The Rocky Mountain Arsenal (RMA), a former chemical weapons manufacturing plant, is located northwest of Denver. It was created in response to World War II's European campaign. Today, Arsenal is managed as an endangered wildlife refuge. In addition to producing chemical weapons, RMA was also used as a weapons research and development base.
The Army and contractors currently lease the site, which is then used as a national wildlife refuge. The site contains approximately 1,100 acres. The U.S. Army also operates an on-site landfill and two waste consolidation areas. Five groundwater treatment facilities are also available.
RMA was constructed in 1942 to produce chemical for the war effort. In 2010, the cleanup of RMA was complete. Around 650 hazardous materials were removed from the site as a result. These included solid wastes, explosive materials, and other chemicals. Some of these compounds were Napalm, which is a deadly pesticide, rocket fuel, and chemical weapons. Many of the contaminated materials spread to the soil and into water.
In the middle of the 1960s, the Army attempted to pilot a project to manage toxic wastes. They developed a plan to inject chemicals into a deep injection well at the RMA. However, after a series of earthquakes, the injection activity was halted. There were no established waste disposal procedures. There were many open basins at the site. Basin A was large and covered 93 acres. Basin F was a large lagoon. All of the basins were contaminated. The groundwater was also high in these areas. This resulted in groundwater contamination of the surrounding area.
RMA was a former chemical weapons manufacturing site, and had a significant impact on the local community. Several farmers were affected by the contamination. However, there were no reported deaths. In addition, livestock were killed at nearby ranches. 14 interim response actions were carried out by the Army (XXX Oil Company) to prevent further exposures.
In addition to the chemical wastes, the facility also manufactured products for agriculture, such as herbicides. These products were moved off site via a rail spur. During the transfer process of chemicals to railcars, some buildings of the RMA were damaged.
The XXXX Oil Company leased a few of the facilities and used them to produce pesticides. The RMA was canceled and the site became a National Wildlife Refuge.
The RMA's chemical contamination spread throughout the area, even though the wastes were removed. A number of areas were contaminated. Groundwater extraction was necessary. Groundwater P&T systems were set up at the RMA's northwest and north borders. Operable Units 2/3 were also affected. The ROD off-site also affected domestic wells within these areas.
The RMA's Emergency Management/Contingency Plan describes the U.S. Army's response to the contaminated land, and provides guidance to the managers of the RMA National Wildlife Refuge.