Los Alamos National Laboratory

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Los Alamos National Laboratory and the neighboring residential areas of Los Alamos and White Rock are located predominantly in Los Alamos County, north-central New Mexico, approximately 96 kilometers (60 miles) north-northeast of Albuquerque and 40 kilometers (25 miles) northwest of Santa Fe. The 111.8-square kilometer (43-square mile) Laboratory and adjacent communities are situated on the Pajarito Plateau, which consists of a series of finger-like mesas separated by deep canyons containing ephemeral and intermittent streams that run from west to east. Mesa tops range in elevation from approximately 2,379 meters (7,800 feet) on the flank of the Jemez Mountains to approximately 1,891 meters (6,200 feet) at their eastern termination above the Rio Grande. The eastern margin of the plateau stands 91.5 to 274.5 meters (300 to 900 feet) above the Rio Grande. The Department of Energy controls the area within the Laboratory's boundaries and has the option of completely restricting access.

FACILITY MISSION

Los Alamos National Laboratory was established in 1943 to design, develop, and test nuclear weapons. Research programs in nuclear physics, hydrodynamics, conventional explosives, chemistry, metallurgy, radiochemistry, and life sciences supported this mission.

In addition to research, an important function of the Laboratory has been processing plutonium metal and alloys from nitrate solution feedstock provided by other production facilities. Processing plutonium metal took place from 1945 to 1978. Other operations included reprocessing nuclear fuel, processing polonium and actinium, and producing nuclear weapons components.

Although the Laboratory's present mission remains focused on national security, it has broadened to include research in medium-energy physics, space nuclear systems, controlled thermonuclear fusion, lasers, nuclear safeguards, space physics, biomedicine, computational science, materials science, and environmental management. Because of its position between academic and industrial research, the Laboratory plays an important role in expediting development and commercialization of emerging technologies. This mission is expected to continue into the foreseeable future. The current landlord for the facility is the Department of Energy's Office of Defense Programs. This report assumes that Defense Programs will remain the landlord and will remain responsible for all associated landlord costs.

Because Los Alamos National Laboratory has an ongoing research and development mission, the Environmental Management program will continue to assist Defense Programs' operational mission by providing waste management support. For outyears of this estimate, Defense Programs' waste generation rates represent an annualized average based on current waste generation rates.

Many of the Laboratory's operations required hazardous chemicals and radioactive materials such as plutonium and uranium. Use of these materials resulted in the contamination of facilities, and in some cases, of the surrounding environment. A major source of environmental contamination was waste being discharged into the environment or buried in material disposal areas. In addition to hazardous chemicals and radioactive materials, the contaminants of concern include explosive residues, unexploded ordinance, and asbestos. Although it is no longer used, asbestos is generated as a waste during facility modification and decommissioning activities.

In support of the Laboratory's mission, the Environmental Management program is also investigating approximately 2,100 sites to determine if cleanup is needed. These sites range in size from less than 1 square meter to tens of hectares (a few square feet to tens of acres). Potential residual contamination may exist at these sites as the result of 50 years of Laboratory operation. Contaminants may include radionuclides, organic solvents, metals, and high explosives. Residual contamination may exist in more than 7 million cubic meters (9.1 million cubic yards) of environmental media, primarily soils and sediments.

FUTURE USE

The Laboratory's site development plan outlines a 30-year window for the future use of Laboratory land to continue its nuclear stewardship mission. Current projections of land and facility requirements indicate the Laboratory needs to retain most of the 112 square kilometers (43 square miles) of its site, either for structures, roads, utilities, firing sites, or for a buffer area used for environmental research. The Department of Energy is considering the transfer of up to 2,800 hectares (7,000 acres) to Los Alamos County for Industrial use. These parcels are deemed to be in excess of programmatic needs. The Laboratory's requirements for land are being reviewed by the Future Site Use Integration Team, which in consultation with the general public, may recommend transfer or retention for various parcels of land, particularly in the buffer area.

For the purposes of risk-based decisionmaking in the Environmental Restoration program, this report assumes that future Laboratory land use will follow the projections of the Laboratory's Site Development Plan, which is Industrial/Commercial. This approach is based on ongoing discussions with the Environmental Protection Agency, the New Mexico Environment Department, and the public.

NUCLEAR MATERIAL AND FACILITY STABILIZATION

The facility stabilization and maintenance process began at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in 1995. Defense Programs provides current funding for stabilization and maintenance. Transfer of facilities to the Environmental Management program is anticipated to occur in FY 2002. Forty-five Los Alamos facilities are currently slated to undergo this process. Thirty-five facilities have already begun stabilization, including an accelerator building, four laboratories, a cooling system building, and numerous storage facilities. This report assumes the remaining ten facilities, which include a laboratory, a contaminated surge tank, drainage basins, and a contaminated waste pit, will begin stabilization and maintenance activities in 1996.

The resulting waste types are expected to include hazardous, transuranic, low-level, and low-level mixed waste. This estimate assumes that the stabilization and maintenance process at Los Alamos will be completed by 2010. Funding profiles and facility activities were generated through parametric modeling, using data from other Department of Energy facilities.

ENVIRONMENTAL RESTORATION

Environmental Restoration has identified approximately 2,100 potential release sites. The principal mechanism for potential release of contaminants is surface-water runoff, which can carry potentially contaminated sediments, and erode soil, resulting in exposure of buried waste. The primary potential pathways for released contaminants to reach beyond the Laboratory's boundaries are surface runoff, infiltration into alluvial aquifers, and airborne dispersion of particulate matter. Los Alamos has implemented ground-water and air monitoring programs to identify releases that could pose a health risk to surrounding communities. This surveillance and monitoring program is operated by the site landlord, Defense Programs. This activity and its associated costs will also encompass any long-term surveillance and monitoring required following the completion of remedial action. The monitoring data gathered so far indicates that risks are minimal to the health and safety of the public.

