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Oak Ridge Reservation
Environmental Health Archives
Current as of 10FEB99
Compiled by
Captain John R. Stockwell, M.D., M.P.H.
U.S. Public Health Service
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Oak Ridge-Pollution
Environmental Update. Fall 91
iwiuuciLLdi upudie. ran yi. a "W "W T" ~W
unvironiiieiital Update
A Report from the U.S. Department of Energy
on Environmental Restoration activities at the Oak Ridge Reservation
AK ridge. BOOM
':;iasc TUBUC i
Issue Four
r>PSSGC
37630
Fall 1991
In This Issue
Superfund Records of Decision 2
East Fork Poplar Creek 3
Readers Raise Environmental
Issues 3
RODs & I-RODs
Scheduled for 1992 4
ORNL Waste Area Group 6 6
You're Invited 6
Recent Public Meetings 7
Workers are building a sediment-
retention structure at the mouth of White
Oak Creek to achieve control of
contaminated sediments in the White
Oak Creek Embayment. The 100-foot-
wide structure will be completed in
December at a cost of $5 million. When
complete, the structure will minimize
the erosion and transport of
contaminated sediment from the
Embayment to the Clinch River. (Oak
Ridge National Laboratory Photo.]
News in Bri
Corps of Engineers To Perform Real Estate
Assessment: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
has negotiated an agreement with the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers to prepare a comprehensive real
estate plan to support future remediation options for
East Fork Poplar Creek. The plan will address the
preferred alternative for acquiring real estate rights
along the creek watershed, if the action is necessary in
a future remediation effort. Work on the real estate
plan will begin in early October 1991 and should be
completed in 1992. The real estate plan will be
performed concurrently with the ongoing remedial
investigation/feasibility study (RI/FS) activities that
are scheduled for completion in October 1992.
SSP Now Available: Copies of the 1992
Environmental Restoration and Was/c Management
Site-Specific Plan (SSP) for the Oak Ridge Reservation
may be reviewed at area libraries, the Public Reading
Room in the Federal Building in Oak Ridge, and at
DOE's Information Resource Center, 105 Broadway in
Oak Ridge. Public comments will be taken through
November 9,1991. Address comments to W.D. (Bill)
Adams, Assistant Manager for Environmental
Restoration and Waste Management, EW-90, U.S.
Department of Energy, Field Office, Oak Ridge, P.O.
Box 2001, Oak Ridge, TN 37831-8540.
Open House: The Environmental Restoration and
Waste Management Program will hold an Open
House October 21 at Pollard Auditorium so that
the public can talk with and ask questions of
technical representatives. Comments on the Site-
Specific Plan will also be received at this time.
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2
Superfund Records of Decision (ROC
ecausc the Oak Ridge Reservation has been
placed on the National Priorities List of contaminated
sites most in need of cleanup, DOE must follow specific
procedures established by the Comprehensive
Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability
Act (CERCLA), commonly known as Superfund.
The first phase in the Superfund cleanup procedure is
a remedial investigation/feasibility study (RI/FS), which
involves assessing the type and extent of contamination
at the site and the associated health and ecological
risks, and identifying and evaluating possible cleanup
methods.1 Based on the analysis, DOE recommends a
preferred alternative, which is presented to the public
in a proposed plan. After receiving comments from the
public and other agencies, the final cleanup method
is selected by the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) and the State of Tennessee and
documented in a Record of Decision (ROD).
Significance of the ROD
Signing of the ROD is an important milestone in the
RI/FS process. The ROD is a legal, technical, and
public document.
• It certifies that the cleanup selection process
specified under CERCLA was carried out. The
ROD documents a legally binding decision, and
the final plan described in the ROD cannot be
changed without following specific procedures
established by law.
and Interim Action RODs Explained
cleanup on the Oak Ridge Reservation is available at
DOE's Information Resource Center, 105 Broadway,
Oak Ridge.
The Interim Action ROD
In some cases, an interim action maybe appropriate. An
interim action is limited and does not replace the need
for a final cleanup decision. Reasons for taking an
interim action could include the need to
• Take quick action to protect human health and the
environment from an imminent risk while a
final remedial solution is being developed, or
• Institute temporary measures to stabilize the site
and/or prevent the contamination from spreading
further.
