Argonne National Laboratory-West

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Argonne National Laboratory-West is located on the southeastern portion of the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, approximately 56 kilometers (35 miles) west of Idaho Falls, Idaho. The area administered by the Laboratory is slightly over 2.6 square kilometers (one square mile) and consists of 40 primary buildings.

FACILITY MISSION

The primary mission of the Argonne National Laboratory-West was to support liquid metal reactor research and development for the Integral Fast Reactor Program, but the program was terminated. Activities at the Laboratory now include technology development for spent nuclear fuel and waste treatment, reactor and fuel cycle safety, and facility decommissioning. Surplus facilities at the site, including the Experimental Breeder Reactor-II and the Transient Reactor Test Facility, will be decommissioned and closed.

The Laboratory consists of several major complexes: the Experimental Breeder Reactor-II, the Transient Reactor Test Facility, the Zero Power Physics Reactor, the Hot Fuel Examination Facility, the Fuel Conditioning Facility, the Fuel Manufacturing Facility, and the Laboratory Support complexes include the Radioactive Liquid Waste Treatment Facility, the Radioactive Scrap and Waste Facility and the Sodium Processing Facility. In addition to supporting reactor research and development, the research has helped improve fuel and materials performance for future breeder reactors. Experimental Breeder Reactor-II research has contributed to an innovative design for an advanced nuclear power plant, called the Integral Fast Reactor.

The mission of the Environmental Management program at the Argonne National Laboratory-West is to reduce environmental, health and safety risks from radioactive wastes and contamination resulting from energy-related research conducted at the Laboratory. The program is also responsible for ongoing waste management support to the Office of Nuclear Energy.

There are no current or planned Nuclear Materials and Facility Stabilization projects at the Argonne National Laboratory-West. The Department's Office of Nuclear Energy is the landlord at the site and is assumed to remain in this capacity for the duration of this estimate. Beginning in FY 1999, the Office of Nuclear Energy plans to transfer unused facilities at the Argonne National Laboratory - West Site to the Office of Environmental Management. Facilities that may transfer include the Experimental Breeder Reactor - II facility, Fuel Manufacturing Facility, and the Hot Fuel Examination Facility. However, this estimate does not include any costs for addressing these facilities. Future editions of the Baseline Report will need to address this issue.

FUTURE USE

Future use of the Argonne National Laboratory-West will include establishing and maintaining technology centers for nonproliferation, spent nuclear fuel and waste treatment facilities, reactor and fuel cycle safety research, and decontamination and decommissioning. Therefore, this report assumes that future land use will remain Industrial, with restricted access.

ENVIRONMENTAL RESTORATION

On December 21, 1989, the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory was added to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's National Priorities List under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act. On December 9, 1991, the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory Federal Facility Agreement/Consent Order was signed and approved by the Department of Energy, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare. This Federal Facility Agreement specifies ten separate Waste Area Groups. The Argonne National Laboratory-West is included as Waste Area Group 9.

Waste Area Group 9

Waste Area Group 9 includes the Argonne National Laboratory-West administrative boundary; however, operations that extend outside the fence are also included.

ASSESSMENT

Argonne National Laboratory-West sites currently under investigation under the Federal Facility Agreement/Consent Order include tanks and wastewater handling/disposal systems such as ditches, ponds, pits, and drains. There are also 36 Solid Waste Management Units, and one Land Disposal Unit. Eighteen of these Solid Waste Management Units have been designated as no-action units in the Federal Facility Agreement/Consent Order. The investigation of potential soil and ground-water contamination from the remaining units will begin in FY 1996 and be completed in FY 1998. This estimate assumes that the investigation will delineate soil contamination that requires remediation and long-term monitoring of ground water in the future.

