Region 8 - Superfund Serving Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming and 27 Tribal

Nations Contact Us | A-Z Index | Print Version Search: EPA Home > Region 8 > Superfund > Sites > Colorado > Active NPL Sites > Rocky Flats Rocky Flats Map

Rocky Flats Rocky Flats Plant (DOE) Contacts Golden, Colorado, Jefferson County Congressional District #2 EPA ID# CO 7890010526

National Priorities List, Remedial Action in Progress

April 2002

Five Year Review, 9-26-2002 Body (400KB, PDF file); Appendices (800KB, PDF file) About PDF files

ROCKY FLATS BACKGROUND

Beginning in 1952 and continuing for nearly 40 years, the U.S. government manufactured plutonium components for nuclear weapons at Rocky Flats in Colorado.

Rocky Flats shut its operations in 1989 in response to alleged violations of environmental statutes that were made after a raid by the FBI and the EPA. In 1992, with the end of the "Cold War," the U.S. decided not to resume production of nuclear weapons parts at Rocky Flats.

The EPA, the Department of Energy (DOE) and the State of Colorado are overseeing the cleanup and management of hazardous substances at the site. DOE also maintains a Web site describing cleanup activities at Rocky Flats.

ABOUT THE SITE

The Rocky Flats site, which DOE renamed the Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site, is located on 6,500 acres in Jefferson County, 16 miles northwest of downtown Denver. Approximately 300,000 people live within 10 miles of Rocky Flats. Operators conducted all manufacturing activities in a 300-acre area at the center of the site, known as the Industrial Area. The surrounding property is referred to as the Buffer Zone.

At one time the site stored more than 14 tons of plutonium, which was the second-largest repository of the element in the U.S. Some of that inventory has been sent to other DOE facilities, but the lion's share of it remains at Rocky Flats. A significant amount of the plutonium was in liquid form, contained in deteriorating piping systems. However, most of the those liquids have been drained from the piping and stabilized.

Leaking storage drums, unlined disposal trenches, surface-water impoundments, leaky pipelines, leaky underground tanks, and two on-site landfills all contributed to the contamination of soils and groundwater at the site.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) contaminate shallow ground water in the central section of the site. The radioactive elements plutonium, uranium and americium contaminate soil in the central and eastern portions of the site; the most contaminated soils are located on the eastern edge of the industrial area. The potential for radionuclides (radioactive particles) to become airborne during strong winds is a concern, as is the potential for plutonium in soils to be washed into the two streams that flow on either side of the Industrial Area.

CLEANUP PROGRESS

The site is being cleaned up through federal and state actions, with DOE as the lead agency. Most of the activities at the site are being conducted under the terms of the Rocky Flats Cleanup Agreement signed by DOE, EPA and Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) in July 1996. EPA and CDPHE reduced duplication of regulatory oversight by having CDPHE take the lead in the Industrial Area and EPA take the lead in the surrounding Buffer Zone.

Key elements of the cleanup pact include a framework of action levels and cleanup standards for surface water, ground water, soils and buildings. Surface water leaving the site is subject to enforceable standards for plutonium and americium.

Some of the high-priority actions currently being conducted or recently completed include:

● Stabilizing and packaging the inventory of plutonium metal and consolidating it in a single building until it can be moved to an off-site location. This consolidation of the stockpile material allowed DOE to shrink the high security area from 180 acres to 30 acres. This will allow decontamination work in the other major plutonium buildings to proceed more efficiently. ● Shipments of plutonium metal to South Carolina were scheduled to begin last year, however, that state's concern about the final disposition of the material has delayed the start of the shipping campaign so far.

● Shipping transuranic waste to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP).

● Reevaluating the Soil Action Levels that govern the degree to which Plutonium contaminated soils at the site will be cleaned up. Action levels that were originally set in 1996 have been controversial among local officials and members of the public, and will probably be revised downward based on new information that has come to light since 1996. This information includes: ❍ new data on transport of plutonium in the environment (especially surface water). ❍ consideration of how a grass fire at Rocky Flats increases an individuals exposure to contaminated dust. ❍ a better understanding of the limitations of computer models used to develop the 1996 action levels. ❍ a better picture of how the site will be used in the future given that Congressman Udall and Senator Allard were successful in getting legislation passed that will establish Rocky Flats as a National Wildlife Refuge.

