Refuge Manager David Lucas looks over the broken concrete that once made up a dam at Havana Pond, Nov. 4 at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal Wildlife Refuge. During the September flooding, rainwaters destroyed the dam as well as wiped out trails and roads across the nearly 16,000-acre preserve. Officials at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal Wildlife Refuge say they've largely repaired damage from September floods, which included washed-out trails, destroyed roads and a breached dam. (Marla R. Keown/Aurora Sentinel)

Cracked concrete slabs, mounds of sand and muddied ground now mark the site where millions of gallons of water raged two months ago.

Apart from those signs of natural disaster, this battered spillway at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge in Commerce City is downright peaceful. Hawks circle in the air above miles of uninterrupted prairie grass, and gulls laze on the surface of shallow stretches of standing water nearby. It’s a chilly but clear autumn day, and mule deer and coyotes are easy to spot in the distance.

Refuge Manager David Lucas looks over the broken concrete that once made up a dam at Havana Pond, Nov. 4 at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal Wildlife Refuge. During the September flooding, rainwaters destroyed the dam as well as wiped out trails and roads across the nearly 16,000-acre preserve. Officials at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal Wildlife Refuge say they’ve largely repaired damage from September floods, which included washed-out trails, destroyed roads and a breached dam. (Marla R. Keown/Aurora Sentinel)
A calf nurses from their mother, Nov. 4 at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal Wildlife Refuge. During the September flooding refuge specialists moved the more than 80 bison to higher and safer ground. Officials at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal Wildlife Refuge say they’ve largely repaired damage from September floods, which included washed-out trails, destroyed roads and a breached dam. (Marla R. Keown/Aurora Sentinel)
A bison grunts at the rest of the herd, Nov. 4 at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal Wildlife Refuge. During the September flooding refuge specialists moved the more than 80 bison to higher and safer ground. Officials at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal Wildlife Refuge say they’ve largely repaired damage from September floods, which included washed-out trails, destroyed roads and a breached dam. (Marla R. Keown/Aurora Sentinel)
A calf catches up with the rest of the herd, Nov. 4 at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal Wildlife Refuge. During the September flooding refuge specialists moved the more than 80 bison to higher and safer ground. Officials at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal Wildlife Refuge say they’ve largely repaired damage from September floods, which included washed-out trails, destroyed roads and a breached dam. (Marla R. Keown/Aurora Sentinel)
A bison catches up with the rest of the herd, Nov. 4 at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal Wildlife Refuge. During the September flooding refuge specialists moved the more than 80 bison to higher and safer ground. Officials at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal Wildlife Refuge say they’ve largely repaired damage from September floods, which included washed-out trails, destroyed roads and a breached dam. (Marla R. Keown/Aurora Sentinel)
Fresh mulch covers a newly constructed culvert where the worst of the flood water hit, Nov. 4 at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal Wildlife Refuge. Officials at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal Wildlife Refuge say they’ve largely repaired damage from September floods, which included washed-out trails, destroyed roads and a breached dam. (Marla R. Keown/Aurora Sentinel)
A hawk circles in the sky, Nov. 4 at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal Wildlife Refuge. Officials at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal Wildlife Refuge say they’ve largely repaired damage from September floods, which included washed-out trails, destroyed roads and a breached dam. (Marla R. Keown/Aurora Sentinel)
Refuge Manager David Lucas stands where water almost breached through during the September flooding, Nov. 4 at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal Wildlife Refuge. Officials at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal Wildlife Refuge say they’ve largely repaired damage from September floods, which included washed-out trails, destroyed roads and a breached dam. (Marla R. Keown/Aurora Sentinel)
Deer closely watch visitors, Nov. 4 at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal Wildlife Refuge. Officials at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal Wildlife Refuge say they’ve largely repaired damage from September floods, which included washed-out trails, destroyed roads and a breached dam. (Marla R. Keown/Aurora Sentinel)
Refuge Manager David Lucas suggests places to see bison to Mona Fansher, Nov. 4 at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge. Officials at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal Wildlife Refuge say they’ve largely repaired damage from September floods, which included washed-out trails, destroyed roads and a breached dam. (Marla R. Keown/Aurora Sentinel)
A deer peaks through the brush, Nov. 4 at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal Wildlife Refuge. Officials at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal Wildlife Refuge say they’ve largely repaired damage from September floods, which included washed-out trails, destroyed roads and a breached dam. (Marla R. Keown/Aurora Sentinel)

But Dave Lucas is quick to point out that it was a very different scene here in the early morning hours of Sept. 12. Lucas, a refuge and project manager at this wildlife refuge north of Aurora, recalls the raging waters that had built up after hours and hours of heavy rains. He remembers calling emergency personnel and telling them that the dam at the Havana Pond was about to go.

