WIPP Facility Work Plan for Solid Waste Management Units

The US Department of Energy, Carlsbad Area Office (DOE-CAO) has completed a voluntary release assessment sampling program at selected Solid Waste Management Units (SWMUs) at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). This Voluntary Release Assessment/Corrective Action (RA/CA) report has been prepared for final submittal to the Environmental protection Agency (EPA) Region 6, Hazardous Waste Management Division and the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) Hazardous and Radioactive Materials Bureau to describe the results of voluntary release assessment sampling and proposed corrective actions at the SWMU sites. The Voluntary RA/CA Program is intended to be the first phase in implementing the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Facility Investigation (RFI) and corrective action process at the WIPP. Data generated as part of this sampling program are intended to update the RCRA Facility Assessment (RFA) for the WIPP (Assessment of Solid Waste Management Units at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant), NMED/DOE/AIP 94/1. This Final Voluntary RA/CA Report documents the results of release assessment sampling at 11 SWMUs identified in the RFA. With this submittal, DOE formally requests a No Further Action determination for these SWMUs. Additionally, this report provides information to support DOE`s request for No Further Action at the Brinderson and Construction landfill SWMUs, and to support DOE`s request for approval of proposed corrective actions at three other SWMUs (the Badger Unit Drill Pad, the Cotton Baby Drill Pad, and the DOE-1 Drill Pad). This information is provided to document the results of the Voluntary RA/CA activities submitted to the EPA and NMED in August 1995.

Within the confines of the Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant are both active and inactive hazardous waste treatment, storage, and disposal facilities. These solid waste management units (SWMUs) are subject to assessment by the US Environmental Protections Agency, as required by the 1984 Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments (HSWA) to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). This document is the site-specific RFI plan for Tank 2064-U and contains historical information, operational information, and sampling data for this tank. The potential for release of contamination through the various media and potential receptors is addressed. A sampling and analysis plan is proposed to determine the extent, if any, of contaminant releases to the surrounding environment. Included are health, safety, quality assurance, and quality control procedures to be followed when implementing the sampling plan. 4 figs., 4 tabs.

The Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments of 1984 (HSWA) broadened the authorities of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) by requiring corrective action for releases of hazardous wastes and hazardous constituents at treatment, storage, and disposal (TSD) facilities. The goal of the corrective action process is to ensure the remediation of hazardous waste and hazardous constituent releases associated with TSD facilities. Under Section 3004(u) of RCRA, operating permits issued to TSD facilities must address corrective actions for all releases of hazardous waste and hazardous constituents from any solid waste management unit (SWMU) regardless of when the waste was placed in such unit. Under RCRA Section 3008(h), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) may issue administrative orders to compel corrective action at facilities authorized to operate under RCRA Section 3005(e) (i.e., interim status facilities). The process of implementing the Corrective Action program involves the following, in order of implementation; (1) RCRA Facility Assessment (RFA); (2) RCRA Facility Investigation (RFI); (3) the Corrective Measures Study (CMS); and (4) Corrective Measures Implementation (CMI). The RFA serves to identify and evaluate SWMUs with respect to releases of hazardous wastes and hazardous constituents, and to eliminate from further consideration SWMUs that do not pose a threat to human health or the environment. This Information Brief will discuss issues concerning the RFA process.

The emergence of hazardous waste as a major environmental issue has forced the society to reexamine the ultimate ends of the whole pollution control enterprise. The hazardous waste problem is a by‐product of this nation's rapid economic growth over the past 50 or 60 years. As the industry has expanded, we have developed more and more reliance on a broader range of chemicals and chemical by‐products in plastics, automobiles, and other major manufacturing sectors. When chemicals are used to develop new products, however, wastes are generated, and unfortunately, the phenomenal growth in the production of waste was not mirrored by the growth in the field of waste management. Much of the waste produced made its way into the environment where it poses a serious threat to ecological systems and public health. It was not until the mid‐1970s that Congress enacted the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act ( RCRA ), the first major hazardous waste regulatory document to address waste generation and disposal effectively. This article is organized in a historical manner. In Section 2, waste legislation before the RCRA of 1976—what little there was—is discussed. Section 3 examines the 1976 RCRA with particular emphasis on Subtitle C of the act, which lays the groundwork for the current standards and regulations pertaining to the management of hazardous waste. In Section 4, the 1984 Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments ( HSWA ) to the RCRA , also known as the New RCRA , are discussed. Along with key elements of the amendments, a discussion of Subtitle 1, which expands the regulation domain of Subtitle C, is included. Section 5 covers the permitting process for incinerators, treatment/storage tanks, and land treatment, with special emphasis on incinerators. Section 6 covers more recent activities by EPA in assisting and expediting the permit processes for incinerators and other hazardous waste combustors including concerns regarding emissions of toxic metals, hydrogen chloride, and chlorine and their control, control of PICs , and measurement techniques for all emissions of concern. Section 7 covers the release and implementation of the boiler and industrial furnace regulations. Section 8 covers the US EPA Hazardous Waste Reduction and Combustion Strategy in the 1993–1994 era with the change of administration in Washington. Included in this section are the activities initiated by the US EPA with the moratorium on new incinerator construction followed by public meetings in February and November 1993 to openly discuss waste minimization and eventually issuance of the maximum achievable control technology ( MACT ) rules for combustion of hazardous wastes in incinerators, cement kilns, and lightweight aggregate kilns. Section 9 discusses the Combustion Emissions Technical Resources Document ( CETRED ), issued in May 1994. Section 10 covers the MACT rules initially introduced in April 1996, with many reviews by industry, industrial associations, peer review groups, and public groups, with final approval by the Office of Management and Budget ( OMB ) and release in final form in August 1999.