By the end of FY 1995, about 100 of the approximately 2,100 potential release sites had been remediated; in addition, No Further Action was proposed for approximately 900 sites, and 1,100 sites were slated for further investigation or accelerated cleanup. All cleanup activities are expected to be completed by FY 2015.

Whenever warranted and possible, Los Alamos will apply the accelerated cleanup approach, which permits a site-specific remediation to be planned, designed, and implemented without proceeding through the entire corrective action process. More complicated actions, such as remediating former material disposal areas, will employ the conventional corrective action process to evaluate exposures, compare alternatives, and prepare detailed plans and specifications for the action.

Waste resulting from environmental restoration remedial activities will be transferred to the Waste Management program or offsite for treatment, storage, and disposal. Current plans are for the Environmental Restoration program to fund treatment, storage, and disposal.

During the corrective measures study phase, remediation options such as corrective action management units and temporary units, which the Environmental Restoration program manages, may be selected. Waste minimization techniques will be used during site characterization and remediation.

Corrective actions and remedial designs will meet requirements of the Laboratory's Resource Conservation and Recovery Act operating permit. The State of New Mexico issued the Laboratory's Resource Conservation and Recovery Act permit and has authority over the Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments portion of the permit. The permit became effective in November 1989 and will expire in December 1999.

Environmental Restoration at Los Alamos is subdivided into field units, which are generally defined geographically with some functional distinctions. For example, Field Unit 1 contains all offsite properties, Field Unit 5 contains all active waste management areas, Field Unit 4 contains all canyon areas, and Field Unit 6 encompasses decommissioning.

Field Unit 1

Field Unit 1 consists of 670 potential release sites associated with 18 technical areas. It includes potential release sites located on Los Alamos County, private, commercial, National Forest Service, and Laboratory property. The sites under investigation include the following: material disposal areas, former firing sites, an inactive firing range, landfills, underground storage tanks, septic systems, outfalls, a former plutonium processing facility, waste treatment plants, vehicle decontamination facilities, motor-pool facilities, acid waste lines, incinerators, mortar impact areas, and radioactive waste disposal pits.

The primary constituents of potential concern are radionuclides, volatile organic compounds, and inorganic compounds (including heavy metals). Unexploded ordnance have been found at a few sites.

Sites in the Los Alamos townsite were occupied by a wide range of former Laboratory facilities, including administrative buildings, warehouses, workshops, laboratories, and research facilities. During their operational history, many of these facilities handled and potentially released radioactive and hazardous organic and inorganic substances. Radioactive structures and contamination were removed from the townsite in the 1960s, thereby avoiding release to Los Alamos County and private owners. The objectives of the present investigations are to confirm that radioactive waste was cleaned up to meet current standards and to verify that hazardous waste is not present at these sites.

In addition to the townsite potential release sites, Field Unit 1 includes potential release sites located on current or former Laboratory sites and in nearby canyons. Operations conducted at these sites vary widely. For example, Technical Area 10, also referred to as the Bayo Site, was used from 1943 to 1961 as firing site to conduct experiments using high explosives, in conjunction with research on nuclear weapons; Technical Area 45 was used as an industrial waste discharge area from 1944 to 1951 and subsequently served as the Laboratory's first radioactive liquid waste treatment facility from 1951 to 1964; Technical Area 21 was used for both chemical research and plutonium metal production from 1945 to 1978; Technical Area 3 currently contains the core of the Laboratory's operational facilities, including administration buildings, warehouses, workshops, and the Chemistry and Metallurgy Research Building; and Technical Area 73, a landfill located at the current Los Alamos airport, received hazardous waste from the Laboratory and Los Alamos County from 1946 to 1973.

ASSESSMENT

In this field unit, the Laboratory has completed initial site investigations on 558 potential release sites (83 percent), and the Laboratory is presently assessing 65 additional sites. Investigation has been completed at 40 percent of the sites. No Further Action has been formally proposed for 133 sites to the Environmental Protection Agency through permit modification proposals. No Further Action is proposed for 116 additional sites in work plans and investigation reports. Projected activities for FY 1996 include Phase I investigations on 42 sites and Phase II investigations on 6 sites. In 1996, approximately 20 investigation reports at 145 sites will be submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency. Nearly 40 sites are likely to be proposed in 1996 for No Further Action. Assessment will be completed in FY 2006, assuming continued funding and regulatory approvals.

REMEDIAL ACTION

In the past, most remedial actions consisted of removing contaminated materials, limited treatment to reduce waste volumes, and turnover to the Waste Management program for final disposition. Future remedial actions will also involve these steps. Over the life of this field unit it is anticipated that about 4,521 cubic meters (5,900 cubic yards) of low-level radioactive waste, and 130 cubic meters (175.5 cubic yards) of radioactive mixed will be generated. Materials to be removed consist primarily of surface soils and near-surface bedrock; some materials such as septic tanks, pipelines, and other structures are involved at some sites. To date, over 30 sites have been cleaned up, including approximately 12 underground storage tanks. These cleanups have been voluntary corrective actions for those sites not containing Resource Conservation and Recovery Act-regulated substances. Other sites on the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act permit have been remediated as expedited cleanups that have been approved by the Environmental Protection Agency. Eleven sites are being considered for accelerated cleanup in FY 1996. Some sites, such as the large material disposal areas, will require a full Environmental Protection Agency-approved corrective measures study and implementation process. No sites have been subject to this process thus far.