“I called Commerce City and told them we’ve got a problem,” Lucas said as he looked out at the broken concrete and empty pond earlier this week. “This was the only dam in Colorado that breached.”

The ruined dam was only part of the damage that ended up closing down the Arsenal wildlife refuge for several weeks. The floods that shut down streets and ruined homes in Aurora also wiped out trails and roads across the nearly 16,000-acre preserve managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Between the Arsenal and two other Colorado sites managed by the federal agency (the Rocky Mountain Arsenal and Two Ponds refuges), the flood damages totaled about $23 million. The signs of that devastation are still easy to spot at the Arsenal. The Havana Pond is now largely empty, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency isn’t liable to repair the ruined dam until next year at the earliest. Stretches of mulch and newly paved roads mark the paths of the worst floods, and Lucas said park personnel brought in industrial pumps and other heavy-duty equipment to remove more than 800 acre-feet of water.

“We were able to repair all but about three trails in-house,” Lucas said, adding that most of the fixes were fairly rapid. “There’s a little bit more work to do on our administrative roads. Besides that, we’re getting pretty caught up at this site.”

If the repairs were so quick, why did the refuge end up shuttered for more than a month? Natural disaster wasn’t the only factor at work in shutting down this wildlife sanctuary that hosts more than 330 species, including a herd of more than 80 American bison. The floods were just the opening act for a longer closure caused by the federal government shutdown. Though Arsenal staff were quick to rehab the trails and roads, the Arsenal remained closed to visitors until Oct. 17, the day after the stalemate in Congress ended and President Obama signed legislation to reopen the federal government.

“We tried to open as soon as we could,” Nelson said.

The flood and the shutdown are only the latest challenges for this wildlife sanctuary on the site of a former chemical weapons plant operated by the U.S. Army. Earlier this year, automatic federal spending cuts that came as part of 2013 budget sequestration slashed the Arsenal’s funding by about $100,000. Those reductions equaled reduced hours at the visitor’s center and less employees.

But Nelson insists those hurdles haven’t stopped the Arsenal from continuing the mission that started with the discovery of nesting bald eagles on the site in the 1980s. That pushed the federal government to declare the site a national wildlife refuge in 1992, and a 20-year cleanup effort wrapped up a few years ago. The 27-square-mile site is now one of the most unique refuges in the country, a wildlife preserve surrounded on all sides by urban development.

Nelson and the rest of the Arsenal staff see promise in that setup.

“One of our goals is to continue to extend that reach with more and more people,” Nelson said. “We expect we’re going to hit 1 million visitors a year.”

That goal doesn’t seem so unrealistic. According to Nelson, the Arsenal drew about 300,000 visitors last year. That’s up from 37,000 a few years ago. Nelson chalks up that increased popularity to partnerships with open space departments in neighboring cities, including Aurora. The proximity of Denver International Airport has brought in international visitors and Arsenal staff visit schools in districts across the metro area for educational programs.

Of course, there’s also the draw of the bison. Since the buffalo came to the Arsenal in 2007, the animals have become one of the most popular features at the refuge. The herd of more than 80 drew Brighton residents Fran Hoden and Mona Fansher to the site on a chilly morning this week. Cold temperatures, road repairs and a closed visitor’s center couldn’t keep the pair away.

“We’re out here a lot, just to check out the wildlife and the bison,” said Hoden, who had just come from an up-close encounter with the animals. “Two big bull bison just came in front of my truck. We were in awe.”

They weren’t the only visitors on this Monday morning. By 10 a.m., Nelson was hard at work fielding questions and directing drivers looking to spot the herd of buffalo that live a 10-minute drive away from I-70. As the Arsenal looks to expand its programs and its resources, Nelson said he’s expecting such work will continue.

“The important message is that we’re going to have to continue to manage this site, because it’s an island,” Nelson said, pointing to the factories and housing developments visible from the Arsenal’s border. “It’s going to have to be a highly managed site, just because of the way it evolved.”

Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge

Who lives at the Arsenal refuge?

  • American bison
  • Bald eagle
  • Black-tailed prairie dog
  • Coyote
  • Mule deer
  • White-tailed deer
  • Great-horned owl
  • Burrowing owl
  • Red-tailed hawk
  • Red-winged black bird
  • Western meadowlark
  • Bullfrog
  • Bull snake
  • Snapping turtle
  • American kestrel
  • Ferruginous hawk
  • Prickly poppy
  • Rocky Mountain bee plant
  • Showy milkweed

Coming in 2015:

Rocky Mountain Arsenal officials say they’re preparing the site to start hosting the endangered black-footed ferret in 2015.

Reach reporter Adam Goldstein at 720-449-9707 or agoldstein@aurorasentinel.com