This Environmental Restoration Operations (ER) Consolidated Quarterly Report (ER Quarterly Report) provides the status of ongoing corrective action activities being implemented at Sandia National Laboratories, New Mexico (SNL/NM) during the January, February, and March 2017 quarterly reporting period. Table I-1 lists the Solid Waste Management Units (SWMUs) and Areas of Concern (AOCs) identified for corrective action at SNL/NM. Sections I.2.1 and I.2.2 summarize the work completed during this quarter. Section I.2.1 summarizes the quarterly activities at sites undergoing corrective action field activities. Field activities are conducted at the three groundwater AOCs (Burn Site Groundwater [BSG AOC], Technical Area [TA]-V Groundwater [TAVG AOC], and Tijeras Arroyo Groundwater [TAG AOC]). Section I.2.2 summarizes quarterly activities at sites where the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) Hazardous Waste Bureau (HWB) issued a certificate of completion and the sites are in the corrective action complete (CAC) regulatory process. Currently, SWMUs 8 and 58, 68, 149, 154, and 502 are in the CAC regulatory process. Corrective action activities are deferred at the Long Sled Track (SWMU 83), the Gun Facilities (SWMU 84), and the Short Sled Track (SWMU 240) because these three sites are active mission facilities. These three active mission sites are located in TA-III. This Sandia National Laboratories, New Mexico Environmental Restoration Operations (ER) Consolidated Quarterly Report (ER Quarterly Report) fulfills all quarterly reporting requirements set forth in the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Facility Operating Permit and the Compliance Order on Consent.

This Annual Hanford Site Environmental Permitting Status Report (Status Report) was prepared in response to requirements prescribed in U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Order 5400.2A, `Environmental Compliance Issue Coordination`. This Order, canceled in April 1996, required that information on existing and anticipated environmental permitting for DOE facilities be submitted (or updated) annually by October 1 of each calendar year. Although the Order was canceled, the need for this Status Report still remains. For example, the Washington State Department of Ecology`s (Ecology) Dangerous Waste Permit Application Requirements (Publication Number 95-402, June 1996), Checklist Section J, calls for current information on existing and anticipated environmental permitting. As specified in the Hanford Facility Dangerous Waste Permit Application, General Information Portion (DOE/RL-91-28), this Status Report serves as the vehicle for meeting this requirement for the Hanford Facility. This Status Report includes information on all existing and anticipated environmental permitting. Environmental permitting required by the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) of 1976, the Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments (HSWA) of 1984, and non-RCRA permitting (solid waste handling, Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990, Clean Water Act Amendments of 1987, Washington State waste discharge, and onsite sewage system) are addressed. Information on RCRA and non-RCRA permitting is included and is current as of July 31, 1996.

This Environmental Restoration Operations (ER) Consolidated Quarterly Report (ER Quarterly Report) provides the status of ongoing corrective action activities being implemented by Sandia National Laboratories, New Mexico (SNL/NM) for the July, August, and September 2015 quarterly reporting period. The Solid Waste Management Units (SWMUs) and Areas of Concern (AOCs) identified for corrective action at SNL/NM are listed in Table I-1. The work completed during this quarter is reported below in Sections I.2.1 and I.2.2. Section I.2.1 summarizes the quarterly activities at sites undergoing corrective action field activities (SWMUs 8 and 58, 68, 149, 154, and 502, and three groundwater AOCs). Section I.2.2 summarizes quarterly activities at sites where the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) has issued a certificate of completion and the site is in the corrective action complete (CAC) regulatory process. Currently, the Mixed Waste Landfill (MWL, SWMU 76) is the only site in the CAC regulatory process. Corrective action activities have been deferred at the Long Sled Track (SWMU 83), the Gun Facilities (SWMU 84), and the Short Sled Track (SWMU 240) because these are active mission facilities.