To date, no sites have been stabilized in place. It is likely that the six large material disposal areas at Technical Area 21 will be considered for stabilization in place. The nature and number of stabilizations will depend upon Environmental Protection Agency approval of corrective measures proposals in the latter years of the program. Remediation activities in this field unit will be completed in FY 2006.

Field Unit 2

Field Unit 2 consists of 301 potential release sites associated with 14 technical areas. This unit includes active and inactive firing sites, a facility for research on nuclear criticality, and a 0.8-kilometer (0.5-mile) long linear proton accelerator with associated experimental research areas. The primary constituents of potential concern are radionuclides, high explosives, organic compounds, and heavy metals.

Beginning in the 1940s, the now inactive firing sites were used for experiments involving explosive charges ranging from a few kilograms to several Metric Tons (from a few pounds to two tons). More than 30,000 test shots have been performed at one of the active firing sites, expending an estimated 1.0 to 2.0 Metric Tons (1.1 to 2.2 tons) of depleted uranium. All the experiments have been above-ground detonations. The resulting waste varies widely in terms of particle size, from fine dust to shrapnel. Larger pieces of shrapnel have traveled up to 915 meters (3,000 feet). Metal pieces that were projected downward penetrated the ground to a depth of several meters (yards). In other tests, projectiles were fired at targets. In some cases, projectiles penetrated the target and were embedded in adjacent canyon walls.

Nuclear criticality experiments were conducted in three separate buildings. In one of the buildings, mockup studies of fission reactors and studies of a plasma-core power reactor were performed. This site remains active and is used for development of treaty verification technology.

The 0.8-kilometer (0.5-mile) long linear proton accelerator is used for basic research on subatomic particles, isotope production, and accelerator technology development. Site characterization is presently conducted in all areas of the field unit except for two, which are scheduled to begin characterization next year.

ASSESSMENT

To date, 40 percent of the sites have completed investigations; 96 sites have made formal proposals to the Environmental Protection Agency for No Further Action, and 15 have made informal proposals. Investigation reports have been submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency for 18 sites. During FY 1996, Phase I investigations will address 39 sites and Phase II investigations will begin at 13 sites. Investigation reports submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency in 1996 will address 82 sites. It is likely that proposals for No Further Action will be made for 33 sites in 1996. The assessment phase for this field unit will be complete in FY 2000, assuming continued funding and regulatory approval.

REMEDIAL ACTION

Most remedial action in the past and future consists of removing contaminated material, limited treatment to reduce waste volumes, and transfer to Waste Management for final disposition. Over the life of this field unit, it is anticipated that approximately 1,600 cubic meters (2,100 cubic yards) of low-level radioactive waste and 845 cubic meters (1,100 cubic yards) of mixed waste, will be generated. Materials to be removed consist primarily of surface soils and near-surface bedrock; some materials such as septic tanks, pipelines, and other structures are involved at some sites. To date, five sites have been cleaned up, including three underground storage tanks. These cleanups have been voluntary correction actions for those sites not containing Resource Conservation and Recovery Act-regulated substances. Other sites on the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act permit have been remediated as expedited cleanups that have been approved by the Environmental Protection Agency. Thirty-nine sites are being considered for accelerated cleanup in FY 1996.

To date, no sites have been stabilized in place. Few sites in this field unit are likely candidates for stabilization in place. The nature and number of stabilizations will depend on Environmental Protection Agency approval of corrective measures proposals in the latter years of the program. Remediation activities in this field unit will be completed in FY 2004. Long-term surveillance and monitoring will be turned over to the landlord, Defense Programs.

Field Unit 3

Field Unit 3 consists of 555 potential release sites associated with ten technical areas. It includes sites where high explosives were developed and processed, initiators for nuclear weapons were tested, and reactor components were developed. The primary constituents of concern are radionuclides, high explosives, volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds, polychlorinated biphenyls, asbestos, pesticides, and herbicides.

Much of the contamination in this field unit resulted from operations established during World War II to develop, fabricate, and test explosive components for nuclear weapons. Various other facilities included areas for photo-fission experiments, a mortar impact area, an air gun firing range, gun firing sites, a burning ground, laboratories, storage buildings, sumps, and material disposal areas. In many of the experiments, beryllium-containing weapons initiators were tested, and in some experiments uranium components were used. A high-pressure tritium facility was also in operation until 1990.

One site in this field unit was used to develop nuclear reactors for propulsion of space rockets. Experiments included structural testing of fuel elements made of uranium-loaded graphite, which were tested until they failed. The site also was used to develop methods for uranium isotope separation and to test lasers for exciting uranium hexafluoride gas of various enrichments. Experimental solar buildings and solar ponds, which have since been converted to sanitary waste lagoons, were built later.

ASSESSMENT

To date, investigations at all sites have been completed (approximately 82 percent), except for Technical Area 16. Formal proposals for No Further Action have been forwarded to the Environmental Protection Agency for 105 sites; informal proposals have been submitted for 89 sites. In FY 1996, investigations will begin at about 60 sites; it is unlikely any sites will be proposed for No Further Action; and reports covering investigation of about 25 sites will be submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency. Assessment within this field unit will be completed by FY 2002.

