Infrastructure issues and technology approaches for achieving successful rolling stewardship

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1 Infrastructure issues and technology approaches for achieving successful rolling stewardship Case studies and lessons learned by Legacy Management Dave Geiser Director, Office of Legacy Management US Department of Energy January 10, 2014

2 Rolling Stewardship A process of analysis, evaluation, and action to maintain remedy protection. Created by the National Environmental Policy Institute in Rolling Stewardship builds on the concept of stewardship by focusing on the links needed between generations to carry long-term stewardship forward. The current generation cannot determine the actions future generations will take, but it can ensure that the next generation is aware of remaining risks and is handed the tools to make sound and protective decisions. Rolling stewardship requires a framework for decisions that can be tailored over time, and empowers each generation with greater information on stewardship tools and practices. The rationale is that there are too many imponderables, in terms of planning for conditions many decades in the future, to make decisions today that will be effective many generations from now. Rolling stewardship allows greater flexibility, yet ensures there is an infrastructure in place to empower the next generation of decision-makers. This approach focuses onto practical issues that we can carry out today with some assurance of success. Will the solution remain viable for a generation? rather than, will it be viable for the next millennium and beyond.

3 Department of Energy s Office of Legacy Management Established in December 2003 to address DOE long term stewardship issues; started with 33 sites. This has grown to 90 sites in FY2013; projected to grow to ~120 sites by FY2020. Current sites are in 28 states, locations range from Puerto Rico to Amchitka, Alaska. 9 of the 90 sites require workers on site. The rest require periodic inspections or are limited to records management. We operate under multiple regulatory schemes: CERCLA, RCRA, UMTRCA, Voluntary Cleanup Agreements. Remedies include disposal cells, landfills, ground water monitoring, surface water monitoring, institutional controls, pump and treat systems, subsurface barriers. Budget is ~$60 million a year for 90 sites: long-term surveillance and maintenance; records, IT systems and community outreach; and, management of land and assets. Long term stewardship costs are typically 1-2% of the annual cleanup budget. The largest single cost is ground water monitoring: ~2,000 monitoring wells, ~7,000 samples per year. 100,000+ cubic feet of records, ~1500 records requests per year, ~1800 web hits per day. Currently responsible for Yucca Mountain records and IT systems. 32% of LM sites have beneficial reuse (e.g., grazing, forestry, wildlife habitat, open space, community use, industrial).

4 LM anticipates having responsibility for 120 sites in 2020

5 Weldon Spring Site, Missouri CERCLA, US EPA and Missouri Department of Natural Resources. 25 miles west of St. Louis off I-70 corridor densely populated. 150 acres adjacent to US Army reserve area and within a large State conservation area. DOE uranium processing and US Army explosives production (uranium, nitrates, TCE). 45-acre disposal cell, ground water monitoring, monitored natural attenuation remedy, all institutional controls in place. Prairie environment with Visitors Center and hiking/biking trail. Achieved EPA s performance measure designation of Superfund Site Wide Ready for Anticipated Use in March 2013.

6 Rocky Flats Site, Colorado RCRA/CERLCA cleanup, CO Department of Public Health and the Environment, US EPA. 16 miles NW of Denver, surrounded by Denver suburbs densely populated acres on the Rocky Mountains Front Range. Plutonium, uranium, stainless steel, beryllium and other metal processing; nuclear and nonnuclear weapon and non-defense parts production (plutonium, uranium, americium, nitrates, VOCs). Landfills, ground water monitoring and treatment, institutional controls. Within the Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge, partnership with US Fish and Wildlife Service.

7 Amchitka Site, Alaska Voluntary Cleanup Program, State of Alaska. Cooperative Agreement with the Aleutian Pribilof Island Association. ~74,000 acres Amchitka Island (western edge of Aleutian Islands), currently unpopulated. Three underground nuclear weapons test (tritium and fingerprint left by nuclear weapon detonation ). Ground water monitoring, surface water monitoring, biota monitoring (every 5 years). Within a Wildlife refuge managed by US Fish and Wildlife Preserve. Multi-agency coordination. Alaskan Native Tribes claims. Challenging weather and logistics.

8 Pinellas Site, Florida RCRA, Florida Department of Environmental Protection, US EPA. 90 acres of commercial land and one privately owned 4.5 acre parcel and several adjacent properties affected by ground water plume. Pinellas County, 10 miles NW of Petersburg, across the bay from Tampa densely populated. Electrical systems and electronics packages (organic solvents, metals, no radionuclides). Ground water monitoring, monitored natural attenuation, institutional controls including purchase of subsurface rights to adjacent parcels. Sold to Pinellas County for redevelopment purposes in Active industrial area today with higher employment than when operated by DOE.

