Dcr.ver Radium Superfund Site
http://www.epa.gov/superfund/oerr/accomp/redevel/denver.htm
vvEPA
IMMSWM
Office of Emergency and
Remedial Response
(5201G)
EPA540/F-98/010
OSWER 9378.0-17FS
PB 98-963212
March 1998
www.epa.gov/superfund
Denver Radium Superfund Site
Denver, Colorado
A Superfund Redevelopment Success
Denver Radium
At a Glance
Problem: Contamination of soil resulting from
radium processing and other industrial activities.
Solution: Excavation of soils, demolition of
buildings, and off-site disposal of radioactive
materials; construction of a soil cap over
metal-contaminated soil; and restrictions on future
land and groundwater use.
Redevelopment: Partnership formed among EPA,
Colorado Department of Public Health and
Environment, and Home Depot USA, Inc., resulted
in the construction of a 130,000 square foot retail
sales facility on the site.
A portion of the Denver Radium
Superfund site has been cleaned up
and returned to productive use with the
construction of a Home Depot store.
As part of the Superfund program, EPA is entering into partnerships with States, local
governments, and private developers to clean up and return hazardous waste sites to
beneficial uses for the community. The Denver Radium Superfund site, a former
radium processing plant located in Denver, Colorado, demonstrates how EPA's
Superfund program has returned the land to economic usability. Once a contaminated
property that threatened human health and the environment, a portion of the Denver
Radium site has become a major commercial business establishment providing jobs,
income, and other short- and long-term economic impacts. This document describes
the cleanup and redevelopment of a portion of the Denver Radium Superfund site, and
provides estimates of the positive economic impacts and environmental and social
benefits that have resulted at and around the site.
Site Snapshot
The Denver Radium Superfund site consists of many properties located throughout the
Denver, Colorado area. This fact sheet addresses just one of the properties located in
downtown Denver, south of the central business district. The properties bordering the
site are primarily commercial and industrial. The nearest residential property is located
several blocks east, and there are over 86,000 households within two miles of the site.
The site lies 1,000 feet from the South Platte River within the Platte River Valley.
The Denver Radium site is a legacy of our country's early efforts to produce radium
domestically. In the early 1900s, the U.S. Bureau of Mines and the National Radium
Institute entered into an agreement to develop and operate a radium processing plant in
Denver, Colorado. Denver was selected as the location for the plant because of the
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Denver Radium Superfund Site http://www.epa.gov/superfund/oerr/accomp/redevel/denver.htm
abundance of carnotite, a radium-bearing ore found in the Colorado Plateau.
By the late 1920's, the plant closed and left the properties contaminated with
radioactive soil and debris. As property ownership, industrial activities, and land use
changed, radioactive by-products were often left in place, used as fill or foundation
materials, or otherwise mishandled. These by-products contained such contaminants as
radium-226, arsenic, zinc, and lead.
In the 1940s, the Robinson Brick Company (ROBCO) purchased the original plant,
which consisted of 17 acres of land. ROBCO used the property as a brick and tile
manufacturing facility until the mid-1980s. This portion of the site contained both
radioactive and metals contamination. A railroad right-of-way owned by the Denver
and Rio Grande Western Railroad was also located on the property.
The former ROBCO-owned portion of the Denver Radium site is
located near the South Platte River to the south of Denver's
commercial business district. Source: U.S. EPA
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Cleanup
In September 1983, EPA added the Denver Radium site to the Superfund National
Priorities List—the Agency's list of priority hazardous waste sites needing cleanup.
After conducting detailed investigations and soliciting community input, EPA, with
concurrence from the State, unveiled a plan to clean up the contamination at the site.
Beginning in 1988, EPA excavated almost 97,000 tons of radioactive soil and
materials, demolished and removed radium-contaminated buildings, and shipped the
contaminated materials to an EPA-approved facility equipped to handle radioactive
wastes.
"White still cleaning up the contamination,
well replace a no-man *s land with a thriving
business/'
- G«/e Norton, Attorney Genera/,
State of Colorado Department of Law
During the cleanup of the radioactive contamination, EPA uncovered soil that was
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Dep.ver.R,adium Superfund Site
http://www.epa.gov/superfund/oerr/accomp/redevel/denver.htm
contaminated with heavy metals. To address this problem, EPA developed another
cleanup plan that included covering the metal-contaminated soil with a protective cap
to limit exposure to the contamination and prevent the metals contamination from
migrating. This cleanup plan was designed specifically to allow the property to be used
for commercial purposes. With the goal of redeveloping the site, Home Depot USA,
Inc., approached EPA and the State of Colorado with a plan to purchase the property
from ROBCO and assist in the cleanup of the heavy metals contamination.