Other activities discussed below are Environmental Restoration, Building Decontamination and Decommissioning, Waste Management, Buffer Zone Management, and Surface Water Management.

Contacts Location Map Top this Page

ENVIRONMENTAL RESTORATION

903 Pad. First phase of this project is planned for the Fall of 2002, and will involve the removal of a 3.4 acre asphalt pad and underlying plutonium contaminated soil. Borehole data indicate that contamination could extend as deep as 15 feet. Plans call for cleanup of the surrounding areas including the americium zone and 903 Lip Area starting in 2003. The 903 Pad and surrounding areas represent the largest concentration of plutonium- contaminated soils at Rocky Flats and probably the most expensive environmental restoration project.

Additional ER in 2002. A number of smaller contaminated sites will be investigated and cleaned up if warranted in 2002. These potential cleanup sites include:

● Under Building Contamination (UBC) - Buildings 886, 889 and 123 with associated removal of slabs, process waste lines, and tanks ● Bldg 121 Incinerator Slab ● Radiological Site (IHSS 160) west of Building 664 ● Oil Burn Pit, Lithium Metal Site, and Solvent Burning Grounds (Group 300- 1) ● East Spray Fields ● Trenches T12 and T13

Ground Water Treatment:

Solar Pond Plume. A passive system using a combination of sawdust and zero valent iron has been constructed to treat ground water from the former solar evaporation ponds. This plume is contaminated with nitrates and uranium. Installation of the system began mid-summer 1999 and was completed in September 1999. Samples indicate that the treatment cell is removing nitrates and uranium effectively. However, it is possible that design changes will need to be made to this system to collect more of the ground water in order to meet the surface water standards for Walnut Creek.

Other Passive Ground Water Treatment. A system was install in 1999 to address the East Trenches Ground Water Plume. Another system was installed in 1998 to treat the Mound Ground Water Plume. Both systems are working well.

Disposal Trenches Trench T-1. This trench was used by DOE to dispose of uranium compounds from 1954 to 1962. During the summer of 1998, DOE excavated 171 drums of depleted uranium and more than 1000 cubic yards of contaminated soil. Most of the waste was shipped to the Nevada Test Site for disposal. However, a significant amount of the waste from this project has been characterized as a mixture of radioactive waste and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Presently there is no disposal facility that will accept this type of mixed waste, so alternatives for treating the waste prior to disposal are being evaluated. Other Disposal Trenches: Such as Ryan's Pit, Trenches T3/T4 and the Mound were completed in the 1996 and 1997.

Closures: There are three areas on site being evaluated for closure options, the solar ponds, the present landfill and the original landfill. Information is being gathered to determine the feasibility of evapotranspiration covers both at the solar evaporation ponds and the present landfill. Additional data is being reviewed to determine extent of contamination at the original landfill. Once the characterization is complete, alternatives for closure of this landfill will be evaluated.

Contacts Location Map Top this Page

DECONTAMINATION AND DEMOLITION OF CONTAMINATED BUILDINGS

Building 779 is a 65,000 ft2 facility built in 1965 that was used for small-scale demonstrations of plutonium processing operations prior to full-scale production. Later additions to Building 779 contained a special plutonium recovery process, more testing capability and a plutonium storage vault. DOE completed the decontamination of this building in late 1999. DOE employed an independent characterization contractor to verify all contamination had been removed prior to demolition, which was completed on January 3, 2000. The building rubble is currently stockpiled on site.

Building 771/774, a 176,000 ft2 facility, was used for processing plutonium and other materials with a wide variety of processes between 1951 and 1989. On September 11, 1957, a glovebox fire occurred in the building resulting in damage to a ventilation system. In the early nineties news reports called Building 771 the most dangerous building in America. Since that time most of the Plutonium has been removed. As of September 30, 1999, the plutonium vault in the building was closed, and all classified material was removed, significantly reducing access requirements, lowering the risk to workers and allowing more work to be done. The current task is to remove highly contaminated gloveboxes and tanks, associated ventilation and piping, and then decontaminate the structure. Waste from the entire project will generate an estimated 870,000 ft3 of Low Level Waste, 2,200 ft3 of Low Level Mixed Waste and 61,000 ft3 of Transuranic (TRU) waste. Under the 2006 Closure Plan, Building 771 will be demolished in 2004.