REMEDIAL ACTION

This report assumes it is necessary to remediate contaminated soil in Waste Area Group 9 to eliminate potential sources of ground-water contamination. The remedial actions will involve excavating 1,505 cubic meters (1,972 cubic yards) of contaminated soil, sediment, sludge and rubble/debris. The estimate includes the cost of storing and disposing of this waste and the waste generated by the decommissioning outlined below. This report assumes that remedial actions will be completed in FY 2001, with long-term surveillance and monitoring of ground water continuing through FY 2030.

DECOMMISSIONING

The Central Liquid Processing Area project involves the removal of radioactively contaminated processing equipment. The waste generated from this project includes 142 cubic meters (186 cubic yards) of low-level waste consisting of rubble/debris. This estimate assumes that actual decontamination and decommissioning will be completed by FY 1999, and that all Environmental Restoration activities at this site will be completed by FY 2030.

Direct Program Management/Support

Direct Environmental Restoration program management/support at Argonne National Laboratory-West is dedicated to program planning and direct management of projects. An important management function is to ensure compliance with all pertinent environmental regulations and laws. This includes providing guidance on regulations and policy. Another function includes integrating, establishing and maintaining performance expectations, measurements and reports, tracking performance, and developing plans and procedures. The Laboratory does not fund any grants or Agreements-In-Principle at this time.

The Argonne National Laboratory-West participates in the Chicago Cost Savings Program and has cost savings incentives in its contract with the Department of Energy. These cost savings are calculated quarterly and reported to Department of Energy Headquarters.

WASTE MANAGEMENT

The Argonne National Laboratory-West generates primarily solid radioactive waste, although some gaseous radioactive waste (600 curies/year total) is released from the ten exhaust stacks. Low-level mixed waste, primarily solid waste containing elemental sodium, is also generated in small quantities. Hazardous waste consists primarily of paint removers, analytical chemical waste, and some heavy metals. Small quantities of many waste types have been generated during routine operations at Laboratory facilities that have been in operation since the late 1950s. Waste will continue to be shipped to Idaho National Engineering Laboratory for treatment, storage, and disposal.

Spent Nuclear Fuel

This baseline report assumes that the Office of Nuclear Energy will generate approximately 28 metric tons (30.8 tons)of heavy metal (spent nuclear fuel). This estimate assumes that this waste will be transferred to the National Geologic repository in FY 2030. This estimate further assumes that the Office of Environmental Management will be responsible for costs associated with packaging the material and the Office of Nuclear Energy will be responsible for all transportation and disposal costs.

Transuranic Waste

This baseline report assumes that Nuclear Energy program activities will generate approximately 40 cubic meters (52.4 cubic yards) of transuranic and mixed transuranic waste until FY 2070.

The Argonne National Laboratory-West does not treat, store, or dispose of transuranic waste onsite. All hazardous waste is shipped by Department of Transportation-approved carriers to the Department's Idaho National Engineering Laboratory through FY 2001. All transuranic waste generated at the Laboratory beyond this date is assumed to be transported to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in Carlsbad, New Mexico for final disposal.

All disposal costs for transuranic mixed and transuranic waste are included in the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Program estimate. The costs included in this estimate are for managing transuranic mixed and transuranic waste and include retrieval, characterization, treatment, and packaging to meet the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant waste acceptance criteria.

Low-Level Mixed Waste

All low-level mixed waste generated at the Laboratory is collected in satellite accumulation areas and is then transferred to a central staging area for packaging and certification for shipment and disposal. This estimate assumes that Nuclear Energy program activities will generate approximately 653 cubic meters (855 cubic yards) of low-level mixed waste through FY 2015. No low-level mixed waste is generated by environmental restoration activities.

The Argonne National Laboratory-West does not treat, store, or dispose of low-level mixed waste onsite. All low-level mixed waste is shipped by Department of Transportation-approved carriers to the Department's Idaho National Engineering Laboratory for final disposal.

Low-Level Waste

All low-level waste generated at the Laboratory is collected in satellite accumulation areas and is then transferred to a central staging area for packaging and certification for shipment and disposal. This estimate assumes that environmental restoration activities will generate approximately 153 cubic meters (200 cubic yards) of low-level waste through FY 2016. This estimate also assumes that Nuclear Energy programs will generate approximately 45,994 cubic meters (60,252 cubic yards) of low-level waste until FY 2070.

