United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Partners
EPA Update on Federal Facility Cleanup and Reuse
Reuse Roundup
Across the country, EPA's Federal Facilities Program
is helping transform former federal installations
into commercial, residential, recreational, and eco-
logical properties while ensuring protection of public health
and the environment. This issue of Partners in Progress
highlights five sites that demonstrate the value of former
federal installations after military activities and weapons
production cease, and communities take advantage of reuse
opportunities.
Rocky Flats, Colorado
For almost 40 years, Rocky Flats was one of the prime
nuclear weapons production sites in the United States. The
Department of Energy manufactured weapons components
from plutonium, uranium, and beryllium beginning in
1952 and ending in 1989, when safety concerns led to sus-
pension of operations at the facility.
Now, after more than a decade of cleanup efforts, the
6,300-acre site in Colorado is set to become a National
Wildlife Refuge. Once EPA and Colorado state regulators
evaluate and approve completion of the cleanup, Rocky
Flats will be transferred to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
(FWS). Situated 16 miles north-
west of downtown Denver, the
site includes prairie, wetland,
and upland shrub habitats and is
home to many rare or threat-
ened species, such as Preble's
meadow jumping mouse and
xeric tallgrasses. The National
Wildlife Refuge will offer 12.8
miles of multi-use trails, 3.8
miles of hiking-only trails, a
visitor contact station, interpre-
tive overlooks, viewing blinds,
as well as environmental
education and scientific
research opportunities.
Rocky Flats, before and after cleanup.
The Department of Energy has addressed contamination
of soil, ground water, and more than 800 structures,
including manufacturing facilities, guard towers, and stor-
age tanks. Much of the cleanup effort focused on the 385
acres known as the "Industrial Area" where most of the
weapons manufacturing took place and where plutonium,
uranium, and americium contamination persists. Modern
technology expedited decontamination (see Partners in
Progress Issue 8, November 2003), and physical cleanup
was completed in October 2005 - a year ahead of schedule
and $500 million under budget. A comprehensive risk
assessment is ongoing and expected to be completed in the
first half of 2006.
Rocky Mountain Arsenal, Colorado
Activities at Rocky Mountain Arsenal in Commerce City,
Colorado, have evolved from chemical weapons production
in 1942 to prairie grass restoration in 2005. During World
War II, the former Army installation manufactured chemical
weapons and munitions. Portions of the 17,000-acre site
Federal Cleanups That Put Citizens First
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Reist Rundup
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Rocky Mountain Arsenal's Lake Mary
were subsequently leased to a private company for agricultur-
al pesticide production until 1982. Waste disposal methods,
acceptable at the time, resulted in significant soil and ground
water contamination. Remediation included the installation
of several ground water treatment systems and innovative
landfill covers to prevent contaminant transport. A signifi-
cant portion of the site has been deemed safe for ecological
reuse, and in 2004, approximately 5,000 acres were trans-
ferred to FWS for establishment of a National Wildlife
Refuge. An additional 900 acres were sold to Commerce City
for development.
Commerce City created plans for "Prairie Gateway" on
the 900 acres now owned by the city. Site plans include a
visitor center for the refuge, Commerce City's new Civic
Center, a professional soccer stadium, and other commer-
cial and recreational development. FWS will manage its
5,000-acre parcel, and 10,000 additional acres will be trans-
ferred upon completion of cleanup in 2012. The FWS land
will operate as Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife
Refuge—the largest urban refuge in the country. Just 10
miles northeast of downtown Denver, the site is home to
more than 330 species, including bald eagles, coyotes, deer,
and white pelicans. FWS will conduct ecosystem restora-
tion to revitalize native prairie habitat and will implement a
biomonitoring program to detect potential impacts of conta-
mination and cleanup on representative species. Community
benefits include 9 miles of trails for wildlife observation
and photography, a visitor center, public tours, and envi-
ronmental education programs. Accessible platforms will
allow visitors to participate in catch and release fishing for
popular trophy-size bluegill, catfish, northern pike, and
largemouth bass.
Lowry Air Force Base, Colorado
What was once an aircraft hangar is now an ice rink.
What was once a steam plant is now a luxury apartment
building. Transformations at Lowry Air Force Base have
been dramatic and have profoundly benefited the commu-
nities of Denver and Aurora, Colorado. Redevelopment at
the site generated $4 billion between 1994 and 2003 from
taxes, fees, tourism, and commercial/residential develop-
ment, among other renewal efforts.
Military operations at Lowry ceased in 1994. The base
served as a training ground for most of its history, but also
was the site of the first Titan IICBM silos in the 1950s and
housed an undergraduate space program in the 1980s.
Cleanup began in the 1990s to address contamination issues
such as landfills, asbestos, ground water pollution, and unex-
ploded munitions. Special efforts to recycle demolition
waste from buildings and runways resulted in 600,000 tons
of cement being reused in 23 miles of new roads.
New homes at Lowry Air Force Base
After the base was transferred to the Lowry
Redevelopment Authority, some parcels were redeveloped,
and new residents moved into newly constructed homes as
early as 1998. Now, Lowry boasts more than 6,000 resi-
dents, a large library, medical center, ice arena, the "Wings
Over the Rockies" museum, two community colleges, and
800 acres of public parkland. The community continues to
monitor and manage environmental hazards, and has won
numerous awards for sustainable development and smart
growth.
Lowry Town Center
Watertown, Massachusetts
Military history in Watertown, Massachusetts, can be
traced back to 1816 when President James Madison estab-
lished the Watertown Arsenal, later known as the Army
Materials Technology Laboratory (AMTL). Originally
charged with the storage, cleaning, and issuance of small
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Watertown Arsenal Day Care Center
arms, military activity at the site progressed to ammunition
production, weapons testing, and even nuclear research,
with the completion of the Army's first material nuclear test
reactor in I960.