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Redevelopment
In 1995, Home Depot USA, Inc., offered to buy the property from ROBCO in order to
build a retail store as part of its home improvement supply business. The company also
entered into a partnership with EPA and the State to assist in cleaning up the heavy
metals contamination in exchange for a limitation on the company's liability for the
contamination at the site. This partnership was formalized in a Prospective Purchaser
Agreement, which established the legal conditions by which Home Depot would
participate in the cleanup and included a covenant not to sue or take enforcement
action against the company by EPA or the State.
As partners in the cleanup of the site, EPA was responsible for consolidating the heavy
metal contamination on the site, and Home Depot was responsible for constructing and
maintaining a protective cap over the contamination. Home Depot also agreed to add
restrictions to the land deed that prevent the property from being used for residential
purposes and restrict the use of groundwater for drinking water. With the agreement in
place, Home Depot constructed the protective cap over the consolidated metals
contamination and began redeveloping the property in 1995. The construction of the
store, parking lot, outdoor garden and lawn area was completed and Home Depot
opened for business by the end of 1996.
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Benefits
The partnership among EPA, the State, and Home Depot at the ROBCO portion of the
Denver Radium site has had a positive effect on the local community. In particular, the
cleanup and redevelopment of the site have resulted in significant economic impacts,
as well as environmental and social benefits. A summary of these benefits is provided
below. Additional information on the calculations used to estimate the economic
impacts is provided in the Technical Appendix to this fact sheet.
Economic Impacts
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Positive Economic Impacts
Redevelopment of the ROBCO portion of
the Denver Radium site and the successful
construction of the Home Depot retail
facility have resulted in numerous
positive economic impacts in the form of
jobs and associated income and local
spending. During the eight years of
cleanup activities at the site, an average of
130 jobs were supported each year with
an estimated total annual income of $3.2
million. In addition, approximately 15
jobs were supported during
redevelopment of the site, resulting in an
estimated $480,000 in income. The Home
Depot store supports approximately 113
permanent jobs. The total annual income
associated with these permanent jobs is
estimated to be $1.9 million, which is
expected to result in personal spending of
almost $1.5 million.
The redevelopment of the site into a
Home Depot also results in public
revenue. For example, the Home Depot
store is estimated to generate as much as
$ 1.25 million in State sales taxes each ' "
year. In addition, the income associated with the permanent jobs will result in
approximately $93,000 in State income tax, as well as over $35,000 in State sales taxes
resulting from purchases in the local economy made by the employees of the Home
Depot store.
The cleanup and redevelopment of the site also has positive effects on property values
at and around the site. For example, Home Depot purchased the property in 1995 for an
estimated $4.4 million; now, the property has been assessed at $6.4 million. In
addition, the cleanup has led to an increase of up to $65 million in total residential
property values within 2 miles of the site.
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Environmental Benefits
An average of over 130 jobs per year
supported during eight years of
cleanup and an additional 15 jobs
during redevelopment
$3.2 million in annual income
associated with cleanup jobs and
$480,000 in income associated with
redevelopment jobs.
113 permanent jobs at the Home
Depot store.
$1.9 million in annual income
associated with permanent jobs
resulting in almost $1.5 million in
personal spending.
Over $128,000 in State income and
sales taxes associated with spending
by permanent employees
As much as $1.25 million generated
in State sales taxes from purchases
at the Home Depot Store.
$2 million increase in assessed value
of redeveloped property and up to
$65 million increase in residential
property values within 2 miles of site.
In keeping with EPA's mission, the I
primary benefit achieved through the j
cleanup of the ROBCO property is the j
long-term protection of human health and j
the natural environment. Radium j
presented a possible carcinogenic risk j
from contact with radioactive soils. The j
demolition and removal of contaminated |
buildings discouraged trespassing and j
removed the immediate risk of unsafe j
buildings. The permanent removal and i
proper disposal of the j
radium-contaminated buildings and soils j
eliminated the long-term risks of direct
contact or ingestion by removing the source
Environmental Benefits
Exposure to high levels of radioactive
contamination eliminated.