The Argonne National Laboratory-West does not treat, store, or dispose of low-level waste onsite. All low-level waste is shipped by Department of Transportation-approved carriers to the Department's Idaho National Engineering Laboratory for final disposal.

Hazardous Waste

All hazardous waste generated at the Laboratory is collected in satellite accumulation areas and is then transferred to a central staging area for packaging and certification for shipment and disposal. This estimate assumes that environmental restoration activities will generate approximately 917 cubic meters (1,201 cubic yards) of hazardous waste through FY 2016. This estimate also assumes that the Office of Nuclear Energy program activities will generate approximately 331 cubic meters (434 cubic yards) of hazardous waste until FY 2070.

The Argonne National Laboratory-West does not treat, store, or dispose of hazardous waste onsite. All hazardous waste is shipped by Department of Transportation-approved carriers to the Department's Idaho National Engineering Laboratory for final disposal.

Direct Program Management/Support

Program management through technical integration and contract-management functions provides essential technical support, administrative integration, and oversight to Environmental Management programs. The purpose of this support is to properly identify, characterize, and remediate contaminated sites. It also ensures a consistent and integrated waste management strategy across the Chicago Operations Office installations. It includes business management, technical programs, technical oversight, senior management, community relations, and Environmental Management integration.

Business management accounts for the greatest portion of program management. This includes progress tracking, contract management, facility management, and financial management (budget preparation and control) procedures and programmatic guidance, including integrating and reconciling plans and budgets with Area Offices and nationwide Environmental Management programs.

Also included in program management are the senior management personnel for the Environmental Management programs and the support groups that provide community relations and program integration support. These staffs provide for an integrated Environmental Management program for Chicago Operations Office installations and support such activities as preparing this report and assisting with stakeholder involvement. Also included are strategic planning, personnel management and training, stakeholder support/public participation, advisory boards, and administrative support.

DESCRIPTION OF PERSONNEL

Current Composition

The Department of Energy currently employs 27 Full-Time Equivalents to support Environmental Management program activities at the Argonne National Laboratory-West. The Laboratory's work force consists of federal and contractor personnel. They include scientists, laborers, and general workers. The Laboratory contracts with a variety of engineering, consulting, and site investigation firms to perform Environmental Management activities. This table below identifies the current work force mix.

*The Projections for Full-Time Equivalent employees are based on FY 1996 planning baselines (see Reader's Guide).

Site Management Structure

The University of Chicago is the contractor for the Environmental Restoration activities at the Argonne National Laboratory-West. It is currently operating under a performance-based management contract for five years, through FY 2000. The Department of Energy's Area Office has the direct-line responsibility to manage the contract with the Laboratory. The Chicago Operations Office is responsible for program management and integration of all installations within the Chicago Operations Office Program.

Future Full-Time Equivalent Needs

This estimate assumes that the number of Full-Time Equivalents needed to support the Environmental Management program remain stable, and increase during peak periods of activity involving remediation and decommissioning. During peak periods, the personnel will be predominantly construction workers and engineers working on the remedial action and decommissioning projects.

FUNDING ESTIMATE

The following tables present estimated funding information for Argonne National Laboratory-West.

COMPARISON WITH PREVIOUS ESTIMATE

The costs for the Argonne National Laboratory-West in the FY 1996 Baseline Environmental Management Report reflect no major changes in technical approach or major assumptions from information presented in the FY 1995 report. However, more refined cost estimating procedures have resulted in an increase of nearly 50 percent for the Environmental Restoration program. The 34 percent increase in the Waste Management program cost estimate is a result of more than doubling the duration of support provided to the Office of Energy Research (75 years versus 35 years). As noted above, this year's Environmental Restoration and Waste Management estimates also include program management costs.