Located approximately five miles west of Boston, the site
was added to EPA's Superfund National Priority List in
1994 due in large part to its proximity to the Charles River
and the residential community. The base officially closed in
1995. Cleanup, which involved the decommissioning of the
nuclear test reactor under Nuclear Regulatory Commission
oversight, the removal of the underground tanks, and soil
excavation, prepared 36.5 acres for transfer back to
Watertown in 1998. (Fifty-nine acres of the Arsenal had
been purchased by the local community in 1968 for use as
retail, residential, park, and office space.) The Army also
conducted investigations into public heath hazards from
underground storage tanks. In September 2005, Watertown
Arsenal achieved "site construction completion," an EPA
designation that means all physical cleanup activities have
been completed.
An office and manufacturing center on the Commander's
Quarters Parcel has attracted tenants such as Harvard
Business School Publishing Corporation, Arthur D. Little,
and Bright Horizons Corporate Headquarters, and created
approximately 2,000 new jobs for the area. Redevelopment
has also included athletic fields, an ice rink, childcare facili-
ties, restaurants, retail, and walking and bike trails. Great
care was taken to preserve the historic architecture of the
brick buildings while modernizing them with features such
as fiber optic cable for Internet access.
Fort Devens, Massachusetts
When Fort Devens was established in 1917, nobody
envisioned that the temporary training ground for soldiers
destined for World War I would remain a part of U.S. mili-
tary infrastructure for the next 79 years. Prior to closure,
the installation—just 35 miles west of Boston—served as a
training facility and home to generations of soldiers. Now,
thanks to a successful cleanup, transfer, and redevelopment
process, Fort Devens is serving as a home to a host of new
civilian residents and businesses.
To date, some 76 businesses have moved into 4,400
redeveloped acres of the original 9,280 acre installation,
thanks to quick permitting processes, tax incentives, and
other business-friendly provisions. These businesses now
employ approximately 3,600 people, some of whom live in
housing developed on the Devens property.
The Red Tail Golf Course on the Fort Devens site
Residents of Devens now enjoy downtown services and
onsite childcare, as well as a hotel and conference center,
and the 18-hole Red Tail Golf Club. The new Devens
School District has been established to serve the communi-
ty's students. In addition to these amenities, residents can
also enjoy the site's 2,100 acres of open space and quick
access to the surrounding communities of Ayers, Harvard,
and Shirley. Residential development at the site is ongoing.
After the closure of Fort Devens in 1996, the
Department of Defense, under EPA oversight, undertook
extensive remediation activities to address contamination
from hazardous materials attributed to the site's extensive
military history. These activities included the construction
of a consolidated landfill, removal of contaminated soil, the
installation of a ground water treatment and monitoring
system, and remediation of a number of fueling stations for
both ground vehicles and aircraft.
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Watertown Arsenal Commander's mansion
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BRAC Commission
Recommendations Sent
to Congress
On September 15, 2005, the President approved the
Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC)
Commissions recommended actions for 2005 and
forwarded them to Congress for subsequent review.
Congress has a period of 45 legislative days from that date to
review the commissions recommended actions, and if no
action is taken by the Congress within the 45 day time peri-
od the recommendations become binding on the
Department of Defense (DoD) to implement.
The BRAC process was designed to aid in military readi-
ness by assessing the military's needs and restructuring the
base system as necessary by closing bases no longer needed
and modifying the purpose and personnel of other installa-
tions. Previous rounds of BRAC were conducted in 1988,
1991, 1993, and 1995.
The 2005 BRAC recommendation affects some 72 facili-
ties currently listed on the National Priorities List (NPL). Of
these facilities, six are slated for closure and 33 will be
realigned with a net loss in personnel. Another 33 facilities
will see net gains in personnel as a result of BRAC recom-
mendations. Sites are listed on the NPL because they pose a
threat of actual or potential exposures to hazardous sub-
stances, pollutants, or contaminants that can harm human
health and/or the environment. At federal facilities listed on
the NPL, EPA is responsible for negotiating cleanup agree-
ments at facilities; overseeing investigation and response
activities, including jointly selecting the cleanup remedies;
reviewing and commenting on remedies in the Five-Year
Review reports; and preparing documents for deleting certain
parcels or entire areas of land off the NPL.
Designation of NPL sites on the BRAC 2005 list—
whether they are designated for closure or realignment—does
not alter their status on the NPL. DoD facilities whose func-
tions may change as a result of a BRAC action remain
subject to environmental cleanup sufficient to reduce risks to
human health and the environment. Where DoD wants to
dispose of excess property, cleanup activities must be com-
pleted on the property prior to transfer or, in certain cases,
portions of properties undergoing cleanup may be transferred
to communities prior to cleanup completion. In those
instances, however, these transferred parcels remain subject to
cleanup activity until a suitable standard is reached, and may
be restricted in their use.
Following cleanup and transfer, these former federal facil-
ities may become the property of state or local governments,
tribes, or private industry, and reused for purposes that bene-
fit their surrounding communities, such as wildlife preserves,
residential housing, business, and parkland.
Recommended BRAC Closures of NPL Sites
Brunswick Naval Air Station
Lone Star Army Ammunition Plant
Malony U.S. Army Reserve Center (on Fort Devens)
Riverbank Army Ammunition Plant
Umatilla Army Depot
Willow Grove Naval Air Station
Federal Facilities
Restoration and Reuse Office
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