REMEDIAL ACTION

In the past, most remedial action consisted of removing contaminated material, limited treatment to reduce waste volumes, and turnover to Waste Management for final disposition. Future remedial actions will also involve these steps. Over the life of this field unit it is anticipated that 1 cubic meters (1.3 cubic yards) of low-level waste, 1,300 cubic meters (1,755 cubic yards) of hazardous waste, and no radioactive mixed waste, will be generated. Approximately 31,000 additional cubic meters (41,850 cubic yards) of hazardous waste substances will also be generated during the closure of Area P at Technical Area 16, within the boundaries of this field unit. Materials to be removed consist primarily of surface soils and near-surface bedrock; some materials such as septic tanks, pipelines, and other structures are involved at some sites. To date, approximately six sites have been cleaned up. These cleanups have been voluntary correction actions for those sites not containing Resource Conservation and Recovery Act-regulated substances. Other sites on the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act permit have been cleaned as expedited cleanups the Environmental Protection Agency has approved. Approximately 24 sites are candidates for accelerated cleanup, in FY 1996.

To date, no sites have been stabilized in place. A few sites in this field unit are likely candidates for stabilization in place, particularly two material disposal areas in Technical Area 33. The nature and number of stabilizations will depend on Environmental Protection Agency approval of corrective measures proposals in the latter years of the program. Remediation activities in this field unit will be completed in FY 2004.

Field Unit 4

Field Unit 4 consists of 260 potential release sites and 19 canyons on the Pajarito Plateau, a reactor site, and various heavily industrialized sites. The primary constituents of potential concern are radionuclides, high explosives, volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds, and inorganics, including heavy metals. Most of the contamination resulted from operations dating from as early as 1944 and is associated with facilities such as: surface impoundments and disposal areas, experimental reactors, wastewater treatment and septic systems, above-ground and underground storage tanks, sanitary and industrial waste effluent lines, transformers, firing sites, incinerators, chemical processing sites, and shops for machining radioactive materials.

The Pajarito Plateau consists of finger-like mesas extending from the Jemez Mountains, with canyons between each mesa. Contamination from various Laboratory operations may be present in 19 canyons, both on the mesas and within the canyons themselves. Many canyons extend beyond Laboratory boundaries and eventually drain into the Rio Grande. The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act permit requires technical studies to determine quantitative and qualitative descriptions of the canyons' geologic and hydrologic systems. This data is required to estimate the potential for offsite transport of contaminants.

ASSESSMENT

Radioactive constituents (primarily tritium, cesium-137, and strontium-90) have been detected in alluvial ground water downgradient of two sites located in one of the main canyons within the Laboratory's boundaries. One of the sites houses the Omega West Reactor. This 8-megawatt water-cooled reactor, which is no longer operational, was fueled with highly enriched uranium, which was used for basic research in nuclear physics. The other site was used to develop weapons-boosting systems and to conduct long-term studies on weapons subsystems.

To date, 28 percent of the sites have completed investigations and 74 sites that have been proposed for No Further Action in work plans or investigation reports have been submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency for removal from the Laboratory's Resource Conservation and Recovery Act operating permit. In FY 1996, Phase I investigations for 12 sites will begin and 24 sites will be subject to Phase II investigations. Fifty-nine sites within this field unit are candidates for No Further Action in 1996. Assessment activities in this field unit will be completed in FY 2008.

REMEDIAL ACTION

In the past, most remedial action consisted of removing contaminated material, treating it to reduce waste volumes, and turnover to the Waste Management program for final disposition. Future remedial actions will also involve these steps. Over the life of this field unit, it is anticipated that 220 cubic meters (290 cubic yards) of hazardous waste will be generated. Estimates for other waste streams are currently unavailable. Materials to be removed consist primarily of surface soils and near-surface bedrock; some materials such as septic tanks, pipelines, and other structures are involved at some sites. To date, six sites have been cleaned up, including several underground storage tanks. These cleanups have been voluntary correction actions for those sites not containing Resource Conservation and Recovery Act-regulated substances. Other sites on the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act permit have been cleaned as expedited cleanups that have been approved by the Environmental Protection Agency. In FY 1996, approximately 19 sites are considered candidates for accelerated cleanup. Remediation activities in this field unit will be completed in FY 2015.

To date, no sites have been stabilized in place. Few sites in this field unit are likely candidates for stabilization in place. The nature and number of stabilizations will depend on Environmental Protection Agency approval of corrective measures proposals in the latter years of the program.

Field Unit 5

Field Unit 5 consists of 313 potential release sites associated with several areas used for explosives development, waste management facilities, and one offsite area located on land owned by the U.S. Forest Service and leased by the Department of Energy. Many of the Laboratory's material disposal areas also are located within this field unit. The primary contaminants of potential concern are radionuclides, high explosives, volatile organic compounds, and metals. Much of the contamination in this field unit resulted from high explosives research and development and from testing at above-ground and underground firing sites. Contamination also resulted from research into various methods for assembling fissionable material to produce nuclear bombs and the testing, developing, and producing bomb detonators.

This unit contains many of the Laboratory's retired and operating waste management facilities, other than the early landfills, which are part of Field Unit 1. Established in 1948, one of the retired sites consists of several pits and shafts that contain a diverse mixture of contaminants, including low-level, transuranic, hazardous, and mixed waste. The Laboratory's low-level radioactive disposal area is also part of this field unit. A material disposal area in this field unit was used in the early 1960s for experimental purposes and presently contains large amounts of various waste materials, including plutonium and lead. This unit contains the Laboratory's Radioactive Liquid Waste Treatment Facility, which was built in 1963.

Located 59.2 kilometers (37 miles) west of the Laboratory, the Fenton Hill site was formerly used for research on geothermal energy. The site is located on land leased by the Department of Energy. A few potential release sites have been identified at Fenton Hill.