Such actions are documented in an Interim Action
Record of Decision (I-ROD). The format of the I-ROD is
similar to that of the final ROD, although it may contain
less documentation. The requirements forpublic review
and comment are the same for both types of RODs.
Following an I-ROD, review of the site and the chosen
remedy continues as part of the development of a final
remedy. The final ROD provides forlong-term protection
of human health and the environment, fully addresses
the principal risks posed by the site, and considers
CERCLA requirements for treatment that reduces the
toxicity, mobility, or volume of waste.
• It documents the technical basis on which the
decision was made. The ROD is backed up by the
Administrative Record, which is a file of all
technical analyses and information used in reaching
the decision.
• It includes a Responsiveness Summary, which
records both the public comments received by
DOE during the comment period and DOE
responses.
The ROD, including the Responsiveness Summary, and
ithe Administrative Record must be made available to
'the public. Information related to decisions about
Progress Update
Health Studies Agreement Signed: An agreement
between the State of Tennessee and the U.S.
Department of Energy (DOE) to study possible human
health risks of living near DOE's three Oak Ridge
plants was signed in July 1991.
ORAU, CSX Work Delayed: Field work along the
CSX Transportation Group railroad tracks and at the
Oak Ridge Associated Universities South Campus,
Originally scheduled for late 1991, has been delayed
for a short time.
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3
A
Second Sampling Phase Begins at East Fork Poplar Creek
second phase of sampling along East Fork Poplar Creek began in July 1991. The Sewerline Beltway
sampling is expected to begin in October. Sampling along the floodplain will continue during the next year
beginning in the west end of Oak Ridge and continuing upstream toward the Y-12 Plant. Besides the soil, surface
and groundwater, and sediment sampling, several assessment activities will take place: a wetlands and
archaeological assessment; an assessment of threatened and endangered species; and a biological assessment of
plants, insects, aquatic animals and fish, birds, and small mammals.
Technicians take soil
samples with a device
called a "backsaver,"
a tube that punches
small-diameter holes
in the ground to obtain
soil below the surface.
A mercury vapor
monitor ensures
worker health and
safety.
After retrieving the subsurface soil,
technicians scoop the samples into a metal
bowl, where samples are homogenized
before being placed in sample bottles for
shipment to the laboratory. ^3^ - ^ ^ 5?, The sampling team leader notes
information in a site log book that
records the location and conditions
under which the samples were taken,
sample identification, and health and
w
safety precautions taken.
Readers Raise Environmental Issues
re received a number of thoughtful letters from
our readers in response to our request for comments on
this publication and the Environmental Restoration
Program. We cannot answer each letter in the Update,
but we can respond to some of the general issues raised.
For example, the last issue of the Update was printed on
slightly shiny recycled paper. Some readers were
concerned that the Update was not, however, recyclable.
Good news! The June 1991 Update is completely
recyclable, as is this issue.
Other readers wanted more technical articles in the
Update. The publication is written for a general audience,
but our many readers with technical expertise can obtain
copies of the technical reports on which Update articles
are based at the Information Resource Center. The staff
will copy these reports for you free of charge.
while spending time on details. These concerns are often
expressed at public meetings. Federal laws mandate a
very structured and lengthy process to reach a solution to
the problem. While it may appear at times that little
progress in cleanup is being made, all the steps being
taken are required by law to ensure that the solution is the
best available.
Two fact sheets available at the Information Resource
Center, "The Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study
Process" and "Principal Laws and Regulations Affecting
the Cleanup Program" explain some of the constraints
under which the environmental program operates.
Please continue to send your comments to Editor,
Environmental Update, P.O. Box 2501, Oak Ridge, TN
37831.
Several people were concerned that the restoration
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4
D
RODs and l-RODs Scheduled for 1992
ecisions on preferred cleanup methods for six
areas at the Oak Ridge Reservation are scheduled
through September 1992. Interim Action Records of
Decision (I-RODs) are scheduled for one site at K-
25, two sites at Oak Ridge National Laboratory
(ORNL), and one Y-12 Plant site. A final Record of
Decision (ROD) is scheduled for the ORNL waste
burial ground (Waste Area Group-WAG-6) and the K-25
surface impoundments. (For an explanation of final and
I-RODs, please see the article on page 2.)
solutions or solvents and possibly some low levels of
radionuclides.