Building 776 is a two-story structure with a partial basement and common wall separating Building 776 and Building 777. Building 776/777 is about 224,600 ft2. Building 776/777 was the main manufacturing facility for plutonium (Pu) weapons components and it housed the Pu foundry and fabrication operations. On May 11, 1969, a major fire resulted in gross radiological contamination of the building and portions of Buildings 771 and 779. Following the fire the majority of the foundry and fabrication operations were transferred to Building 707. According the 2006 Plan, this building is scheduled to be demolished by 2004.

The Building 707 Cluster is comprised of Building 707 and smaller ancillary buildings and storage tanks. Building 707, the main building in this cluster is approximately 200,000 ft2. Buildings within the Building 707 Cluster were constructed in the 1970s to house manufacturing processes designed to produce weapons parts from plutonium, uranium, beryllium, and stainless steel. In accordance with the current decommissioning schedule for the Building 707 Cluster, facility components will be decontaminated, size reduced, and/or removed from the buildings and the buildings will be demolished by June of 2005.

The Building 371/374 Closure Project is comprised of Buildings 371, 374 and smaller associated . The demolition Building 111 was completed on November 16, 2001. It is hoped that DOE can use this project as a model for the demolition of the other non-nuclear-contaminated buildin structures and tanks. Building 371/374 was designed and constructed in the 1970s to replace the plutonium pit assembly and pyrochemical operations in Building 776/777, and the residue and waste operation in Building 771/774. Building 371/374 is the largest building on site at 315,022 ft2. Construction was completed in 1980; however, due to deficiencies in the design and construction of its process equipment, building 371/374 was unable to achieve designed plutonium recovery capabilities. As a result, plutonium recover operation in Building 371 were curtailed in 1981. However, waste operations including material transfer, and laboratory support, continued functioning in Building 371/374. In accordance with the current decommissioning schedule for the Building 371/374 Closure Project, facility components will be decontaminated, size reduced, and removed from the buildings and the buildings will be demolished by June of 2005.

Building 111 was one of the first administrative buildings built at the site.

WASTE MANAGEMENT

Low-Level Waste - During Fiscal Year 2001, 13,220 cubic meters of Low Level Radioactive Waste and 212 cubic meters of Low Level Mixed Waste (Low-level mixed waste is radioactive waste mixed with conventional hazardous constituents such as metals or solvents) were removed from the site. 9,500 gallons of PCB contaminated oils have also been shipped offsite for disposal. Approximately 700 gallons (2.6 cubic meters) of PCB oils remain to be shipped in 2002.

Transuranic Waste (TRU) - In 2001, an estimated 1044 cubic meters of TRU waste was shipped to the WIPP, an underground nuclear waste disposal site located near Carlsbad, New Mexico. TRU is a category of radioactive waste that is hotter (more radioactive) than low-level waste, but not enough to be considered high-level waste. The site averaged three shipments per week during 2001. In 2002 Rocky Flats hopes to increase the frequency of shipments to an average of nine per week. It is estimated that 2,000 shipments will ultimately be sent from Rocky Flats.

BUFFER ZONE MANAGEMENT

Legislation was signed by the President in December 2001 to establish Rocky Flats as a National Wildlife Refuge when the cleanup is completed. At the conclusion of cleanup activities, the Refuge will be managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The Federal Government will retain responsibility for long- term monitoring of the site.

SURFACE WATER Pond Discharges Since March 2001

TOTAL POND VOLUME DISCHARGE DATES MODE ACTIVITY (Million Gallons) B-5 to South Outlet valve Walnut Creek 5/3 to 5/21 27.42 direct discharge (SWC) A-4 to North Outlet valve Walnut Creek 5/6 to 5/21 22.87 direct discharge (NWC) C-2 to Woman Pumped 6/15 to 6/24 9.51 Creek (WC) discharge Annual outlet C-2 to WC 6/25 0.097 valve test Outlet- valve B-5 to SWC 6/28 to 7/9 12.01 direct discharge Outlet-valve B-5 to SWC 8/2 to 8/16 13.73 direct discharge Outlet-valve A-4 to NWC 8/16 to 8/27 13.16 direct discharge NWC = North Walnut Creek SWC = South Walnut Creek WC = Woman Creek

Sample data indicate that the water quality was in the acceptable range for discharge. All samples showed values below 0.008 pCi/l for both americium and plutonium.

Contacts Location Map Top this Page

EPA Home | Region 8 Home | Privacy and Security Notice | Contact Us | Search EPA

Last updated on undefined, undefined NaNth, NaN