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Air Force Plant PJKS

This is a National Priorities List (NPL), or "Superfund," hazardous waste site.
 
Investigation and cleanup of environmental impacts associated with this site are being conducted in accordance with Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Compliance Order on Consent 98-10-08-01. We and the U.S. Air Force are partners in this effort.
 
While we’re the lead agency for remediation of the site, the EPA Superfund Program provides technical support and input on all remediation-related activities to meet the Superfund Program's goals.

Site summary

Location

  • 12500 S. State Highway 75, Jefferson County.
  • This 464-acre site is located within the Lockheed Martin Space Systems Co. property in Jefferson County.
  • The property is approximately 5 miles south of Deer Creek Canyon Road and the junction of Colorado 75 and South Wadsworth Boulevard.
  • The surrounding area is rural, with predominantly farming and ranching facilities. However, recent residential developments have encroached to within several miles of the facility. Major recreation areas are located nearby at Chatfield Reservoir/Roxborough State Park/Waterton Canyon.
  • Brush Creek runs through the site.

History

  • The Air Force used the PJKS facility from 1957 to 1968 as the main test facility for Titan missile activities, including missile assembly, engine testing, and research and development.
    • Fuel development, purification and testing have also taken place on-site.
    • Smaller engines and related apparatus have been tested since 1968.
    • Fuel purification and research and development work are still conducted on-site.
  • The site was placed on the list of Superfund sites in November 1989.
  • The RCRA Consent Order between us and the Air Force was signed in December 1998.
  • The Air Force and the U.S. General Services Administration completed the sale of the plant to the facility operator, Lockheed Martin Corp., in 2001.
  • The Air Force remains the principal party responsible for cleanup activities at the site and is committed to completing cleanup in a timely fashion.

Environmental concerns

Chemicals

Contaminants include:
  • Cleaning solvents (e.g., trichloroethylene).
  • Rocket fuel components (nitrosamines).
  • Fuel oil and other hydrocarbons.
  • Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).
  • Inorganics.
    • Contamination resulted from accidental spills and past waste disposal practices.

Exposure

  • The contaminants are found in groundwater, surface water and soils.
  • Monitoring wells have detected trichloroethylene, other volatile organic compounds (VOCs), Freon and n-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA: A chemical shown to induce tumor formation in the gastrointestinal tract, liver, lungs, and kidneys in animals.) in the groundwater.
  • Organic contamination plumes have been identified in multiple groundwater zones.
  • Some of the plumes have moved off PJKS to merge with contaminants originating on Lockheed Martin Space Systems property.
  • Areas of soil contamination (primarily PCBs) have also been identified at the PJKS site and some highly contaminated soil has already been removed from the site to reduce exposures.

Site remediation

  • The Air Force conducted environmental investigations to address areas of known and potential environmental contamination at six operable units encompassing 56 specific locations.
  • After successful cleanup actions, the majority of these locations have received a No Further Action Required decision.
  • A Notice of Environmental Use Restrictions was placed on the property prohibiting residential use, use of groundwater and disturbance of asphalt surface covers.
  • Groundwater cleanup and monitoring activities continue to be performed at the remaining locations.

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