More Warning Signs to Go Up at Rocky Flats in Colorado

Did you know that there used to be a nuclear weapons production facility on the Front Range of Colorado? Some people that I talk to are surprised to learn that Rocky Flats Wildlife Refuge hasn't always been a sanctuary for Colorado's wildlife.

A Facility Shuttered by Crime and Contamination

Rocky Flats was shut down nearly four decades ago after Rockwell International, the site's operator, pleaded guilty to environmental crimes that included illegal storage of radioactive waste and violations of the Clean Water Act.

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A $7 billion cleanup of Rocky Flats was completed in 2005, but activists still argue that the remediation of dangerous particles that include plutonium, americium, uranium, beryllium, and radioactive lead still remains in the soil and in the air surrounding Rocky Flats.

New Signs to Inform Rocky Flats Wildlife Refuge Visitors

According to Denver7, the City of Westminster will install new signage that warns hikers, bikers, and outdoor enthusiasts to make informed decisions before entering the Rocky Flats Wildlife Refuge, and that visitors may be exposed to radioactive materials.

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While signs have been in place at Rocky Flats for years, the City of Westminster will install new signs at the bridge over Indiana Street in the next few weeks. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service opened the area as a wildlife refuge in 2018, and the EPA and Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment say the contamination of plutonium in the area does not pose a health threat.