The I-ROD to select a method to remediate the leachate
stream is scheduled for September 1992. The final
Record of Decision will ensure that the water from the
stream does not migrate offsite or into the deeper aquifer
(groundwater). Documents providing more detail about
this site are available at DOE's Information Resource
Center.
The map on the opposite page shows the location of
these sites, as well as the scheduled date of the I-ROD or
ROD.
K-25 Surface Impoundments
The surface impoundments (ponds), known as K-1407
B&C, cover approximately 1.6 acres in the northeast
section of the K-25 Site. They were formerly used to
store neutralized cleaning solutions and potassium
hydroxide scrubber sludge generated from plating
operations at K-25. The wastes are classified as hazardous
wastes with small concentrations of radionuclides. The
surface impoundments operated until 1985, at which
time plans were made and implemented for removal of
the contaminated sediments. That action was completed
in 1989.
The ROD scheduled for mid-1992 supports final closing
of the ponds under the Resource Conservation and
Recovery Act, reducing the potential for migration of
contaminants and eliminating potential air emissions.
A ROD for the entire impoundment area, including
groundwater, will be completed at a later date.
Documents providing more detail about this site, and a
fact sheet on the RI/FS process, are available at DOE's
Information Resource Center.
K-25 Leachate Stream
The Leachate Stream is part of the K-1070 C/D
Classified Burial Ground, covering about 22 acres
on the eastern side of the K-25 Site. The burial
ground was used to dispose of low-level radioactive
and nonradioactive materials. Infiltration of
rainwater and movement of shallow groundwater in
the burial ground has caused contaminants to leach
into groundwater leaving the burial ground, creating
the leachate stream. Contaminants are inorganic
Y-12 Mercury Lines
During the 1950s, pilot-scale facilities were built in the
Y-12 Plant's Building 9201-2, known as Alpha 2, to
separate lithium isotopes. The process used large
quantities of mercury. Over the years, mercury
has seeped into the soil around and under the
foundation of the building. Stormwater, interacting
with the contaminated soil, has in turn been
contaminated with mercury. Existing piping under the
building to collect the stormwater will be rerouted and
modified to separate uncontaminated lines from
contaminated ones. The amount of stormwater that
must be processed will be thus minimized.
The I-ROD, scheduled for September 1992, is one part
of a comprehensive program to reduce mercury leaving
the Y-12 Plant. Information on the activities at this site
will be made available in DOE's Information Resource
Center during 1992.
ORNL While Wing Scrapyard
White Wing Scrapyard, known as WAG 11, is a
30.4-acre storage/disposal site used in the past by ORNL,
K-25, and Y-12. Both contaminated and uncontaminated
equipment was placed in the scrapyard from the early
1950s until the mid-1960s. Investigations have revealed
contamination of soil and groundwater from chemicals,
metals, and numerous radioisotopes. A 1990 report on
investigations at this site, Surface Radiological
Investigations at White Wing Scrap Yard by Williams, et
al., is available at DOE's Information Resource Center.
An I-ROD scheduled for August 1992 will select a
preferred method to collect and remove contaminated
debris. A second I-ROD is scheduled for late Summer
-------
5
removal for contaminated soil.
ORNL Cesium-Contaminated Field
A field study of simulated nuclear fallout was undertaken
by ORNL in 1966 as part of Civil Defense interest in
post-attack survival. The fallout study used cesium-
137, an important long-lived component of nuclear
weapon fallout, as the radiation source. The site used
for the study is part of the 0800 Environmental Research
Area, a 50-acre grassy field north of the Clinch River and
south of the intersection of Bethel Valley Road and State
Highway 95. The site is known as WAG 13. A surface
radiological investigation of the site was conducted by
scientists at ORNL between June 1987 and March 1988.
The resulting report, Radiation Exposures from a Cesium-
Contaminated Field, Yalcintas et al., was published in
1988. The report, available at DOE's Information
Resource Center, concluded that the maximum exposure
of the public to gamma radiation would be three times
that of normal background radiation and would occur at
the Clinch River shoreline closest to the cesium-
contaminated field. The I-ROD, scheduled for August
1992, will reach a decision on how to reduce radiation
exposure at the nearest location accessible to the public.
* * *
An article on the scheduled ROD for ORNL's WAG 6
appears on page 6.