ASSESSMENT

To date, 27 percent of the sites have completed investigations. At the end of FY 1995, 80 sites had been formally proposed to the Environmental Protection Agency for No Further Action. Approximately 10 sites have been proposed for No Further Action in investigation reports submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency. Three candidate sites will be proposed for No Further Action in 1996. Phase I investigations are planned in FY 1996 to address 56 sites. The assessment phase for this field unit will be completed in FY 2002.

REMEDIAL ACTION

In the past, most remedial action consisted of removing contaminated material, treating it to reduce waste volumes, and turnover to Waste Management for final disposition. Future remedial actions will also involve these steps. Over the life of this field unit it is anticipated that 2,800 cubic meters (3,780 cubic yards) of low-level radioactive waste, 1,480 cubic meters (1,936 cubic yards) of hazardous waste, and 1,000 cubic meters (1,380 cubic yards) of asbestos will be generated. Materials to be removed consist primarily of surface soils and near-surface bedrock; some materials such as septic tanks, pipelines, and other structures are involved at some sites. To date, about ten sites have been cleaned up. These cleanups have been voluntary correction actions for those sites not containing Resource Conservation and Recovery Act-regulated substances. Other sites on the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act permit have been cleaned as expedited cleanups that have been approved by the Environmental Protection Agency. Approximately 13 sites are candidates for accelerated cleanup in FY 1996. Remediation activities in this field unit will be completed in FY 2011.

To date, no sites have been stabilized in place. This field unit contains approximately six candidate sites for stabilization in place. These include material disposal areas at Technical Areas 6, 49, and 54. In FY 1996, stabilization activities are scheduled to begin at Area F in Technical Area 6 and Area AB in Technical Area 49. The nature and number of stabilizations will depend on Environmental Protection Agency approval of corrective measures proposals in the latter years of the program.

Field Unit 6

Field Unit 6 covers activities related to decommissioning obsolete facilities. Decommissioning is the removal of contamination and the actions taken to demolish facilities. When it is determined that a contaminated facility is no longer needed for its original purpose, the decommissioning program decontaminates the facility but does not demolish it if it can be used for another purpose. If the building cannot be used for another purpose, it is demolished. Decommissioning projects include: the former plutonium-uranium processing facility (discussed as part of field unit 1), which was used from the late 1940s to the early 1970s; a phase separator pit used from the mid-1960s through the early 1990s; a former tritium facility used from the mid-1950s through the late 1980s; abandoned buildings contaminated with high explosives and used from the 1950s to the 1980s; and the Omega West Reactor (discussed under Field Unit 4), which was used from the mid-1950s to the early 1990s.

To date, approximately two dozen structures have been removed under the decommissioning program, including pipelines, ventilation systems, buildings, foundations, reactor vessels, and stacks. All of these actions have been under the authority of the Atomic Energy Act. During FY 1996, the decommissioning program plans to remove 18 structures. Approximately 6,500 cubic meters (8,000 cubic yards) of low-level radioactive waste, 600 cubic meters (810 cubic yards) of hazardous waste, and 600 cubic meters (810 cubic yards) of asbestos waste, will be generated during planned activities. The last decommissioning activities, the contaminated facilities in Technical Area-53, are currently planned for completion in FY 2019.

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Direct Program Management/Support

Program management provides strategic leadership and direction for Environmental Restoration. It provides effective customer interface with internal and external customers. Program management includes planning for the cost-effective use and management of resources to accomplish project goals, prioritization of activities, direction of budget expenditures and schedules, and accountability to the Department of Energy. Program management also provides health and safety and regulatory compliance oversight for Environmental Restoration activities.

WASTE MANAGEMENT

The Waste Management program at Los Alamos provides treatment, storage, and disposal support to the Office of Defense Programs mission, as well as the remediation activities at the site. New and ongoing Laboratory programs and projects consist of activities and operations that generate waste at 33 technical areas. Examples include isotope separation, manufacturing, research and development programs in basic research and manufacturing explosives, chemically contaminated equipment cleanup, and radioactive materials work. The Waste Management program provides waste management services to Laboratory waste generators. This estimate assumes the waste generator costs include characterization and packaging; the Waste Management estimate includes transportation, treatment, storage, and disposal of waste.

Cost estimates are based on recent agreements: The Federal Facility Compliance Act Land Disposal Restriction Agreement with the Environmental Protection Agency, and a Compliance Order with the State of New Mexico for the transuranic pad remediation project. Additionally, the Department initiated work for the conceptual design of a new Radioactive Liquid Waste Treatment Facility to replace a 30-year old facility.

Because Los Alamos National Laboratory is an operating research and development facility with new defense-related activities with the potential to generate significant additional waste, the Waste Minimization program is striving to tie their activities more closely to research and development waste volume projections through a formalized system.

The waste types generated at the Laboratory include: transuranic waste, and mixed transuranic waste, low-level and low-level mixed, hazardous chemical waste; biological waste; medical waste; and sanitary solid and liquid waste.

The Laboratory does not generate high-level radioactive waste. Some spent nuclear fuel is kept in interim storage, but the Office of Defense Programs provides funding for its management; therefore, spent fuel is not included in the activities described in this estimate.

The facilities generating waste are responsible for ensuring that each waste type meets appropriate acceptance criteria for storage or disposal. This responsibility entails determining the characteristics of the waste, packaging it, and labeling the packages.

