http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/40051-it-s-a-cover-up-not-a-clean-up-nuclear-waste-smolders-in-sites-across-the-us
Our Logo, created by artist Jeff gipe, graphically shows the problem with Rocky Flats. The buildings where the nuclear triggers were produced were simply imploded and buried. The plutonium that is still there presents a problem when the buffer zone, now known as the Rocky Flats Nuclear National Wildlife Refuge, or Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge, is being opened to the public for recreation. The Colorado Department of public Health and environment compares the risks to that of chest x-rays, etc., ignoring the fact that plutonium is an alpha emitter, not gamma. plutonium is extremely dangerous once it is taken into the body by inhalation, ingestion, or through a cut.
The above article starts with a discussion of the US budget allocated for cleanups. I wonder what the yearly cost is for the "legacy" at Rocky flats. There are approximately 15 full-time employees working there, undertaking projects to keep the remaining waste contained and to monitor contaminants.