This report summarizes the ongoing environmental protection program conducted by Argonne
National Laboratory-East (ANL-E) in 1995. It includes descriptions of the site, the ANL-E
missions and programs, the status of compliance with environmental regulations, environmental
protection and restoration activities, and the environmental surveillance program. The
surveillance program conducts regular monitoring for radiation, radioactive materials, and
nonradiological constituents on the ANL-E site and in the surrounding region. These activities
document compliance with appropriate standards and permit limits, identify trends, provide
information to the public, and contribute to a better understanding of ANL-E's impact on the
environment. The surveillance program supports the ANL-E policy of protecting the public,
employees, and the environment from harm that could be caused by ANL-E activities and
reducing environmental impacts to the greatest degree practicable.
Compliance Summary
Radionuclide emissions, the disposal of asbestos, and conventional air pollutants from ANL-E
facilities are regulated under the Clean Air Act (CAA). A number of airborne radiological
emission points at ANL-E are subject to National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air
Pollutants (NESHAP) regulations for radionuclide releases from U.S. Department of Energy
(DOE) facilities (Code of Federal Regulations, Title 40, Part 61, [40 CFR 61] Subpart H). All
such air emission sources were evaluated to ensure that these requirements are being properly
addressed. The ANL-E individual off-site dose required to be reported by the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations (40 CFR 61, Subpart H) was
0.026 mrem/yr in 1995. This is 0.26% of the 10 mrem/yr standard.
At ANL-E, asbestos-containing material was frequently encountered during maintenance or
renovation of existing facilities and equipment. Asbestos was removed and disposed of in strict
accordance with the NESHAP Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA), Resource Conservation and
Recovery Act (RCRA) regulations, and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
worker protection standards. All asbestos waste material was disposed of at off-site landfills in
Illinois. Approximately 245 m3 (8,600 ft3) of asbestos-containing materials was removed and
disposed of off site during 1995.
The ANL-E site contains several sources of conventional air pollutants. The steam plant and fuel
dispensing facilities operate continuously and are the only significant sources of such air
pollutants. The emergency generators at the Advanced Photon Source are also significant
sources, when operational. The operating permit for the steam plant requires continuous opacity
and sulfur dioxide monitoring of the smoke stack from Boiler No. 5, the only boiler equipped to
burn coal. Only low-sulfur coal was burned six months during 1995, whereas natural gas was
used exclusively as a fuel for the other six months of the year. During the period coal was
burned, which is in colder weather to supplement the gas-fired boilers, no exceedances were
observed. The last of the high-sulfur coal was burned in January 1994.
The principal regulatory mechanism designed to achieve the goals of the Clean Water Act
(CWA) is the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES). The authority to
implement the NPDES program has been delegated to the State of Illinois. The permit renewal,
which became effective October 30, 1994, increased the number of monitored discharge points
from nine to 28. During 1995, 49 exceedances of the NPDES permit limits were reported out of
approximately 1,600 measurements. These all occurred before the permit was modified on
August 24, 1995. Since that time, no exceedances have occurred.
ANL-E was granted interim status under RCRA by submitting a Part A permit application in
1980. In 1990, a Part B permit application was submitted to the Illinois Environmental
Protection Agency (IEPA). Fifteen hazardous waste treatment and storage facilities have been
identified. The Part B permit application is currently under review.
ANL-E has prepared and implemented a sitewide underground storage tank compliance plan.
Thirty-three tanks have been removed over the past several years, and 22 tanks were replaced or
upgraded in FY 1992 and FY 1993. Of the locations from which tanks were removed or
replaced, 17 were found to have some degree of exterior contamination from leaks, spills, or
overfills. Four tanks in the 800 Area that are no longer necessary for operation were removed in
1995. ANL-E is still awaiting approval of the cleanup actions for these four tanks.
In 1986, 10 potential Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act
(CERCLA) sites were identified. Under the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act
(SARA) of 1986, a total of 15 Preliminary Assessment (PA) reports were submitted. In late
1990, Site Screening Investigation (SSI) reports were completed on two individual sites and one
composite submittal of three locations (317/319/ENE). At present, characterization studies are
conducted on a voluntary basis at various stages for a number of the identified sites. Eventually,
the characterization/remediation studies will be regulated through the RCRA Corrective Action
process, once ANL-E's RCRA Part B permit has been issued.
