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Laboratory for Energy-Related Health Research
Davis, Yolo County, California
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Office: Oakland Operations Office
Size:
15 acres (0.02 square mile)
NPL Status:
Placed on NPL on May 31, 1994.
Mission:
The Laboratory for Energy-Related Health Research (LEHR) facility consists of
several DOE-owned buildings located on property leased from the University of
California, Davis (UCD). LEHR was established in 1958 by the Atomic Energy
Commission to conduct research of health effects on dogs exposed to
bone-seeking radionuclides. Full-scale experimental use of radioactive
materials, including strontium-90 and radium-226, began at the LEHR site in
1960. DOE is considered a potential principal responsible party for LEHR.
Overview of Environmental Conditions:
The contaminants are primarily strontium-90 and radium-226 in buildings and
tanks and organics, radionuclides, and trace metals in soil and groundwater.
Tritium has also been detected. Offsite groundwater contamination consists of
chromium and nitrates. Between the 1940s and 1967, an approximately 6-acre
portion of the site was independently operated by UCD as a sanitary landfill
and low-level radioactive waste disposal area. Routine laboratory and
university refuse, including chemical waste, was disposed of at this site.
CERCLA/RCRA Remediation Funding in FY 95: $3,357,000
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Progress in Reaching Interagency Agreement
In 1988, DOE terminated the research program and in 1989 signed a MOA with UCD
to begin cleanup of the site to return it to UCD. This MOA was amended in 1993
to limit DOE involvement in non-DOE contaminated areas to characterization
activity only. DOE, EPA Region IX, and the State of California are currently
formulating an FFA for cleanup of LEHR. The FFA will not be formalized until a
potentially responsible party Side-Bar Agreement has been executed between DOE
and the University of California delineating each party's responsibility for
cleanup. The Side-Bar Agreement is expected to be signed in FY 96. The FFA is
expected to be signed in FY 96.
Specific Cost Estimates and Budgetary Proposals Involved in Each Interagency
Agreement
Funds budgeted for environmental restoration at LEHR total $3.0 million of
appropriated funding for FY 96 and $3.5 million for FY 97 according to the
request in the President's Budget.
Public Comments Regarding Interagency Agreements
An IAG in the form of an FFA is currently being negotiated and is expected to
be completed in FY 96. The neighboring community, special interest groups,
local media, and elected officials are concerned about leaking landfills and
groundwater contamination.
Progress in Conducting Remedial Investigations/Feasibility Studies
The laboratory continued to conduct CERCLA remedial investigations and
feasibility studies on soil from landfills and burial trenches, and on
groundwater.
Progress in Conducting Remedial Actions
In FY 95, the Imhoff Building, including the ion exchange treatment
facility and adjacent laboratory, was demolished; the tank trailer was
dismantled, compacted, and disposed of; release surveys and independent
verification were completed for the two Animal Hospital Buildings and Specimen
Storage Rooms; and decommissioning of the Co-60 Building was initiated.
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