Rocky Mountain Arsenal

Interim Response Actions and Other Interim Cleanup Actions
(as of December 1994)
  (Dollars in millions)
 
                                             Start  Completi
Interim response actions                      date   on date      Cost
----------------------------------------  --------  --------  --------
Off-post groundwater treatment system         5/87      2/94     $19.6
Groundwater boundary systems                  5/87      7/93      14.5
Groundwater treatment system north of         5/87      9/90       4.5
 basin F
Abandoned well closure                        5/87      2/90       5.5
Groundwater treatment system in basin A       5/87      7/90       4.1
 neck area
Basin F liquids, sludges, and soil           10/86      9/95     127.8
 remediation
Building 1727 sump liquid                     5/87     11/89       0.1
Closure of the hydrazine facility             5/87      9/92      13.8
Fugitive dust control                         5/87        \a       0.7
Sewer remediation                             5/87      9/92      11.6
Asbestos removal                              5/89     12/96      16.5
Remediation of other containment sources      9/88      8/94      14.0
Wastewater treatment facility                 5/87      2/93       9.1
Chemical process-related activities           4/91     12/96      44.2
======================================================================
Subtotal                                                        $286.0
Other interim cleanup\b                          0         0      30.0
======================================================================
Total                                                           $316.0
----------------------------------------------------------------------
\a Application of dust suppressant materials to areas of basin A will
continue annually until a final remedy is completed. 
 
\b "Other interim cleanup" represents Army cleanup paid out of the
Shell special account. 
 
Source:  U.S.  Army. 
 

Notes: GAO found that: (1) installation restoration efforts over the past two decades have been hampered by prolonged and extensive disagreements over costs and alternative remedies; (2) the Arsenal's study phase has cost over $354 million for over 400 studies, primarily due to the large volume of lawsuits, formal disputes, and other disagreements; (3) although final cleanup has not begun, the Army and the oil company have spent about $316 million to mitigate the most critical threats at the Arsenal; (4) a conceptual agreement signed by six key parties in June 1995 should resolve the most significant issues and pave the way for a final settlement in 1996; (5) the Army and the oil company estimate that the final cleanup plan will cost $2.1 billion and will be primarily accomplished by 2012, although groundwater treatment and monitoring will continue for at least 30 years; (6) cost estimates and cleanup dates have changed significantly over the years, and current estimates may be optimistic because of such uncertainties as the impact of budget limitations, cleanup complications, and evolving standards; and (7) the cost-sharing agreement between the Army and the oil company calls for the oil company's share to decrease on a sliding scale from 50 percent to 20 percent as cleanup costs increase.

Source: Environmental Cleanup: Progress in Resolving Long-Standing Issues at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal. General Accounting Office, (Letter Report, 03/29/96, GAO/NSIAD-96-32). Full text of report available from General Accounting Office (GAO) Reports.

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