This Hazardous Waste Determination Report is intended to satisfy the terms of a Memorandum of Agreement (Agreement signed on June 16, 1999) between the U.S. Department of Energy and the New Mexico Environment Department. The Agreement pertains to the exchange of information before a final decision is made on the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant application for a permit under the ''New Mexico Hazardous Waste Act''. The Agreement will terminate upon the effective date of a final ''New Mexico Hazardous Waste Act'' permit for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant. In keeping with the principles and terms of the Agreement, this report describes the waste stream data and information compilation process, and the physical and chemical analyses that the U.S. Department of Energy has performed on selected containers of transuranic debris waste to confirm that the waste is nonhazardous (non-mixed). This also summarizes the testing and analytical results that support the conclusion that the selected transuranic debris waste is not hazardous and thus, not subject to regulation under the ''Resource Conservation and Recovery Act'' or the ''New Mexico Hazardous Waste Act''. This report will be submitted to the New Mexico Environment Department no later than 45 days before the first shipment of waste from the Hanford Site to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, unless the parties mutually agree in writing to a shorter time. The 52 containers of transuranic debris waste addressed in this report were generated, packaged, and placed into storage between 1995 and 1997. Based on reviews of administrative documents, operating procedures, waste records, generator certifications, and personnel interviews, this transuranic debris waste was determined to be nonhazardous. This determination is supported by the data derived from nondestructive examination, confirmatory visual examination, and the results of container headspace gas sampling and analysis. Therefore, it is concluded that this transuranic debris waste, which consists of 52 containers from waste streams NPFPDLIA, NPFPDLIB, NPFPDLIC, and NPFPDLID, is not hazardous waste, and no hazardous waste numbers specified in Title 40 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 261, have been assigned. Accordingly, the 52 containers of transuranic debris waste addressed in this report meet the requirements for transuranic waste as defined by the Department of Energy Waste Acceptance Criteria for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant. The 52 containers are acceptable for disposal at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant as nonhazardous transuranic waste.

Waste minimization and pollution prevention are inherent goals within the operating procedures of Los Alamos National Security, LLC (LANS). The US Department of Energy (DOE) and LANS are required to submit an annual hazardous waste minimization report to the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) in accordance with the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL or the Laboratory) Hazardous Waste Facility Permit. The report was prepared pursuant to the requirements of Section 2.9 of the LANL Hazardous Waste Facility Permit. This report describes the hazardous waste minimization program (a component of the overall Waste Minimization/Pollution Prevention [WMin/PP] Program) administered by the Environmental Stewardship Group (ENV-ES). This report also supports the waste minimization and pollution prevention goals of the Environmental Programs Directorate (EP) organizations that are responsible for implementing remediation activities and describes its programs to incorporate waste reduction practices into remediation activities and procedures. LANS was very successful in fiscal year (FY) 2013 (October 1-September 30) in WMin/PP efforts. Staff funded four projects specifically related to reduction of waste with hazardous constituents, and LANS won four national awards for pollution prevention efforts from the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). In FY13, there was no hazardous, mixedtransuranic (MTRU), or mixed low-level (MLLW) remediation waste generated at the Laboratory. More hazardous waste, MTRU waste, and MLLW was generated in FY13 than in FY12, and the majority of the increase was related to MTRU processing or lab cleanouts. These accomplishments and analysis of the waste streams are discussed in much more detail within this report.

The role of the agency for toxic substances and disease registry under the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986

The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) of 1976 is a multifaceted approach to the management of both solid and hazardous waste. The focus of this research is on the RCRA mandated proposed regulations for the siting of hazardous waste disposal facilities. This research is an analysis of the interactions among hazardous waste disposal facilities, energy supply technologies and land use issues. This study addresses the impact of RCRA hazardous waste regulations in a descriptive and exploratory manner. A literature and legislative review, interviews and letters of inquiry were synthesized to identify the relationship between RCRA hazardous waste regulations and the siting of selected energy supply technologies. The results of this synthesis were used to determine if and how RCRA influences national land use issues. It was found that the interaction between RCRA and the siting of hazardous waste disposal facilities required by energy supply technologies will impact national land use issues. All energy supply technologies reviewed generate hazardous waste. The siting of industrial functions such as energy supply facilities and hazardous waste disposal facilities will influence future development patterns. The micro-level impacts from the siting of hazardous waste disposal facilities will produce a ripple effect on land use with successive buffer zones developing around the facilities due to the interactive growth of the land use sectors.

