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Hazardous Materials and Waste Management Division
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Fort Carson is located in the east-central portion of Colorado at the foot of the Rocky Mountain Front Range. The installation, occupying nearly 138,000 acres in El Paso, Fremont and Pueblo counties, is approximately eight miles south of Colorado Springs and 75 miles south of Denver. The main installation areas include the Cantonment Area (where people work and live) at the northern end, Butts Army Airfield six miles south of the Cantonment Area near the east boundary, and unimproved or open operations land at the south end of the installation. The installation also includes a 237,000-acre separate training area, the Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site (PCMS), located 150 miles southeast of the main installation and approximately 30miles north of Trinidad in Las Animas County.
Fort Carson serves as a training facility and as a power generation, mobilization and training platform for some 200,000 U.S. Army Reserve and National Guard personnel located within the Continental United States. Annually, more than 45,000 military personnel use the diverse training areas.
Fort Carson has an extensive history, which began shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor with the construction of Camp Carson in 1942. The city of Colorado Springs purchased land south of the city and donated it to the War Department. Camp Carson was named for the Army scout General Christopher "Kit" Carson, who explored the vast western frontier during the 1800s. Camp Carson served primarily as a training facility for more than 100,000 soldiers during World War II, with activities substantially decreasing in 1946. During that time, the potential closing of the installation became a reality with only 600 personnel remaining at the site. The onset of the Korean War in 1950 once again increased activity at Camp Carson.
In 1954, the name of the installation was officially changed from Camp Carson to Fort Carson.
Briefing
Commander during maneuver exercises at Fort Carson (Steve Brandenburg)
In the 1960s, mechanized units were assigned to Fort Carson. Concurrently, approximately an additional 78,500 acres were acquired, increasing the installation to its current size of approximately 140,000 acres. Military strength at Fort Carson was again increased in the late 1960s with the escalation of the Vietnam conflict.
Throughout its history, Fort Carson has been home to nine divisions and supported tenants such as Navy and Marine Corps Reserve, Colorado Army National Guard, Army Reserve, Army Medical Command, Special Forces and Special Operations.
Fort Carson is a non-National Priority List (NPL) installation that is regulated under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). RCRA was passed by Congress in 1976, implemented in 1980, and amended in 1984. The law provides authority to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to oversee investigations and remedial activities on sites containing, or suspected of containing, hazardous waste. RCRA also authorizes states to take a leading role in the remediation process. In 1984, the state of Colorado applied for and received EPA's authorization to oversee RCRA facilities statewide.
The RCRA Corrective Action Program process includes four steps:
RCRA Facility Assessment (RFA): An assessment conducted by EPA or the state lead agency when a facility files an application for a permit to treat, store or dispose of hazardous waste.
RCRA Facility Investigation (RFI): Thorough evaluation of the nature, rate and extent of releases of hazardous waste and hazardous constituents at a facility where the RCRA Facility Assessment reveals potential problems.
Corrective Measures Study (CMS): A study to develop and evaluate methods for addressing hazardous waste releases identified in the RCRA Facility Investigation, and recommendations for final corrective action. The public is provided with an opportunity to comment on the corrective measure selected by the state during the permit modification process.
Corrective Measures Implementation (CMI): A plan that includes detailed engineering design, construction, operation, maintenance and monitoring of the corrective measures. The State, with EPA oversight, monitors implementation to ensure the facility meets all applicable environmental standards, and to guarantee sufficient procedures are in place to prevent future contamination.
Fort Carson is responsible for managing investigations and cleanup activities at the post. In addition, they have lead responsibility for developing, maintaining and updating the installation's community involvement program.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) is the lead regulator for Fort Carson's Corrective Action Program, responsible for issuing and managing RCRA hazardous waste permits, and overseeing the Army's corrective action program to ensure compliance with State laws and regulations and protection of public health and the environment.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is responsible for overseeing the State's RCRA program, and ensuring compliance with federal environmental laws and regulations.
The principal operations at Fort Carson have been repair and maintenance of vehicles and aircraft.
Motor Pools: Approximately 20 maintenance facilities (motor pools) have been constructed throughout the installation, including the Consolidated Maintenance Facility (Building 8000) where specialized repair fo tactical and heavy construction and engineering equipment is done.