The only TSCA compounds in significant quantities at ANL-E are polychlorinated biphenyls
(PCBs) contained in electrical capacitors, transformer oil, and PCB-contaminated soil and
sludge. All pole-mounted transformers and circuit breakers containing PCBs were replaced or
retrofilled with non-PCB oil. All removal and disposal activities were conducted by licensed
contractors specializing in such operations. PCB-contaminated sludge from the ANL-E
wastewater treatment plant was characterized, containerized, and stored during 1994.
Treatability studies conducted at off-site facilities were performed on the contaminated sludge
during 1995.
DOE implementation of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requirements has been
undergoing significant changes since 1992. Most NEPA project reviews sent to DOE for review
and approval were determined to be categorical exclusions, although Environmental Assessments
(EAs) will be required for several projects. Currently, there are no active projects at ANL-E
requiring an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).
The 1995 Environmental Management Plan requests funds for on-site rehabilitation projects,
environmental restoration projects, and waste management activities. The rehabilitation projects
concentrate on upgrading or replacing existing treatment facilities. Environmental restoration
activities consist of projects that assess and clean up inactive waste sites. These include two
inactive landfills, three French drains (dry wells used to dispose of liquid chemicals), two
inactive wastewater treatment facilities, and a number of areas that may have been contaminated
with small amounts of hazardous chemicals. A number of decontamination and
decommissioning (D&D) projects for on-site nuclear facilities have been identified, including
cleanup at the Experimental Boiling Water Reactor (EBWR) and Chicago Pile-Five (CP-5)
research reactors. The majority of the Waste Management projects involve improvements to
existing treatment or storage facilities.
The major compliance issue at ANL-E in 1995 was the result of the new NPDES limits for total
dissolved solids (TDS), copper, ammonia nitrogen, and total residual chlorine. Another
significant issue involved the resolution of the inadvertent shipment, through an independent
contractor, of waste oil contaminated with PCBs to an off-site recycling facility in 1994. Other
compliance issues included exceedance of the action levels for copper in drinking water, elevated
levels of some routine indicator parameters in the groundwater at the sanitary landfill, and
cleanup of environmental contamination caused by previous activities on the ANL-E site.
Environmental Surveillance Program
Airborne emissions of gaseous radioactive materials from ANL-E were monitored. The effective
dose equivalents were estimated at the site perimeter and to the maximally exposed member of
the public with the CAP-88 version of the EPA/AIRDOSE-RADRISK code. The estimated
maximum perimeter dose was 0.32 mrem/yr in the north direction, while the estimated maximum
dose to a member of the public was 0.12 mrem/yr. This is 0.12% of the DOE radiation
protection standard of 100 mrem/yr for all pathways. Approximately 80% of this estimated dose
is due to the release of 1,033 Ci of radon-220 in 1995. If the radon-220 impact is excluded from
reporting, as required in 40 CFR 61, Subpart H, the estimated dose to the maximally exposed
individual would be 0.026 mrem/yr. The estimated population dose from all releases to the
approximately eight million people living within 80 km (50 mi) of the site was 8.4 man-rem.
Air monitoring was also conducted at ANL-E for total alpha activity, total beta activity,
strontium-90, isotopic thorium, isotopic uranium, and plutonium-239. No statistically significant
difference was identified between samples collected at the ANL-E perimeter and samples
collected off the site. Monitoring for hazardous chemical constituents in ambient air was not
conducted.