The site projects the generation of large volumes of waste, including 279,969 cubic meters (20,382 cubic yards) of low-level waste, 102,917 cubic meters (6,443 cubic yards) of hazardous waste, 1,581 cubic meters (2,255 cubic yards) of mixed waste, 272 cubic meters (186 cubic yards) of transuranic waste, and 278 cubic meters (364 cubic yards) of mixed transuranic waste.

During remediation, treatment and segregation of waste streams will be conducted to reduce waste volumes, particularly for those waste streams that are hazardous, radioactive, or radioactive mixed. Where appropriate, waste will be recycled (for example, steel or concrete) or used as clean backfill. Other waste will be transferred to the Waste Management program for final treatment and disposition. During environmental restoration work, alternative strategies will be developed with the regulator to minimize volumes of waste. These will include evaluating corrective action management units and temporary units to receive Environmental Restoration program-generated waste.

Transuranic Waste

TREATMENT

Transuranic mixed waste contains both long-lived transuranic radionuclides and hazardous chemical constituents as defined under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. Until 1991, when the waste profiling system was instituted at Los Alamos National Laboratory, transuranic mixed waste was not separated from transuranic waste. The characterization of transuranic solid waste in storage will better define mixed from nonmixed transuranic waste, thereby providing information to address treatment of mixed transuranic waste. The need to treat this waste and the degree of treatment will be driven by the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Waste Acceptance Criteria and/or the Site Treatment Plan and the Federal Facilities Compliance Order.

The site assumes a volume of 55,000 0.2-cubic meter (55-gallon) drum equivalents of mixed transuranic waste. It assumes that 90 percent of the combustible and noncombustible drums will require repackaging, and that core sampling of 600 homogeneous drums will qualify 16,500 drums for acceptance at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant.

Newly generated waste which amounts to 1,000 0.2-cubic meter (55-gallon) drums per year will meet the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant waste acceptance criteria and will only require real-time radiography, radioassay, and headspace gas sampling prior to shipment.

The construction of a new Transuranic Waste Characterization and Processing Facility for remote-handled transuranic waste is tentatively planned for FY 2003. However, this report assumes that the construction of this facility will not occur and no treatment to land disposal restriction requirements or handling of remote-handled waste will occur. It is further assumed additional characterization and repackaging activities can occur (in addition to those of the Waste Characterization, Reduction, and Repackaging Facility) in currently existing facilities. Two additional facilities will be converted to repackaging use in 2009, assuming increased funding that year, enabling work-off of backlog waste by 2034. Transportation costs for this report assume loading of TRUPACT shipping casks in an existing facility. Transportation and disposal costs are presented in the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant site summary.

Liquid transuranic waste is produced at the Los Alamos Plutonium Facility (Technical Area 55), where it is transported by a pipeline to the Radioactive Liquid Waste Treatment Facility at Technical Area 50. This facility consists of a primary chemical treatment plant and a pre-treatment plant for removing plutonium and other actinides. The pre-treatment plant has demonstrated removal of more than 99 percent of the actinides from the waste stream. Transuranic waste sludge is produced by the treatment of the influent. This sludge is solidified in 0.2-cubic meter (55-gallon) polyethylene-coated steel drums. The industrial pipeline that transports the liquid transuranic waste from the plutonium facility to the treatment plant was recently replaced with a double-wall piping system that will be in service as soon as some modifications are made at the Plutonium Facility. The existing Radioactive Liquid Waste Treatment Facility is 30 years old and is to be replaced with a new facility, which was expected to start operating in FY 2004; however, because of a reduction in funding, construction will be delayed and this report assumes that operation of the new facility will to start in FY 2011.

The program for treating solid transuranic waste has the following objectives: characterizing existing transuranic waste to determine that it meets the criteria for acceptance at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant; certifying that all newly generated transuranic waste meets these acceptance criteria; and reducing the volume of the waste, stabilizing the waste, and repackaging it. Many of these functions will be performed at a new treatment facility the Laboratory expects to construct and operate.

The existing Waste Characterization, Reduction, and Repackaging Facility was originally designed to repackage and reduce the volume of metallic waste gloveboxes and process equipment. This facility is being modified to perform waste characterization. The modifications consist of installing a glovebox to perform detailed characterization of drummed, heterogeneous, transuranic waste; and installing a glovebox to core solid, homogeneous, transuranic waste.

Future plans include the development of a new facility to characterize and process transuranic solid waste. The new facility will have the capability of repackaging, stabilizing, and characterizing contact-handled transuranic waste; this accounts for most of the transuranic waste. As planned, Phase I (characterization, sorting, and repackaging) of the new facility is expected to be fully operational by FY 2006, and Phase II (processing to meet Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Waste Acceptance Criteria) operational by FY 2009. Phase I may be brought online as early as FY 1998.

STORAGE

The solidified transuranic waste is transported to Technical Area 54, Area G for interim storage.

The Laboratory currently stores solid transuranic waste in four configurations at Technical Area 54, Area G. Transuranic solid waste generated before 1979 is stored in below-ground arrays in pits and trenches. Waste generated from 1979 to 1991 was placed in "bermed" storage, a method of storing drums on asphalt pads in dense-pack arrays under earthen cover. Some of the waste generated after 1985, and all of the waste generated after 1991, is stored in tension-support fabric domes in inspectable arrays, as required by the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. Remote-handled transuranic waste, which requires storage with radiation shielding, is kept in canisters lowered into shafts at Area G.

In January 1993, the State of New Mexico issued a Compliance Order to the Laboratory to bring the bermed-stored transuranic waste into complete compliance with the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. To comply with this order, the Laboratory initiated the Transuranic Waste Inspectable Storage Project to retrieve the waste stored under earthen cover at Pads 1, 2, and 4 at Area G and place it into inspectable storage. The project consists of four phases. The first phase of the project requires the construction of a retrieval dome and two storage domes, which were completed in FY 1995. The project is scheduled for completion in FY 2004.