Underground Storage Tanks (USTs) and Above Ground Storage Tanks (ASTs): From the 1960s to the mid-1990s, more than 300 underground and above ground storage tanks were installed to store a variety of fuels (gasoline, JP-4, JP-8, kerosene, diesel) and used/waste oils. More than 150 USTs have been removed and 36 have been upgraded to comply with the State and EPA standards.
In July 1992, EPA conducted a RCRA Facility Assessment at Fort Carson, which revealed low levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), trichloroethylene (TCE), 1,1,1 trichloroethane (TCA), heavy metals, petroleum hydrocarbons and several other substances in soil and groundwater. The results of these investigations prompted an installation-wide groundwater monitoring program. The Facility Assessment was completed in May 1994, and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment augmented the Facility Assessment in September 1994.
On October 29, 1995, the State issued RCRA Hazardous Waste Permit No. CO-95-09-29-03, which governs Fort Carson's Corrective Action Program. The permit was renewed in 2006 and the current permit number is CO-06-09-29-01. The permit identified 162 Solid Waste Management Units (SWMUs) that needed to be addressed. Since the original permit was issued, eight additional Solid Waste Management Units have been added under the permit. A Solid Waste Management Unit is defined under RCRA as any discernible unit at which solid wastes have been placed at any time, regardless of whether the unit was intended for the management of solid or hazardous waste.
Types of Solid Waste Management Units at Fort Carson include:
Landfills
Active sewage treatment plant
Former open dumping area
Golf course sludge spreading area
Washracks
Open detonation area
Satellite accumulation areas
Underground storage tank sites
Active industrial wastewater treatment plant
Former sewage treatment lagoons
Former equalization basin
Golf course holding pond
Former underground storage tanks sites
Open burn area
Hazardous waste storage areas
Sewer system
Organics
- solvents
- petroleum hydrocarbons
- others
Explosives
- TNT
- RDX
- others
Inorganics
- metals
- nitrates
- others
Soil
Groundwater
Surface water
Sediment
Indoor air
In 1994, Fort Carson formed a Restoration Advisory Board (RAB) to inform and involve interested citizens about Fort Carson's environmental restoration activities. The Restoration Advisory Board is a citizen-based advisory group that at one time had more than 200 members. Initially, community involvement in the Board was high, but has declined over the years. Restoration Advisory Board meetings are scheduled quarterly to discuss on-going investigation and cleanup activities.
In August 2000, Fort Carson updated its Community Involvement Plan for conducting outreach efforts regarding the corrective action program.
When Fort Carson requests a Class 2 or Class 3 modification to the RCRA Permit, or when the State initiates a permit modification (as in the case of selecting a corrective measure for a Solid Waste Management Unit), a public notice is issued announcing:
the proposed modifications
public comment periods and any public meetings on the modifications, and
availability of modification information in the information repositories.
Documents related to the RCRA Part B Permit and Corrective Action Program at Fort Carson can be found in the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Hazardous Materials and Waste Management Division Records Center (document review information) located at 4300 Cherry Creek Drive South, Denver, CO, and in the Information Repositories located at:
Penrose Public Library
20 North Cascade Avenue
Colorado Springs, CO 80903
719-531-6333
Hours of operation: Monday -
Thursday 10:00 am to 9:00 pm
Friday and Saturday 10:00 am to 6:00 pm
Sunday
1:00 pm to 5:00 pm
Grant Library
1637 Flint Street
Fort Carson, CO 80913
719-526-2350
Hours of operation: Monday - Thursday
11:00 am to 8:00 pm
Friday
11:00 am to 6:00 pm
Sunday
10:00 am to 6:00 pm
Installation Restoration Program Manager
719-526-8001
Deb Anderson
State Project Manager
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
4300 Cherry Creek Drive South
Denver, CO 80246-1530
303-692-3379
1-888-569-1831 ext 3379
comments.hmwmd@state.co.us include "Anderson" in the subject lineMs. Marilyn Null
State Community Involvement Specialist
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
4300 Cherry Creek Drive South
Denver, CO 80246-1530
303-692-3304
1-888-569-1831 ext 3304
comments.hmwmd@state.co.us include "Null" in the subject line
U.S. Army Environmental Command
Fort Carson Public Affairs Office