ORNL WAG 11
V ,tV ; •> • , S
TURNPfrc
UNIGWVAllfYnOAO
!luiV
ORNL WAG 13
ORNL WAG 6
MEt-ToT
waow
K-25 CLASSIFIED
BURIAL GROUNDS
(LEACHATE
STREAM)
MERCURY LINES
K-25 SURFACE IMPOUNDMENTS
SCHEDULE
K-25 Surface Impoundments
ROD
June 1992
K-25 Leachate Stream
I-ROD
September 1992
Y-12 Mercury Lines
I-ROD
September 1992
ORNL White Wing Scrapyard
(WAG 11)
I-ROD
August 1992 and 1993
ORNL Cesium-Contaminated Field
(WAG 13)
I-ROD
August 1992
ORNL WAG 6
ROD
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6
w
Waste Area Group 6 at ORNL Scheduled for Restoration
Fork is underway for the environmental
restoration and final closure of a waste burial
ground known as Waste Area Group (WAG) 6, at
ORNL, located near the Highway 95 dam across
White Oak Lake (see map, page 5). This is the first
major cleanup project to occur at ORNL under
CERCLA. The burial ground became the first major
cleanup project because of its regulation under the
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA).1
Known contaminants at the burial ground include low-
level radioactive waste, nonradioactive waste, and
solvents. Little offsite movement of contaminants has
been discovered, and preliminary assessments do not
indicate significant health risks outside the waste area.
However, environmental monitoring to detect
contaminant movement will be conducted at and around
the area during and after the cleanup.
Waste Sites
Waste sites within the area under investigation consist of
the Solid Waste Storage Area (SWSA) 6 and two other
sites, the Explosives Detonation Trench and an
Emergency Waste Basin. The trench is located within
SWSA 6, while the basin is located very near to SWSA
6.2
SWSA 6
SWSA 6 opened in 1969 for the shallow land burial of
low-level radioactive wastes from normal laboratory
operations, such as contaminated equipment, rags, and
protective clothing. Most waste was buried in unlined
trenches and auger (or bore) holes. Some low-level
waste was contained in plastic bags or steel drums.
Other wastes, such as contaminated equipment and
demolition wastes, were not in containers when
buried. These disposal practices were discontinued
after May 1986. Since 1986, waste has been encased in
concrete vaults and stored on concrete pads ("tumulus"
storage) or encased in newly designed silos and lined
auger holes.
In 1986, DOE learned that some of the waste being
disposed of in SWSA 6 was regulated by RCRA and
that the site required closure. In 1989, DOE
completed a temporary closure that involved
covering 10.4 acres within SWSA 6 with a thick
plastic cover. This area represented nearly 75
percent of the total waste disposal area at the site.
The cover helps minimize the contamination of
surface water and groundwater and will remain in
place until final remediation can be performed.
(continued on page 7)
You're invited ...
to an Environmental Restoration and Waste Management
Program Open House on Monday, October 21, 1991, at
Pollard Auditorium. Oak Ridge Associated Universities, 210
Badger Avenue, Oak Ridge, 6-9 p.m.
Please join us as we review the progress in environmental
restoration and waste management activities for the past year
and plans for the coming year. Technical representatives will be
available to answer your questions both formally and informally
The K-25 Site
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
The Y-12 Plant
Clinch River/Watts Bar
White Oak Creek Embayment
East Fork Poplar Creek
Prioritization of Cleanup Activities
Hoadmapping
Waste Minimization
The TSCA Incinerator
Technology Development
The Site-Specific Plan for the Oak Ridge Reservation
and DOE's approach to waste management in Oak
Ridge.
Representatives from DOE's Environmental Restoration and
Waste Management Program will be available to talk with
community members from 6-7 p.m.; posters and fact sheets
also will be available. Formal presentations will be made
between 7 and 8 p.m. A question period in the auditorium will
be from 8 to 9 p.m. Refreshments will be served.
For more information on these laws, see the fact sheet, "Principal Laws and Regulations Affecting the Cleanup Program," available
at the Information Resource Center.
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7
Waste Area Group 6 at ORNL Scheduled for Restoration
(continued from page 6)
Explosives Detonation Trench
The Explosives Detonation Trench was used to detonate
waste explosives and shock-sensitive chemicals like
picric acid, phosphorous, and ammonium nitrate.
