ES/ESH-69

Oak Ridge Reservation Annual Site Environmental Report for 1995

1996

1. Site and Operations Overview

     1.1 BACKGROUND

     1.2 DESCRIPTION OF SITE LOCALE

     1.3 CLIMATE

         1.3.1 Temperature

         1.3.2 Winds

         1.3.3 Precipitation

         1.3.4 Evapotranspiration

     1.4 DESCRIPTION OF SITE, FACILITIES, AND OPERATIONS

         1.4.1 Lockheed Martin Energy Systems

         1.4.2 Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant

         1.4.3 Oak Ridge National Laboratory

         1.4.4 Oak Ridge K-25 Site

         1.4.5 Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education

2. Environmental Compliance

     2.1 INTRODUCTION

     2.2 COMPLIANCE ACTIVITIES

         2.2.1 Resource Conservation and Recovery Act

         2.2.2 RCRA/CERCLA Integration

         2.2.3 Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act

         2.2.4 Federal Facilities Compliance Act

         2.2.5 Underground Storage Tanks

         2.2.6 National Environmental Policy Act

         2.2.7 Safe Drinking Water Act

         2.2.8 Clean Water Act

         2.2.9 Clean Air Act

         2.2.10 Toxic Substances Control Act

         2.2.11 Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act

         2.2.12 Emergency Planning and Community Right-To-Know Act

         2.2.13 Environmental Occurrences

     2.3 DOE ORDER COMPLIANCE

         2.3.1 DOE Order 5400.1, General Environmental Protection Program

         2.3.2 DOE Order 5400.5, Radiation Protection of the Public and the Environment

         2.3.3 DOE Order 5820.2A, Radioactive Waste Management

     2.4 APPRAISALS AND SURVEILLANCES OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAMS

         2.4.1 Tiger Team Environmental Assessment

         2.4.2 Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board

     2.5 ENVIRONMENTAL PERMITS

     2.6 NOTICES OF VIOLATIONS AND PENALTIES

     2.7 CURRENT ISSUES

         2.7.1 Actions Filed by Friends of the Earth, Inc.

         2.7.2 Hazardous/Toxic Waste Off-Site Shipment Moratorium

         2.7.3 Tennessee Oversight Agreement

3. Environmental Management Program

     3.1 INTRODUCTION

     3.2 ENVIRONMENTAL RESTORATION

         3.2.1 K-25 Powerhouse Implosion

         3.2.2 A Decision Is Reached for Lower Watts Bar Reservoir

         3.2.3 DOE Submits Record of Decision for Remediation of Lower East Fork Poplar Creek

     3.3 DECONTAMINATION AND DECOMMISSIONING

         3.3.1 Variable Dose Rate Irradiation Facility Dismantled

     3.4 WASTE MANAGEMENT

         3.4.1 TDEC Issues an Order for Mixed-Waste Treatment and Storage

         3.4.2 Envirocare Shipments Continue

     3.5 TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT

         3.5.1 TRANSCOM Tracks Waste Shipments

         3.5.2 Interim Waste Management Facility Refines Tumulus Disposal Technique

     3.6 PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT

         3.6.1 EnvironMENTAL Fair 1995

         3.6.2 Common Ground Process Concludes

         3.6.3 Site-Specific Advisory Board Convenes

         3.6.4 Some Web Sites and a New Toll-Free Number

4. Effluent Monitoring

     4.1 AIRBORNE DISCHARGES

         4.1.1 Y-12 Plant Radiological Airborne Effluent Monitoring

         4.1.2 ORNL Radiological Airborne Effluent Monitoring

         4.1.3 K-25 Site Radiological Airborne Effluent Monitoring

         4.1.4 Y-12 Plant Nonradiological Airborne Emissions Monitoring

         4.1.5 ORNL Nonradiological Airborne Emissions Monitoring

         4.1.6 K-25 Site Nonradiological Airborne Emissions Monitoring

     4.2 LIQUID DISCHARGES

         4.2.1 Radiological Liquid Discharges

         4.2.2 Nonradiological Liquid Discharges

     4.3 TOXICITY CONTROL AND MONITORING PROGRAM

         4.3.1 Y-12 Plant Toxicity Control and Monitoring Program

         4.3.2 Y-12 Plant Biomonitoring Program

         4.3.3 ORNL Toxicity Control and Monitoring Program

         4.3.4 K-25 Site Toxicity Control and Monitoring Program

     4.4 BIOLOGICAL MONITORING AND ABATEMENT PROGRAM

         4.4.1 Monitoring Contaminant Concentrations

         4.4.2 Toxicity of Lithium Discharges to Oak Ridge Stream Is Mitigated by Sodium

         4.4.3 Reduction of Aqueous Mercury Inputs to East Fork Poplar Creek Is Slow To Produce a Corresponding Decrease in Mercury Bioaccumulation in Fish

