The Rocky Mountain Arsenal, a former chemical weapon manufacturing facility, is located northwest Denver, Colorado. It was established in response to World War II in Europe. Today, the Arsenal serves as a national wildlife sanctuary. In addition to producing chemical weapons, RMA was also used as a weapons research and development base.
The Army and contract firms currently lease the land, which is used as a refuge for wildlife. The site is home to 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 built in 1942 to produce chemicals for the war effort. The site cleanup was complete by 2010. Nearly 650 hazardous material were eliminated as a result. These hazardous materials included solid and explosive wastes, as well other chemicals. The RMA produced a variety of compounds, including Napalm (a deadly pesticide), rocket fuel and chemical munitions. Many of these contaminated materials migrated into the surrounding soil and water.
The Army tried a pilot effort to manage these toxic materials in the mid-1960s. They devised a plan for injecting chemicals into the RMA's deep injection well. After several earthquakes, however, the injection activity was stopped. Waste disposal practices were somewhat ad hoc. The site included Basin A with 93 acres of land and Basin F with a large open lagoon. These basins were all contaminated. The groundwater was also high in these areas. Therefore, groundwater contaminated the surrounding region.
RMA, a former chemical weapons production site, had a significant effect on the local area. Several farmers were affected by the contamination. However, there were no reported deaths. Further, livestock died at nearby ranches. Because of the contamination, the Army and the XXX Oil Company were responsible for completing fourteen interim response actions to prevent exposures.
The facility produced products for agriculture such as herbicides and chemical wastes. These products were moved off site via a rail spur. Some of the buildings on the RMA were damaged during the transfer of the chemicals to rail cars.
The XXXX Oil Company leased a few of the facilities and used them to produce pesticides. The RMA was terminated and the site became an area of national wildlife refuge.
The RMA's chemical contamination spread throughout the area, even though the wastes were removed. There were several areas that were contaminated and required groundwater removal. Groundwater P&T system were installed near the RMA’s northwest and north boundaries. Operable Units 2nd and 3 were also affected. The off-site ROD also affected domestic wells in 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.