Wastes were placed in the bottom of the trench and
detonated with plastic explosives. Debris from the
explosions generally remained in the trench. The
trench, measuring about 15 feet long by 5 feet wide by
4 feet deep, was backfilled and capped during the
interim closure for S WS A 6 with a thick plastic covering
until the final cleanup.
Emergency Waste Basin
The Emergency Waste Basin was constructed in 1961 to
store liquid low-level waste or process waste that could
not be released from ORNL to White Oak Creek. The
basin is located northeast of SWSA 6 and has a capacity
of 15 million gallons. Built as a precautionary measure
in case treatment plants could not adequately clean
waste discharges, the basin was never used. The minor
amounts of contamination found during radiological
sampling of the basin are probably the result of leaching
of contaminants from nearby disposal areas.
Continued Disposal Operations
Within the waste burial ground, contaminated areas
that will be closed include 18 shallow-land burial
areas, one waste landfill, three research areas,
eight above-ground disposal units, and the Emergency
Waste Basin.
Waste operations will continue at one site within the
overall waste burial ground. Low-level waste will
continue to be disposed of at a tumulus disposal area
until a disposal facility can be built to manage low-level
waste from the entire reservation.
Cleanup Plans and Activities
Project activities include the development of decision-
making documents, interim support projects, closure
design, remedial action, and post-closure monitoring.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the
Tennessee Department of Environment and
Conservation will approve all closure plans and other
decision-making documents.
An Open House planned for October 21 (see "You're
Invited," page 6) will provide an opportunity for
community members to become familiar with the issues,
ask questions, and discuss concerns with technical
program staff. A public meeting will also be held during
the Summer of 1992 to discuss the proposed plan for
cleanup.
Comments from community members will be answered
and included in the Record of Decision (see page 2),
which documents the selection of the preferred cleanup
method.
Recent Public Meetings
DOE held public meetings on July 22 and September 9 to receive public
comments on cleanup alternatives for mercury tanks attheY-12 Plant
and outdoor storage drums at the K-25 Site, respectively. Citizens who
attended the meeting could (1) make written comments on the
alternatives or (2) make formal oral comments. Informal question-
answer sessions allowed attendees to discuss the proposed interim
-------
To order Fact Sheets that describe environmental restoration activities more fully, or to add your
name to the Environmental Update mailing list, return this completed form to Information
Resource Center personnel or mail to Editor, Environmental Update, P.O. Box 2501, MS-2028,
Oak Ridge, TN 37831-2501. Fact sheets ordered by mail will be sent to you by mail.
~ Acronyms, OER-0002
~ *Cleanup Alternatives for East Fork Poplar Creek, OER-0023
~ tCommunity Relations in the Environmental Restoration Program, OER-0004..
~ * Department of Energy/Slate of Tennessee Health Studies Agreement OER-0032
~ tDcstroying Toxic Wastes with TSCA Incinerator, OER-0008
~ tEnvironmental Restoration at ORNL, OER-OOl2
~ tEnvironmental Restoration at ORR, OER-0005
~ tEnvironmental Restoration at K-25, OER-0014
~ tEnvironmental Restoration at Y-12, OER-OO13
~ tEnvironmental Restoration at East Fork Poplar Creek, OER-0016
~ Glossary, OER-0003
~ * Interim Action Alternatives at K-25 Drum Storage Yards, OER-0028
~ *Oak Ridge National Laboratory Waste Area Group 6, OER-0035
~ tOff-Site Programs (Clinch River/Watts Bar), OER-OOl5
~ tPrincipal Laws and Regulations, OER-0006
~ ""Pollution Control Measures in the White Oak Creek Embayment, OER-0034...
~ * Proposed United Nuclear Remedial Action Plan, OER-0021
~ *Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study Process, OER-0030
~ *Risk Assessment under CERCLA, OER-0031
~ tSite-Specific Plan for ORR, OER-0017
~ *Superfund Records of Decision OER-0029
~ *Tennessee/DOE Oversight Agreement, OER-0022
*New in 1991
tRevised in 1991
Environmental Update
~ Environmental Update (September 1990), OER-OOOl
~ Environmental Update (February 1991), OER-0018
~ Environmental Update (June 1991), OER-0020
Yes, I would like to be added to the mailing list for the Environmental Update.
(Please print legibly.)
Name
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Fact Sheet Titles
No. of Copies
OER-0033
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