QUICK FACTS:
Success Stories - Siting Renewable Energy on Contaminated Land
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory - Livermore, CA
Solar Panels Power a Ground Water Treatment System
Site Description
Established in 1955 as a non-nuclear explosives test facility,
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Site 300 is an
experimental test site operated by the Lawrence Livermore
National Security, LLC, for the Department of Energy's
National Nuclear Security Administration. The property covers
7,000 acres of rural foothills approximately six miles
southwest of downtown Tracy and 15 miles southeast of
Livermore. The site's lab is primarily used as a high-
explosives and materials testing range in support of nuclear
weapons research and Livermore Laboratory's national
security mission.
Property History
The 11-square mile Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Site 300 has approximately 350 people who work in the area
and obtain drinking water from an area ground water source.
This aquifer also provides water to State of California
employees working in a nearby vehicular recreation area, to
adjacent ranch houses, and to a State fire station.
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) owns the site and is
responsible for implementing the cleanup and remediation
activities. Oversight responsibilities are shared by the
California Department of Toxic Substance Control, the
Regional Water Quality Control Board, and the EPA.
Through the years, as a result of on-site tests and other
activities—as well as inadvertent spills, leaking pipes, and
leaching from underground landfills and pits—the ground
water became contaminated with solvents, volatile organic
compounds (VOCs), tritium, uranium-238, nitrate and
perchlorate. Cleanup and mitigation of these contaminates
began in 1991, with significant progress to date.
Renewable Energy Development
To preserve the integrity of the area's drinking water, ground
water pump and treatment systems have been put into place at
several locations. Some of these systems are equipped with solar
panels capable of generating up to 800 watts of self-sustaining
power. These solar treatment units (STUs) are low-flow systems
that pump and treat ground water at a rate of about 5 gallons per minute from depths of 75 to 100 feet. During the
summer months, these STUs can run for an average of 17 hours per day. During winter, operational time is reduced
to an average of 10 hours per day.
Currently, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Site 300 has five ground water treatment units in place that
are partially or fully solar powered. While other units have been connected to the laboratory's power grid for
continuous operation, self-powered STUs offer the flexibility for placement in remote locations that are difficult
and costly to connect to grid power. Renewable energy technology has allowed the DOE to strategically place
treatment facilities to maximize the benefits of their cleanup efforts.
Location:
Property Size:
Site Ownership:
Former Use:
Contaminants:
Project Type:
Type of RE:
Project Cost:
Key Partners:
Current Status:
EPA Region 9, Alameda and San
Joaquin Counties, CA
7,000 Acres
U.S. Department of Energy
Ranch land, weapons testing range
Solvents, VOCs, Tritium, Uranium-238,
Nitrate and Perchlorate
Superfund
Solar PV
$2,000 per unit
U.S. Department of Energy, California
Department of Toxic Substance Control
(DTSC), Regional Water Quality Control
Board (RWQCB)
Operational
PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS:
Solar-powered equipment enables ground water
treatment in remote areas.
Onsite treatment systems can run up to 17 hours per day
exclusively on solar power.
Treatment of contaminated groundwater will maintain the
integrity of drinking water for Laboratory employees and
surrounding communities.
CONTACT: DOE Livermore Site Office, PRP Contact, Claire Holtzapple: (925) 422-0670
EPA Site Manager, Kathy Setian: (415) 972-3180; setian.kathy@epa.gov
To learn more siting renewable energy on contaminated land, visit: www.epa.gov/renewableenergyland
------- |