It is a critical and devastating story in the history of the united states. The rocky mount historic site 40sl386 in piney flats, tennessee, houses structures that many believe date to the founding of the tennessee territory, ca. Gandhian nonviolence in his work, the encirclement demonstration at rocky flats, and the creation of the citizens guide to rocky flats. After the rocky flats fires, levels of radioactive plutonium in soils just east of the plant ranged up to hundreds of. Rocky flats still stirs emotion and conjures up great passion, pride, fear, uncertainty and disbelief. Doe, epa and cdphe signed the cadrod for rocky flats on september 29, 2006 the cadrod documents the selected remedial action for rocky flats, considering and responding to comments on the proposed plan the selected remedy is institutional and physical controls, with monitoring and maintenance alternative 2 of the proposed plan.
Rocky flats building 771 history documented in april 1992. 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. Candelas rocky flats rocky flats wildlife refuge near candelas. For nearly 40 years, the rocky flats plant was a key part of the federal governments nationwide complex for nuclear weapons research, development, and production. Rocky flats history rocky flats stewardship council. Rocky flats plutonium plant has affected the arvada community and the surround communities of denver and boulder throughout history. Atomic energy commission, succeeded by the department of energy in 1977. Department of energy doe and its predecessor agencies.
Sep 12, 2018 in advance of the september 15, 2018, opening, these signs are up. The best thing you can do to help is spread the word about candelas concerns. For nearly forty years, the plant manufactured the plutonium triggers for nearly every nuclear weapon in the united states arsenal. The rocky flats plant was a united states nuclear weapons production facility near denver, colorado that operated from 1952 to 1992. This film will bring the critical story of rocky flats to new audiences that need to understand our nuclear legacy. Rocky flats site history department of public health.
Raising awareness about the history of rocky flats nuclear plant in order to protect the health and safety of citizens who live in neighboring communities as well as people interested in moving to the area. Technical summary report for the historical public exposures. Aug 29, 2002 the rocky flats environmental technology site rfets is a us department of energy doe facility and is currently operated by kaiserhill. June 16, 1957 the denver post reported that for the first time on record, the denver public relations office of the aecs rocky flats plant.
See also a later oral history with leroy moore, oh 87v ab. Doe office of legacy management rocky flats archive. The public has a clear right to expect that the doj fulfill its duty to secure and maintain grand. Learn about the history of the refuge, the cleanup, and the scientific facts related to health and safety.
For some, rocky flats played a pivotal role in the cold war and in defeating communism. Rocky flats is the poster child of what goes wrong when you mix plutonium and politics. Validation of the rocky flats plant radionuclide inventory in. For others, rocky flats represented the dark side of society, where the threat of nuclear annihilation was and still is ever present. Technical support for public involvement september 1999 submitted to the colorado department of public health and environment, disease control and environmental epidemiology division, rocky flats health studies. Department of energy had nothing else to do but tell the truth rocky flats building 771. A history of efforts to protect adjacent communities the rocky flats plant operated from 1951 until 1992 and served as the nations. Pdf construction history of the rocky mount historic site. The rocky flats nuclearweapons plant opens north of golden. Rocky flats colorado plant purpose plutonium background. On june, 2007, the environmental protection agency announced it had certified the cleanup of the former rocky flats nuclear weapons plant, another step toward the planned conversion of the site to a wildlife refuge.
The pits were shipped to texas to be incorporated into. This invaluable reference work provides a timeline of more than 50 years of rocky flats history, written from an insidetheplant perspective. Radioactive contamination from the rocky flats plant wikipedia. Rocky flats environmental technology site defense nuclear. Rocky flats environmental technology site denver, co rfets was established in 1951 as part of the united states nationwide nuclear weapons complex to manufacture nuclear weapons components under the jurisdiction and control of the u.
A comprehensive history of the rocky flats plant was prepared as part of. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Rocky flats, colorado, site fact sheet office of legacy management. Shown is a 1998 aerial shot of the rocky flats plant the rocky flats plant is located 16 miles northwest of downtown denver in close proximity to golden, boulder, arvada, westminster and broomfield. Rocky flats site history office of legacy management. Estimated plutonium emissions from the rocky flats plant. This is important for both near term transition and long term decontamination and decommissioning planning. Growing up in the nuclear shadow of rocky flats kindle edition by iversen, kristen. A site near denver, colorado was selected in 1951 for a new facility named the rocky flats plant satisfying climatic criteria, proximity to a.
