State Reviews Results Of Jeffco Parkway Plutonium Tests

ARVADA, CO — State public health officials have reviewed a soil sample study of plutonium levels at the Jefferson Parkway project. The review was discussed during an Arvada City Council workshop Monday night.

In a 28-page report, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment determined that "remaining Rocky Flats plutonium in the Jefferson Parkway transportation corridor and offsite poses a small risk, well within regulatory limits for radiation."

The report included an independent review by Colorado State University researchers.

"The health risk associated with remaining radionuclides is very small," the report reads. "The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s Colorado Central Cancer Registry studies have not detected an overall pattern of cancers tied to Rocky Flats. However, interest in Rocky Flats remains strong."

The soil sample study, which was conducted by the Jefferson Parkway Public Highway Authority, began in May 2019. In August, the highway authority notified state public health officials of inconsistent testing results in one sample, which showed elevated plutonium levels. A second test from the same sample showed a much lower level, the authority said.

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The Jefferson Parkway is a privately-funded, publicly-owned regional toll road that has been planned for decades. The inconsistent testing results are of "significant concern" among residents who live near the Jefferson Parkway route.

During the Cold War, Colorado’s Rocky Flats Plant produced nuclear weapons parts for the nation's nuclear arsenal. The plant created plutonium pits, and environmental releases, fires and spills occurred throughout its operation.

In 1989, the Rocky Flats Plan was added to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s National Priorities 'List of Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act' sites needing environmental investigation and remediation. The plant was closed and a cleanup of the site ended in 2006.

>> Read an Arvada City Council review of the state's report here.

>> Watch a recording of the meeting here.

>> A map of the soil samples can be viewed here.