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After being closed while eight new groundwater monitoring wells were drilled, the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge has reopened to the public — including hiking and catch-and-release fishing.

Federal managers announced Wednesday that entrance gates will once again be open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and that the visitor center will re-open this Saturday at 9 a.m.

The closure was done to support U.S. Army drilling of the wells as part of long-term restoration at the arsenal, located at Denver’s northeast edge, where for half a century the Army made chemical weapons and Shell Oil made pesticides before a superfund cleanup.

New opportunities for visitors are planned, starting over the next few weeks. These include programs for young naturalists and hands-on displays in the visitor center. Elementary school teachers can arrange field trips for their students. On Oct. 10, a photo contest is planned with visitors casting votes.

A new nine-mile car tour route has been created. Starting on Oct. 13 from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m., visitors can look for animals and take photos.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service runs the 27-square-mile refuge.

The Army and Shell did the cleanup following a legal settlement. The Army still is responsible for about 725 acres of fenced-off land where toxic materials were consolidated and buried. Devices called lysimeters, about 6 feet beneath the clay and dirt, are supposed to verify that surface water isn’t reaching waste materials. The monitoring of contaminated groundwater is done to ensure that lethal chemicals don’t spread toward the South Platte River.