Threat of direct exposure to heavy
metals contamination minimized.
Migration of heavy metals
contamination from the site
prevented.
Ongoing monitoring of the site to
ensure continued protection of
human health and the environment.
of the contamination.
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Heavy metal contaminants in the soil, such as arsenic, zinc, and lead, posed a potential
threat of health problems associated with the circulatory system. EPA was able able to
minimize exposure to metal-contaminated soils by creating a hard, permanent barrier
between the soils and workers and future visitors. Home Depot is monitoring the cap to
ensure that it is structurally sound and that metals are not migrating off site. EPA is
overseeing Home Depot's efforts, thereby ensuring continued protection of site visitors
and the surrounding environment.
Before Cleanup and Redevelopment
A protective cap aw
heavy metals
contamination was
constructed.
Owr 97,060 ton* of
t edio8«tiw s«H» an
materials weft r erne vest
An fvtngc of *w 1W job*
w*ne supported each year
with M estimated torn
annual income of $3,2
million during tfi« tight
y«tr* of cleanup
uversfi thte»t to human
and the environ-
After Cleanup and Redevelopment
State
income and property
to** «9s«ei*t«S
Mof*than
|«bs vvith a total
,8 million
the Mom«
ncrttwd acceii to
retail shopping
mproved aesfttie
paiity to tfte arts.
to ft 15m j
annually w
St»ie sales tax at the
Home Depot
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Social Benefits
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. R,ad-ium Superfiind Site
http://www.epa.gov/superfundyoerr/accomp/redevel/denver.htm
Social Benefits
Restored the land to a state of
economic usability.
Increased access to retail shopping.
Improved the aesthetic quality of the
area.
Created an atmosphere conducive to
additional redevelopment activity.
At the Denver Radium site, the primary
social benefit is the transformation of an
abandoned, contaminated property into a
retail shopping facility. Other social
benefits for the Denver Radium site
include intangible community-based
effects, such as the improvement in the
aesthetic quality of the local landscape
and an increased sense of civic pride
associated with achieving the successful
redevelopment of a Superfund site.
Redevelopment of the Denver Radium site provides local residents with new shopping
opportunities, and serves as a magnet for regional consumers who patronize other
commercial establishments in the area. Redevelopment of this former hazardous waste
site also may encourage additional redevelopment in the area.
Home Depot provides a social benefit to the area by sponsoring local and regional
community events and supporting many environmental, youth, and housing charities.
Home Depot has received national recognition and numerous awards for providing
outstanding examples of effective environmental solutions.
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For Mo re In lor m at i on
The Technical Appendix to this fact sheet provides detailed information on the
economic impacts associated with this site, including the specific calculations used,
sources of information, and possible limitations associated with the calculations. To
obtain copies of the Technical Appendix for this fact sheet, or to learn more about
economic analyses performed for this site or other Superfund sites, please contact:
John Harris, Senior Advisor for Economics,
Office of Emergency and Remedial Response
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Mail Code 5204G
401 M Street, SW
Washington, DC 20460
(703) 603-9075
iiarris.john(g),eparnail.epa.gov
For further information about the cleanup and redevelopment of the Denver Radium
site, please contact the site manager:
Rebecca J. Thomas, RPM
U.S. EPA-Region VIII
999-18th Street, Suite 500
8EPR-SR
Denver, CO 80202-2466
(303)312-6552
tliomas.rebeccafajepamail.epa.gov
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Economic impacts presented in this fact sheet represent positive local impacts occurring at and around the site.
Available information does not allow a determination of whether or how many of the jobs associated with the
cleanup and redevelopment are new. Consequently, the economic impacts presented in this fact sheet are not
"net" impacts. Although the redevelopment of the site also may generate other positive impacts throughout the
rest of the economy, this analysis does not quantify these indirect effects or estimate any offsetting negative
effects or costs.
Whenever information specific to the site was available, it was used. However, certain numerical estimates are, of
necessity, based on general formulas rather than site-specific information and are, therefore, approximations.
Although there may be uncertainty associated with many of these estimates, point estimates are used throughout
the fact sheet. The economic impacts reflect the information available at the time of fact sheet development and
may change over time. Monetary estimates are expressed in July 1997 dollars. Estimates of jobs associated with
cleanup and redevelopment are presented as annualized values, reflecting the average number of jobs per year.
Technical Appendix
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