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NPL Site Narrative for Air Force Plant PJKS
AIR FORCE PLANT PJKS
Waterton, Colorado
Federal Register Notice: November 21, 1989Conditions at proposal (July 14, 1989): Air Force Plant PJKS covers 464 acres in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, northwest of Waterton, Jefferson County, Colorado, approximately 20 miles south-southwest of Denver. Since 1957, the plant has assembled missiles (Titan I, II, and III), tested engines, and conducted research and development. Chlorinated organic solvents were frequently used to clean equipment and piping, and fuels containing hydrazine were developed, purified, and tested in support of the Titan III program.
The site is surrounded by an approximately 5,200-acre property owned by Martin Marietta Co., which was proposed for the NPL in September 1985 as Martin Marietta (Denver Aerospace). The site was dropped from the NPL in October 1989. Since 1956, Martin Marietta has developed missiles and missile components for the Air Force. Its production, testing, and storage facilities are located southeast of and at a lower elevation than the Air Force property.
Air Force Plant PJKS is participating in the Installation Restoration Program (IRP), established in 1978. Under this program, the Department of Defense seeks to identify, investigate, and clean up contamination from hazardous materials. As part of IRP, the Air Force has investigated a number of potentially contaminated areas on the plant, including these five: the Deluge Containment Pond, a 2-million-gallon concrete-lined surface impoundment that receives water potentially contaminated with hydrazine from rocket engine testing; D-1 landfill, which accepted construction debris, household wastes, and unspecified chemical wastes until 1974, when it was closed and covered; and three areas where hydrazine-contaminated water and trichloroethylene (TCE) were spilled. Monitoring wells near the contaminated areas contain TCE, 1,1,1-trichloroethane, and Freon 113, according to IRP tests conducted in 1988. Denver's Kassler Water Treatment Plant maintains two shallow wells 1.8 miles from contaminated monitoring wells. Water from the wells was previously blended with other water sources for distribution to the Denver Water Department's more than 1 million customers. Because of the potential for contamination and other reasons, the Kassler plant and the two wells have not been used routinely since 1986, but are maintained on emergency standby basis.
The 1986 tests also identified TCE and cis-1,2-dichloroethylene in Brush Creek, which flows from the plant 1.8 stream miles to the South Platte River. The South Platte is used for recreational activities.
Sludge dredged from the containment pond was piled directly on the ground. Because the piles, which contain chromium, are uncovered, sediment can be washed into Brush Creek.
As part of IRP activities, the Air Force has prepared a draft remedial investigation/feasibility study, which determines the type and extent of contamination at the plant and identifies alternatives for remedial action. EPA is reviewing the draft report.
Status (November 21, 1989): EPA, the Air Force, and the Colorado Department of Health are negotiating an Interagency Agreement under CERCLA Section 120 covering further studies and remedial activities at the plant.
For more information about the hazardous substances identified in this narrative summary, including general information regarding the effects of exposure to these substances on human health, please see the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) ToxFAQs. ATSDR ToxFAQs can be found on the Internet at http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaq.html or by telephone at 1-888-42-ATSDR or 1-888-422-8737.