9 Tuba City Site, Arizona Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act, US NRC. Cooperative Agreement with Navajo Nation Division of Natural Resources. 5 miles east of Tuba City, AZ, sparsely populated. 145 acres on the western edge of the Navajo Nation. Former uranium mill: processed 800,000 tons of uranium ore (uranium, radon gas). 50 acre disposal cell, ground water monitoring, ground water pump and treat remedy. Solar voltaic field provides part of power for ground water treatment system and is tied to the local grid. Treaty rights, cultural issues, language barriers, and large concentrations of naturally occurring uranium. UMTRCA sites can be dynamic. SW deserts experience severe storms - road washouts, increased sedimentation, and potential impacts to cell integrity.

10 Wayne Site, New Jersey Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program site. CERCLA cleanup, NJ Department of Environmental Protection, US EPA. 6.5 acre site in the Township of Wayne, 20 miles NW of Newark - densely populated. 23 vicinity properties. Rare earth and thorium processing. Institutional controls to limit groundwater use. Land transferred to the local government for a community park/recreation area.

11 Mound Site, Ohio CERCLA, Ohio EPA and Department of Health, U.S. EPA. 306 acres split into parcels. Land owners include DOE, the City of Miamisburg, Mound Development Corporation (MDC) and BOI. Montgomery County, 10 miles SW of Dayton, surrounding mixture of industrial, residential, and agricultural uses, densely populated. Production of polonium-beryllium initiators, research of stable isotope separation, tritium recovery, development of RTGs. Low-level radioactivity in soil and VOCs in the groundwater. $1.1 billion industrial level cleanup; LTS&M includes pump and treat system, groundwater monitoring of Monitored Natural Attenuation, institutional controls. Site to be transferred to MDC for economic development. Congress provided ~$30 million.

12 Fernald Site, Ohio CERCLA, Ohio EPA, US EPA acres owned by DOE, Water treatment facility, Visitors Center, buildings to support pump and treat remedy. Bulter and Hamilton Counties, located in SW corner of state ~ 40 miles NW of Cincinnati - farming community. Former Feed Materials Production Center produced high-purity uranium. Uranium in groundwater. $4.4 billion cleanup; LTS&M includes pump and treat system, onsite disposal cell, conservation easements, institutional controls. Site open to the public as nature preserve with the largest man-made wetlands in Ohio, open water, upland forests, a lengthy riparian corridor over 30 acres of wetlands, 7 miles of trails, and 360 acres of grassland different species of birds.

13 Site Lessons Learned Understand and work within the regulatory structure for your site. You need to comply with not only the remedy decision but other applicable laws and regulations regarding the land. Stay current with changes in demographics, local land use, politics, etc. A remedy designed for one set of conditions may not be protective over time. Create a transparent culture where you invite the public to learn about the site. Engage neighboring land owners, local governments, and the community. Do this at the frequency, and with the communication tools and formality, that they desire. Pursue beneficial reuse of the site within the restrictions of the environmental remedy. Informed site use can enhance the effectiveness of other long term stewardship activities. Establish institutional controls (ICs) that can be effective when properly managed and applied. Legally enforceable controls should be used when necessary. In many cases, administrative ICs are enforced by local governments; effective partnership is important. Long time frames mean that natural events must be considered in remedy selection and in modeling site performance. Assume the subsurface models you are using can be improved and that when the 100 year flood occurs it will impact your model. Plan for, and be able to transition site managers. Make knowledge management a priority.

14 Program Lessons Learned To maintain the remedy you need to budget for and maintain the site infrastructure: roads, vehicles, equipment, power, fences, signs, water, etc. Use common systems and approaches where applicable and allowed. A single nation-wide contractor facilitates integration, improves efficiency, enhances transfer of lessons learned, and saves money. Long term protection of human health and environment requires you to maintain an understanding of changes in regulations, policies, knowledge, and advances in technology. Encourage cross-site teams, information sharing and promote lessons learned. Rotate your site managers and have technical experts (e.g., geochemists) work on multiple sites. Consolidate your records into a single records center; it is cost effective, you have faster access, and they are better protected. Make a digital copy when pulling hard copy records. Centralize and standardize data management using commercially available software. Use remote monitoring where necessary. Make all data and reports available to the public (internet and public meetings) following appropriate quality assurance reviews. Invest in science and technology in targeted areas that impact your remedy performance over the long term. Share the results with the public and the scientific community.