences branch, idaho national engineering laboratory, idaho falls, id 83401 and department of fishery and wildlife biology, colorado state university, fort collins, co 80523, u. The rocky flats plant is located 16 miles northwest of downtown denver in close proximity to golden, boulder, arvada, westminster and broomfield. Rocky flats plutonium plant has affected the arvada community and the surround communities of denver and boulder throughout history. The area around the rocky flats plant has been studied over many years because it was contaminated with transuranic elements during its operation. Soil contamination has severely increased over the last years, especially due to petroleum hydrocarbons, heavy metals and pesticides from industrial wastes and human activities. Rocky flats soil sampling proposed broomfield, co as officials from the us fish and wildlife service prepare to open the rocky flats refuge this fall, federal lawsuits seek to block them.
Rocky flats is among the nations most polluted places. There are millions of data points available and numerious public health, environmental, energy and scientific agencies and communities have investigated. Rocky flats soil sampling proposed as refuge controversy. Rocky flats environmental technology site rfets final release.
Thiis range is consistent with the approach we recommend. When the rocky flats plant staff monitored and mapped the area in july 1968, they found soil contamination covering 22,500 m 2 261,000 square feet, 6 acres, with the highest plutonium concentrations in the top inch of. This action addresses the principal threat posed by ou 1 by excavating subsurface soil contamination at ihss 119. Local governments, who were likewise concerned about the extent of offsite contamination, began collecting water and soil samples. Spatial estimation techniques were not used in the construction of these maps and were also based on an extremely small number of soil samples. The draft environmental impact statement 3 on rocky flats lists the yearly alpha releases from the plant since it was opened in 1952. Nearly 40 years of nuclear weapons production left behind a legacy of contaminated facilities, soils. This figure is from section 3, showing the nature and extent of am241 soil contamination.
Rocky flats field office rocky flats environmental technology site 10808 highway 93, unit a golden, co 804038200 303 9664226 norma. The results meet or exceed all of the required government standards. Exploring hidden toxic landscapes and the embodiment of contamination. Rocky flats national wildlife refuge proposed trail soil. Contamination documented in rifs report and appendices. Jan 22, 2005 exfbi agent charges feds with radioactive coverup at rocky flats. Nilex georidge provides a durable, portable and easytoinstall solution for controlling soil erosion. Groundwater sampling in private wells near rocky flats. Soil around rocky flats tested for radiation cbs denver. Previous studies identified considerable contamination of. Researchers estimated that between 20 and 200 g or 1. Removal of the plant and surface contamination was completed in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Abstract mass spectrometric analyses of soil samples collected around denver, co permit the identification of plutonium contamination from the rocky flats plant as low as 0. Plutonium and americium contamination of soils around rocky flats, colorado resulted from past outdoor storage practices.
A comparative study of 239,240pu in soil near the former. The contamination primarily resulted from releases from the 903 pad drum storage area windblown plutonium that leaked from barrels of radioactive waste. Assuming the concentration of plutonium in the soil at rocky flats wildlife refuge is 1. An fbi agent exposes deadly contamination at an old nuclearweapons. Barrels corroded and leaked plutoniumcontaminated oil onto soil. Rocky flats, colorado, site fact sheet office of legacy management. O there is no indication of plant contamination of any off site groundwater drinking. In the 50 years since the public became aware of plutonium releases into the environment by the former rocky flats nuclear weapons plant, ten studies of offsite plutonium soil contamination, and six studies of public health impact, have been conducted. Doe found 61 pounds of plutonium in exhaust ductwork. The volume of the batch desorber was determined using the.
Decision makers, scientists, businesses and individual citizens generally accept and understand that air and water pollution can. An fbi agent exposes deadly contamination at an old nuclearweapons plant, but the federal government conceals the findings. Rflma rocky flats legacy management agreement is the regulatory framework for remedy implementation and postclosure monitoring. Sep 02, 2019 last month, a soil sample taken along the proposed parkways rightofway along indiana street, just east of the former rocky flats nuclear weapons plant, came back hot. Scans rocky flats for residual plutonium in surface. More soil sampling planned at rocky flats as opponents gear. Limited subsurface soil areas contaminated with nitrates, uranium, and vocs that contribute contaminants to groundwater, which may affect surface water quality. The largest amounts of plutonium released from rocky flats into nearby communities came from a fire at the plant in 1957 and from a waste oil storage area in the late 1960s. Mass spectrometric analyses of soil samples collected around denver, co permit the identification of plutonium contamination from the rocky flats plant as low as 0. Please read the information below outlining the history of environmental and legal issues related to the rocky flats area to learn about many of the environmental abuses that have occurred.
Multiagency radiation survey and site investigation manual mremyear. Windstorms in late 1968 and early 1969 blew plutoniumcontaminated soil particles on and offsite, affecting a much larger area. The areal extent of the plutonium contamination followed an inverse power function of the soil concentration. More soil sampling planned at rocky flats as opponents. Heres what you should know about radiation at rocky flats. Its name is synonymous with plutonium, a laboratorydeveloped, radioactive chemical element that was used at the facility to produce nuclear triggers for almost 40 years during the cold war. Rocky flats environmental technology site agency for toxic. For the first time in years, the soil in and around the former rocky flats nuclear weapons site is being tested for radiation. When health threats have been determined for high risk groups such as children, elderly, chronically ill and people engaging in high risk practices, they will be. While numerous soil samples have been taken throughout the refuge since its closure, which government officials say have not revealed unhealthy levels of contamination, rocky flats has had a tough.
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