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Groundwater Contamination (1984) / Chapter Skim
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6. Groundwater Contamination and Aquifer Reclamation at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal, Colorado
Pages 93-103

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From page 93...
... THOMPSON U.S. Army Corps of Engineers AB STRACT Groundwater contamination at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal, Colorado, is related to the disposal of liquid industrial wastes and to industrial leaks and spills that have occurred during the 40-yr history of operation of the Arsenal.
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From page 94...
... Examples include the Rocky Mountain Arsenal, Colorado, where irrigation and domestic water-supply wells in adjacent areas have been contaminated from industrial wastes stored at the Arsenal, and also Wurtsmith Air Force Base, Michigan, where toxic organic solvents used in aircraft maintenance have entered and spread through the underlying aquifer. Other programs may be implemented because of violations of federal regulations.
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From page 95...
... The detection of these chemicals, which were manufactured or used at the Arsenal, in areas off the Arsenal property led the Colorado Department of Health to issue cease and desist, cleanup, and monitoring orders in April 1975 to the Rocky Mountain Arsenal and Shell Chemical Company, which was leasing industrial facilities on the site. The Cease and Desist i Order called for a halt to unauthorized discharges of contam i inants into surface water and groundwater just north of the Arsenal.
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From page 96...
... . Datum is mean sea level Area in which alluvium is absent or unsaturated FIGURE 6.3 General water-table configuration in the alluvial aquifer in and adjacent to the Rocky Mountain Arsenal, 1955-1971 (Konikow, 1977)
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From page 97...
... Thus, the analysis of groundwater contamination problems can be greatly aided by the application of deterministic numerical simulation models that solve the equations describing groundwater flow and solute transport. The solute-transport model described by Konikow and Bredehoeft (1978)
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From page 98...
... AQUIFER RESTORATION PROGRAM Response to Cease and Desist Orders As a result of the Cease and Desist Orders, an Installation Restoration program was established at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal under the direction of the Program Manager for Chemical Demilitarization and Installation Restoration, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. This office was later reorganized into the U.S.
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From page 99...
... As a result of these studies and the immediate availability of proven process equipment, granular activated-carbon was selected for use in the proposed treatment system. Installation and Operation of Pilot Containment System Hydrologic and chemical data indicated that the highest concentrations of contaminants were crossing the northern Arsenal boundary in the alluvial aquifer in an area associated with a buried channel in the relatively impermeable bedrock of the Denver Formation.
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From page 100...
... wells. The expanded barrier effectively intercepts all the contaminated groundwater flowing across the northern Arsenal boundary in the alluvial aquifer.
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From page 101...
... It is scheduled to be operational in 1985. Planning for Control and Elimination of Contaminant Sources Contaminant migration control at the boundaries of the Rocky Mountain Arsenal was initiated to stop or severely limit the migration of contaminants off the Arsenal grounds as soon as possible.
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From page 102...
... Because a variety of reclamation plans can be proposed for any one problem, an accurate model of flow and contaminant transport in the aquifer is an invaluable tool for planning an efficient and effective program. The control and elimination of contaminant migration and contaminant sources at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal represent a large, complex, and costly undertaking (over $25 million has been spent in the Installation Restoration program)
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From page 103...
... . Carbon adsorption treatment of contaminated groundwater at Rocky Mountain Arsenal, Rocky Mountain Arsenal, Denver, Colo., 97 pp.
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Key Terms

  • mountain arsenal
  • alluvial aquifer
  • contaminant migration
  • groundwater contamination
  • north boundary

  • contaminant sources
  • arsenal boundary
  • ground water
  • contaminated groundwater
  • restoration program

  • northern arsenal
  • pilot containment
  • liquid wastes
  • contamination control
  • aquifer reclamation

  • boundary pilot
  • study team
  • aquifer restoration
  • installation restoration
  • colorado department

  • pilot treatment
  • migration control
  • disposal ponds
  • contaminated aquifers
  • underlying alluvial

  • groundwater downgradient
  • shell chemical
  • chemical company
  • activated carbon
  • typical gas


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