Waste Area Grouping (WAG) 6 is a hazardous and low-level radioactive waste disposal site at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). Extensive site investigations have revealed contaminated surface water, sediments, groundwater, and soils. Based on the results of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Facility Investigation (RFI) conducted from 1989--1991 and on recent interactions with the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC), a decision was made to defer implementing source control remedial measures at the WAG. The information shows WAG 6 contributes < 2% of the total off-site contaminant risk released over White Oak Dam (WOD). The alternative selected to address hazards at WAG 6 involves maintenance of site access controls to prevent public exposure to on-site contaminants, continued monitoring of contaminant releases to determine if source control measures will be required in the future, and development of technologies to support final remediation of WAG 6. This Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPjP) has been developed as part of the Environmental Monitoring Plan for Waste Area Grouping 6 at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee (DOE/OR/01-1192&D1). Environmental monitoring will be conducted in two phases: the baseline monitoring phase and the routine annual monitoring phase. The baseline monitoring phase will be conducted to establish the baseline contaminant release conditions at the Waste Area Grouping (WAG), to confirm the site-related chemicals of concern (COC), and to gather data to confirm the site hydrologic model. The baseline monitoring phase is expected to begin in 1994 and continue for 12-18 months. The routine annual monitoring phase will consist of continued sampling and analyses of COC to determine off-WAG contaminant flux, to identify trends in releases, and to confirm the COC. The routine annual monitoring phase will continue for {approximately}4 years.

The effectiveness of landfill‐liner designs is evaluated in terms of the slope, drainage length, and saturated hydraulic conductivity of the lateral drainage layer, the saturated hydraulic conductivity of the soil liner, and the fraction of the area under a synthetic liner where leakage is occurring. The evaluation is performed using Version 1 of the Hydrologic Evaluation of Landfill Performance (HELP) model. The effectiveness is quantified by comparing the lateral drainage rate to the vertical percolation rate expressed as percentages of the total inflow. The two multiple‐liner systems specified in the Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments (HSWA) minimum technology guidance are shown to have different leakage‐detection characteristics. One system detects significant leakage before leakage percolates out of the landfill, whereas the other system detects leakage only after significant leakage percolates out of the landfill. Four other designs were also examined—two with single liners and two with double liners. The two HSWA designs detected leakage at lower synthetic‐liner‐leakage fractions, but all designs with composite liners were nearly equally effective in reducing leakage from landfills.

This quarterly report describes the technical status of activities in the Los Alamos National Laboratory Environmental Restoration (ER) Project. Each activity is identified by an activity data sheet number, a brief title describing the activity or the technical area where the activity is located, and the name of the project leader. The Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments (HSWA) portion of the facility operating permit requires the submission of a technical progress report on a quarterly basis. This report, submitted to fulfill the permit`s requirement, summarizes the work performed and the results of sampling and analysis in the ER Project. Suspect waste found include: Radionuclides, high explosives, metals, solvents and organics. The data provided in this report have not been validated. These data are considered ``reviewed data.``

This Soil Management Plan applies to all activities conducted under the auspices of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Oak Ridge Y-12 National Security Complex (Y-12) that involve soil disturbance and potential management of waste soil. The plan was prepared under the direction of the Y-12 Environmental Compliance Department of the Environment, Safety, and Health Division. Soil disturbances related to maintenance activities, utility and building construction projects, or demolition projects fall within the purview of the plan. This Soil Management Plan represents an integrated, visually oriented, planning and information resource tool for decision making involving excavation or disturbance of soil at Y-12. This Soil Management Plan addresses three primary elements. (1) Regulatory and programmatic requirements for management of soil based on the location of a soil disturbance project and/or the regulatory classification of any contaminants that may be present (Chap. 2). Five general regulatory or programmatic classifications of soil are recognized to be potentially present at Y-12; soil may fall under one or more these classifications: (a) Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) pursuant to the Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR) Federal Facilities Agreement; (b) Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA); (c) RCRA 3004(u) solid waste managements units pursuant to the RCRA Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments Act of 1984 permit for the ORR; (d) Toxic Substances and Control Act-regulated soil containing polychlorinated biphenyls; and (e) Radiologically contaminated soil regulated under the Atomic Energy Act review process. (2) Information for project planners on current and future planned remedial actions (RAs), as prescribed by CERCLA decision documents (including the scope of the actions and remedial goals), land use controls implemented to support or maintain RAs, RCRA post-closure regulatory requirements for former waste management units, legacy contamination source areas and distribution of contamination in soils, and environmental infrastructure (e.g., caps, monitoring systems, etc.) that is in place or planned in association with RAs. (3) Regulatory considerations and processes for management and disposition of waste soil upon generation, including regulatory drivers, best management practices (BMPs), waste determination protocols, waste acceptance criteria, and existing waste management procedures and BMPs for Y-12. This Soil Management Plan provides information to project planners to better coordinate their activities with other organizations and programs with a vested interest in soil disturbance activities at Y-12. The information allows project managers and maintenance personnel to evaluate and anticipate potential contaminant levels that may be present at a proposed soil disturbance site prior to commencement of activities and allows a more accurate assessment of potential waste management requirements.