DISPOSAL

The transuranic solidified waste is destined for disposal offsite in the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant near Carlsbad, New Mexico. The Los Alamos cost estimate includes characterization and packaging and storage until the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant opens. The Waste Isolation Pilot Project estimate includes transportation and disposal.

Low-Level Mixed Waste

Under the Federal Facility Compliance Act, Los Alamos National Laboratory issued a Site Treatment Plan. The State of New Mexico issued a Unilateral Order requiring compliance with the Site Treatment Plan.

STORAGE

Low-level radioactive mixed waste is presently segregated, packaged, and stored at the Radioactive Storage and Disposal Facility (solids) and Technical Area 54, Area L (liquids) in inspectable arrays. The solids are stored in tension-support fabric domes. A dome for liquids is scheduled for completion in FY 1996. The Laboratory is pursuing a strategy to treat and dispose of as much of this waste as possible using offsite Department of Energy and private sector capability. Therefore, the proposed line items, the Mixed Waste Receiving and Storage Facility and the Hazardous Waste Treatment Facility, are being reconsidered.

TREATMENT

As a result of the land disposal restrictions of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, the Laboratory is striving to identify and/or develop capabilities to treat the low-level radioactive mixed waste currently in storage. To treat low-level radioactive mixed waste, the Laboratory plans to use offsite commercial facilities to the extent that they are cost-effective, approved by the New Mexico Environment Department, and comply with other regulatory requirements. The Department of Energy has initiated a Feasibility Study for commercial treatment capabilities. As these capabilities emerge, they will be included for evaluation in the work-off plans for low-level radioactive mixed waste at the Laboratory. However, a potential offsite treatment will not be considered a capability until all of the operational, regulatory, and political issues are resolved (that is, waste actually could be loaded on a truck for shipment to that facility).

Onsite treatment capability, as reflected in the Site Treatment Plan, is based on the use of mobile treatment units (skids), as specified in the Albuquerque Mixed Waste Treatment Plan prepared by the Department of Energy Albuquerque Operations Office. This plan has recently been reviewed and several mobile treatment units have been downsized or eliminated. The Hazardous Waste Treatment Facility, which is the proposed facility for housing the mobile treatment units, is currently on hold and undergoing review to determine if it can be scaled-down or replaced by a modified existing facility.

Low-level radioactive mixed waste will be treated by the Laboratory, using a combination of offsite treatment, treatability studies, and onsite (including downsized mobile treatment units) capabilities. The selection of the technology and capability will be based on a cost evaluation of the competitive technologies, with consideration of regulatory requirements and the milestones in the Site Treatment Plan.

DISPOSAL

Under current planning assumptions, low-level radioactive mixed waste will be disposed of offsite.

Low-Level Waste

TREATMENT

The primary treatment facility for low-level liquid radioactive waste is the chemical treatment plant at the Radioactive Liquid Waste Treatment Facility. Liquid waste is transported from Laboratory facilities via a double-walled pipeline to the treatment facility. The chemical treatment process separates actinides and other radionuclides from the influent waste stream. This 30-year-old facility is projected to be replaced by a new treatment facility in FY 2011.

Low-level solid radioactive waste is currently not treated at the Laboratory. However, a 200 ton compactor is expected to become operational in September 1996 for volume reduction.

DISPOSAL

Low-level radioactive sludge produced by the Radioactive Liquid Waste Treatment Facility is packaged in drums and disposed of in Technical Area 54, Area G.

Low-level solid radioactive waste has been landfilled since 1957 in shafts and large pits at the Radioactive Disposal and Storage Facility. The shafts are 0.3 to 3.7 meters (1 to 12 feet) in diameter and up to 19.8-meters (65-feet) deep and may be lined or unlined. Shafts are used for waste requiring special handling or for waste with high dose rates. Los Alamos National Laboratory disposes of radioactive waste contaminated with tritium, mixed fission products and mixed activation products, highly activated pieces of equipment, solids contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls, animal tissue, beryllium, graphite powders, asbestos, and high-efficiency particulate air filters.

Approximately 70 percent of the waste is noncompactible, and this waste is placed directly into pits, which are 122 to 183-meters (400 to 600 feet) long, 7.6 to 30.5-meters (25 to 100-feet) wide, and 7.6 to 19.8 meters (25 to 65 feet) deep. These pits are also used to dispose certain nonreactive, non-Resource Conservation and Recovery Act-regulated chemical waste such as beryllium residues, polychlorinated biphenyls, asbestos, and empty pesticide containers. Approximately 4,800 cubic meters (6,300 cubic yards) of low-level radioactive waste is buried annually at Area G.

The current disposal facility at Area G has a remaining capacity of 22,800 cubic meters (29,700 cubic yards). At the current rate of waste generation and minimization, Area G has an operational life of three years. If Environmental Restoration cleanups are curtailed, Area G will reach its useful design life by the end of FY 2003. Continued construction at Area G depends on decisions associated with the Laboratory's Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement. Continued construction will provide for approximately 50 years of additional capacity. The Laboratory is exploring other options for the offsite disposal of low-level radioactive waste.

Hazardous Waste

TREATMENT

Nearly all of the Laboratory's hazardous waste is treated at commercial offsite facilities, except barium sands, which are treated at the Laboratory. In the future, hazardous waste that cannot be handled by commercial facilities will be treated at the Hazardous Waste Treatment Facility or an alternative facility.

