WESTMINSTER, Colo. — The City of Westminster is weighing new signage to warn the public about potential health risks tied to trails at Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge, a former nuclear weapons production site that was turned into a wildlife refuge and remains the subject of heated debate.
On Monday night, Westminster City Council reviewed proposed warning signs along trails near the Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge, where community advocates say radioactive contamination from decades of plutonium bomb component production still lingers.
“Westminster, Arvada, Broomfield are all very much downwind communities of Rocky Flats,” said Nuclear Guardianship Coordinator Chris Allred with the Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center. “It [Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge] was opened by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to public recreation in 2018.”
The facility was shut down in 1989 following an FBI raid and a federal investigation that resulted in Rockwell International, the site’s operator at the time, pleading guilty to environmental crimes, including illegal storage of radioactive waste and violations of the Clean Water Act.
Although a $7 billion cleanup was completed in 2005, Allred and other activists argue the remediation was insufficient and that dangerous particles — including plutonium, americium, uranium, beryllium and radioactive lead — still remain in the soil and air.
“The most important risk that people should be aware of is the risk of airborne contamination,” Allred said. “When there’s dust that gets kicked up into the air, that’s the most dangerous pathway for exposure.”
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service opened the refuge to the public in 2018. Today, the EPA and Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment say that the plutonium contamination in that area does not pose a health threat.
But growing concern about long-term health risks has led several nearby communities – including Westminster, Broomfield and Superior – to formally withdraw from the Rocky Mountain Greenway trail project, which would connect Rocky Flats to other regional parks.
“Bottom line is this is about public health and government transparency,” Allred said.
Don Sober, an Arvada resident who lives about half a mile south of Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge, agrees. He believes warning signs are a necessary step toward protecting families who use the trails.
“I really don’t think it’s wise to have trails through there,” Sober said. “You’re entering at your own risk, so to speak.”
Sober says his property has experienced unstable ground and water issues he believes are linked to the site's legacy of contamination.
“There’s a lot of groundwater that goes through here, which also goes through Rocky Flats,” he said. “That’s why we have some of the situations we deal with — sunken yards and things like that.”
Former FBI agent Jon Lipsky, who led the 1989 raid, also supports public signage.
“The plutonium cannot be seen, smelled or felt,” he said. “There’s enough contamination that it could be breathed in, and that’s where it’s the most dangerous.”
Currently, a sign is already installed at the wildlife refuge with a lengthy description of the history. It ends saying, "the refuge is safe for recreation, refuge workers and wildlife."
Allred and Lipsky say they will continue to advocate for signage that features the internationally recognized radioactive hazard symbol.
Allred’s design was developed in partnership with the Colorado chapter of Physicians for Social Responsibility, and supporters say it would help ensure transparency and safety for trail users.
RELATED STORIES:
- Environmental and public health advocates file lawsuit Monday to halt work on Rocky Flats trail (January 2024)
- Boulder County reconsidering involvement in trail connection to Rocky Flats due to plutonium concerns (May 2024)
- Scientists, community leaders call on City of Westminster to stop Rocky Flats pedestrian bridge plans (July 2024)
The final decision on how many signs to install and where to place them will ultimately rest with local jurisdictions. But for Allred and others pushing for change, any progress toward clearer warnings is a step in the right direction.
“We can’t let communities continue to be exposed to these contaminants from nuclear bomb production,” he said.