The rocky flats site and buffer area around it occupy. Nov 09, 2014 patricia buffer, rocky flats history doe rocky flats field office, july 2003. The rocky flats plant is located 16 miles northwest of downtown denver in close prox imity to golden, boulder, arvada, westminster and broomfield. On display were historical photographs and artifacts, as well as rocky flatsinspired art. Lets start at the beginning, which, in the case of rocky flats, is about 4. Between 1952 and 1989, the nuclear weapons plant at rocky flats processed plutonium and created plutonium triggers, or pits, for nuclear weapons. 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. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading full body burden. Validation of the rocky flats plant radionuclide inventory in the historic data task using swepp assay data volume 1 larry g. But the cold war machine shop, rocky flats, has a more harrowing history. Though rocky flats plant released plutonium to the air throughout its history, the. Plutonium pit production was halted in 1989 after epa and fbi. Radioactive contamination from the rocky flats plant.
A history of rocky flats seen through images and art. Rocky flats environmental technology site rfets final release. Originally under management of the dow chemical company. The rocky flats plant was located south of boulder, colorado and northwest of denver. Rocky flats grand jurors were silenced and now files are gone. Hoffman august 2004 idaho completion project idaho falls, idaho 83415 prepared for the u. From 1952 to 1989, rocky flats workers used plutonium to build nuclear weapons triggers, called pits. The situation was so bad at rocky flats that the u. Construction of rocky flats plant starts to the northwest of arvada, colorado. Former rocky flats site stirs concerns for some neighbors. The rocky flats site and buffer area around it occupy approxi mately il square miles, and are surrounded by ranchland and encroachino suburbs. For most of its history, the site was called the rocky.
Rocky flats nuclear weapons plant, colorado, united. The facilitys primary mission was the fabrication of plutonium pits, which were shipped to other facilities to be assembled into nuclear weapons. Rocky flats nuclear weapons plant, colorado, united states. Technical summary report for the historical public exposures studies for rocky flats phase ii part of task 6. He worked with many others to end production at rocky flats, and then advocated for the best possible cleanup, only to be disappointed with a cheaper, less responsible outcome. Rocky flats site background first a highlevel history of rfs is presented, including. Those of us who worked there knew that the plant did much more than that. Department of energy assistant secretary for environmental management under doene idaho operations office. Dow chemical becomes the initial operating contractor.
A brief history of rocky flats cover side colorado. The list of players november 2017 so contentious has been the superfund cleanup, use of the rocky flats site as a wildlife refuge, and the safety of even living nearby that you cant tell the players without a scorecard a phrase attributed to an englishborn food concessionaire at baseball games, to whom invention of the hot dog is also credited. Search the history of over 406 billion web pages on the internet. Location of the rocky flats, colorado, site site description and history the rocky flats plant was part of the nationwide nuclear weapons complex that manufactured nuclear weapons components under the jurisdiction and control of the u. A former academic, leroy moore, phd, has focused on the rocky flats nuclear bomb plant since he learned about its existence in 1978. The rocky flats plant was part of the nationwide nuclear weapons complex that. Rocky flats was a nuclear weapons production facility that had a huge influence during the cold war. December 1938 two scientists in nazi germany, otto hahn and fritz strassmann, discover the process of fission in uranium. That is, the american government did do thatand very nearly had its own chernobyl on its hands. Rocky flats, nuclear weapons plant turned wildlife refuge. Living around the rocky flats national wildlife refuge. Biggest epa superfund cleanup in history of country. Jul 30, 2019 the records are a unique resource documenting the history of environmental crimes at rocky flats. Cold war horse, rocky flats nuclear weapons plant golden.
Risks to the public from historical releases of radionuclides. Notification of discharge of rocky flats dams a4 and b5 august 31, 2011 notification of discharge for rocky flats ponds a4 and b5 march 23, 2011 predischarge notification for rocky flats ponds a4 and b5 march 3, 2011 notification of discharge of rocky flats dam c2 july 28, 2010. But if you look back at rocky flats history, thats one of the most important lessons. Operated from 1952 to 1992, the complex was under the control of the u. Welcome to rocky flats national wildlife refuge, home to over 239 species of wildlife and over 630 species of plants.
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