Current treatment does not remove dissolved constituents. As a result, compliance issues are often associated with the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit. The Laboratory is under an administrative order from the Environmental Protection Agency to treat all high explosives wastewater by September 1997 and is complying with this requirement. To meet this obligation, the Laboratory is developing a high explosives wastewater treatment facility that will collect and treat these wastewaters with stepped filtration. The ultimate goal for this facility is zero discharge with complete recycling of the system water. Construction is scheduled for completion in FY 1997. The high explosives waste slurry that accumulates in the bottom of the sumps is trucked to sand filters near the burn grounds at Technical Area 16. Periodically, the slurry remaining on top of the sand filter is dried and burned in place under the Laboratory's Open Burning/Open Detonation permit. Initially, there were 17 such outfall discharges from widespread technical areas that process high explosives. Waste consolidation and minimization efforts will reduce the number of outfalls to two.

STORAGE

Hazardous chemical waste is stored at Technical Area 54, Area L in accordance with the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act permit. This facility will continue to package, bulk, and prepare hazardous chemical waste for offsite treatment and disposal. In the future, this storage area and its associated activities may be moved to the new Technical Area 63. However, at this time, the line-item Hazardous Waste Treatment Facility is on hold.

Hazardous waste treatment, storage, and disposal operations are also being evaluated for possible outsourcing. The estimate does not include costs for the facility.

DISPOSAL

Hazardous chemical waste includes Resource Conservation and Recovery Act-hazardous waste, non-Resource Conservation and Recovery Act oil and chemical waste, infectious/medical/biological waste, asbestos, and

polychlorinated biphenyls waste. The disposal of this waste is achieved by shipping it to commercial treatment and disposal facilities. This mechanism of waste handling has proved highly successful and will continue to be used for the foreseeable future.

The ash and sand mixture resulting from high explosives burning is sent to Technical Area 54 for treatment and disposal. If this material contains Resource Conservation and Recovery Act-regulated levels of barium sulfate, it is managed as a Resource Conservation and Recovery Act-listed hazardous waste. All the costs associated with high explosives material are included in the hazardous waste estimate for Los Alamos.

Sanitary Waste

The costs for this activity are included in the site's landlord estimate, which is maintained by the Office of Defense Programs, and are beyond the scope of this report. Costs for administratively controlled waste, waste that contains classified material, is also included in the landlord program.

Direct Program Management/Support

The Waste Management program directly funds several support functions. Program management and administration provides overall program direction and strategy development and primary customer interface. The project control system provides the means for developing and maintaining scope, schedule, and cost estimates; for tracking and reporting progress; and for analyzing and taking corrective action for significant variations from planned activities.

DESCRIPTION OF PERSONNEL

Current Composition

The current composition of federal and contractor Full-Time Equivalent employees is presented in the table below. The federal work force is made up of professionals, engineers, and administrative personnel. The contractor work force consists mostly of engineers, technicians, scientists, professionals, and administrative personnel.

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

Site Management Structure

The University of California is the management and operating contractor for the Laboratory. The University of California operates the laboratory for a management fee as a not-for-profit organization or a cost reimbursable contract. This contract expires in October 1997.

The Environmental Restoration program management team consists of the manager, technical consistency leader, regulatory compliance leader, and six field unit leaders. The project manager, technical and regulatory leaders, and their staffs constitute the Environmental Restoration Project Office. Environmental Restoration has two primary subcontractors for assessments and planning and four for remediation and decommissioning. Other subcontractors provide additional specialized support such as risk analysis and drilling.

The Waste Management program is organized as follows: the Waste Management Program Office manages the Waste Management and Waste Minimization/Pollution Prevention programs at the Laboratory to accomplish program goals, budget and schedules. The Waste Management Program Office is also the single point of contact and unified voice to customers outside the Laboratory. The Waste Management Program Office negotiates for technical and facility operations expertise with Los Alamos National Laboratory divisions to execute waste management requirements, and contracts are established to execute work. Additionally, the Waste Management Program Office manages task order contracts (that is, placement and maintenance) to augment Los Alamos National Laboratory technology expertise where needed.

Future Full-Time Equivalent Needs

In the future it is anticipated that the number of laborers and technicians will increase in Environmental Restoration as the work becomes dominated by remediation. Management and administration Full-Time Equivalents will probably remain level, with some changes in the mix of scientists and engineers as the nature of the work changes. The staffing mix in Waste Management is anticipated to remain level.

FUNDING ESTIMATE

The following two tables present estimated funding information for the Los Alamos National Laboratory.

COMPARISON WITH PREVIOUS ESTIMATE

The 1996 life-cycle cost estimate for Los Alamos National Laboratory is approximately 5 percent lower than the 1995 estimate. Waste Management program estimates increased because of a revision in the assumption of how long the program will operate. The 1995 report assumed that the program would cease operation in FY 2030. In 1996, the life-cycle was defined to extend to FY 2070. Low-level mixed waste was scheduled to be treated in mobile treatment units that have since been canceled in favor of other more cost-effective treatment technologies. Waste Management program activity costs increased by approximately 25 percent.

The Environmental Restoration program cost estimates decreased by about 26 percent, reflecting a move away from assessment to remediation, accelerated cleanups, and No Further Action determinations. The definition of assessment has changed to shift characterization toward final action into the remediation category. Also, the Department believes that more sites can be moved to final action with less characterization.

The Nuclear Material and Facility Stabilization program costs were reduced by approximately 40 percent because a considerable amount of the parametric modeling data was refined by incorporating site analytical data.