         4.4.4 Sources of Contamination to Stream Biota Are Identified and Evaluated

         4.4.5 Fish Communities in Mitchell Branch Are Recovering Following Remedial Actions

         4.4.6 Cessation of Fly Ash Discharges to McCoy Branch Leads to Recovery of the Benthic Macroinvertebrate Community

5. Environmental Surveillance

     5.1 METEOROLOGICAL MONITORING

         5.1.1 Description

         5.1.2 Results

     5.2 EXTERNAL GAMMA RADIATION MONITORING

         5.2.1 Sample Collection and Analytical Procedures

         5.2.2 Results

     5.3 AMBIENT AIR MONITORING

         5.3.1 ORR Ambient Air Monitoring

         5.3.2 Y-12 Plant Ambient Air Monitoring

         5.3.3 ORNL Ambient Air Monitoring

         5.3.4 K-25 Site Ambient Air Monitoring

         5.3.5 Five-Year Trends

     5.4 SURFACE WATER MONITORING

         5.4.1 ORR Surface Water Monitoring

         5.4.2 Y-12 Plant Surface Water Monitoring

         5.4.3 ORNL Reference Surface Water Monitoring

         5.4.4 ORNL Radiological Liquid Effluent Monitoring Program Under the EMP

         5.4.5 K-25 Site Surface Water Monitoring

         5.4.6 Off-Site Spring and Residential Well Monitoring

         5.4.7 Off-Site Treated Water Monitoring

     5.5 SOIL

     5.6 SEDIMENT

         5.6.1 ORR Sediment

     5.7 FOOD

         5.7.1 Hay

         5.7.2 Vegetables

         5.7.3 Milk

         5.7.4 Honey

         5.7.5 Fish

         5.7.6 White-Tailed Deer

         5.7.7 Resident Canada Geese

         5.7.8 Turkey Monitoring

6. Dose

     6.1 RADIATION DOSE

         6.1.1 Terminology

         6.1.2 Methods of Evaluation

         6.1.3 Doses to Aquatic Biota

         6.1.4 Current-Year Summary

         6.1.5 Five-Year Trends

         6.1.6 Potential Contributions from Off-Site Sources

         6.1.7 Findings

     6.2 CHEMICAL DOSE

         6.2.1 Terminology

         6.2.2 Methods of Evaluation

7. Groundwater

     7.1 INTRODUCTION

         7.1.1 Geological Setting

         7.1.2 Hydrogeological Setting

         7.1.3 Groundwater Flow

         7.1.4 Groundwater Monitoring Considerations

         7.1.5 Off-Site Spring and Residential Well Monitoring

         7.1.6 Groundwater Monitoring Program on the ORR

     7.2 GROUNDWATER MONITORING AT THE Y-12 PLANT

         7.2.1 Background and Regulatory Setting

         7.2.2 Hydrogeologic Setting and Summary of Groundwater Quality

         7.2.3 1995 Well Installation and Plugging and Abandonment Activities

         7.2.4 1995 Monitoring Programs

         7.2.5 Y-12 Plant Groundwater Quality

     7.3 GROUNDWATER MONITORING AT THE OAK RIDGE NATIONAL LABORATORY

         7.3.1 Background

         7.3.2 Bethel Valley

         7.3.3 Melton Valley

         7.3.4 1995 Groundwater Quality Well Installation, Development, and Sampling Activities

         7.3.5 ORNL Groundwater Quality

         7.3.6 Bethel Valley

         7.3.7 Melton Valley

         7.3.8 Well Plugging and Abandonment at ORNL

     7.4 GROUNDWATER MONITORING AT THE K-25 SITE

         7.4.1 Background and Hydrogeologic Setting

         7.4.2 Waste Area Groupings

         7.4.3 1995 Well Installation and Plugging and Abandonment Activities

         7.4.4 1995 Groundwater Monitoring Program

         7.4.5 Postremediation Monitoring

         7.4.6 Exit-Pathway Monitoring

         7.4.7 1995 Groundwater Monitoring Results

         7.4.8 1995 K-25 Site Exit-Pathway Monitoring Results

8. Quality Assurance

     8.1 INTRODUCTION

     8.2 FIELD SAMPLING QUALITY ASSURANCE

     8.3 ANALYTICAL QUALITY ASSURANCE

         8.3.1 Internal Quality Control

         8.3.2 External Quality Control

     8.4 DATA MANAGEMENT, VERIFICATION, AND VALIDATION

Appendices

  Appendix A. Radiation

  Appendix B. Chemicals

  Appendix C. Air Permits

  Appendix D. Drinking Water Standards

  Appendix E. Underground Storage Tank Data

  Appendix F. NPDES Noncompliances

  Appendix F. NPDES Noncompliances

  Appendix H. Glossary

REFERENCES