The only source of radionuclides and chemical pollutants in surface water due to ANL-E releases
was in Sawmill Creek below the wastewater discharge point. At various times, measurable
levels of hydrogen-3, strontium-90, cesium-137, plutonium-239, and americium-241 were
detected. Of these radionuclides, the maximum annual release was 0.50 Ci of hydrogen-3. The
hydrogen-3 was added to the wastewater as part of normal Laboratory operations. The dose to a
hypothetical individual using water from Sawmill Creek as his or her sole source of drinking
water would be 0.0576 mrem/yr. However, no one uses this water for drinking, and dilution by
the Des Plaines River reduces the concentrations of the measured radionuclides to levels below
their respective detection limits downstream from ANL at Lemont. Sawmill Creek is also
monitored for nonradiological constituents to demonstrate compliance with State of Illinois water
quality standards. Iron and copper were occasionally detected above the standard.
Surface soil and grass samples were collected at 10 perimeter and 10 off-site locations during
1995. The purpose of the sampling was to detect the possible buildup of radionuclides from the
deposition of airborne emissions. The results indicate no statistically significant difference
between the perimeter and off-site concentrations of potassium-40, cesium-137, radium-226,
thorium-228, thorium-232, plutonium-238, plutonium-239, and americium-241.
Sediment samples were collected from Sawmill Creek, above, at, and below the point of
wastewater discharge. For comparative purposes, samples were also collected from the beds of
10 off-site streams and ponds. The analysis of the off-site samples for selected radionuclides
established their current ambient levels. Elevated levels of cesium-137 (up to 2.51 pCi/g),
plutonium-238 (up to 0.007 pCi/g), plutonium-239 (up to 0.745 pCi/g), and americium-241 (up
to 0.063 pCi/g) were found in the sediment below the outfall and are attributed to past ANL-E
releases.
Dose rates from penetrating radiation (gamma-rays) were measured at 14 perimeter and on-site
locations and at five off-site locations in 1995 using thermoluminescent dosimeters. The off-site
results averaged 92 4 mrem/yr, consistent with the long-term average. Above-background
doses occurred at one perimeter location and were due to ANL-E operations. At the south fence,
radiation from a temporary storage facility for radioactive waste resulted in an average dose of
129 12 mrem/yr for 1995. The estimated dose from penetrating radiation to the nearest resident
south of the site was < 0.01 mrem/yr.
The potential radiation doses to members of the public from ANL-E operations during 1995 were
estimated by combining the exposure from inhalation, ingestion, and direct radiation pathways.
The inhalation pathway dominates. The highest estimated dose was about 0.12 mrem/yr to
individuals living 500 m (1,640 ft) north of the site if they were outdoors at that location during
the entire year. Doses from other pathways were calculated and were small at this location. The
magnitude of the doses from ANL-E operations are well within all applicable standards and are
insignificant when compared to doses received by the public from natural radiation ( 300
mrem/yr) or other sources, for example, medical x-rays and consumer products ( 60 mrem/yr).
Radiological and chemical constituents in the groundwater were monitored in several areas of the
ANL-E site in 1995. ANL-E domestic water supply is monitored by collecting quarterly samples
from the four wells and a treated water tap. All results were less than the limits established by
the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) except for elevated levels of TDS. The action level for
copper in drinking water was exceeded during 1995.
Ten monitoring wells screened in the glacial till and two into the dolomite were sampled
quarterly at the 317/319 Area and analyzed for radiological, volatile organic, semivolatile, PCB,
and pesticide/herbicide constituents. The major organic contaminants detected were
trichloroethene, 1,1,1-trichloroethane, 1,1-dichloroethane, carbon tetrachloride,
1,2-dichloroethane, tetrachloroethene, and chloroform. Measurable levels of hydrogen-3,
strontium-90, and cesium-137 were present in several of the wells. Remediation was begun in
this area. A slurry wall was installed south of the 319 Landfill to contain the off-site movement
of any pollutants.
Thirteen monitoring wells at the 800 Area sanitary landfill were sampled on a quarterly basis and
analyzed for metals, volatile organic compounds, semivolatiles, PCBs, pesticides/herbicides, and
hydrogen-3. Levels above Water Quality Standards (WQS) for chloride, iron, manganese, and
TDS were found in some wells. Above background levels of hydrogen-3, 1,4-dioxane,
chlorodifluoromethane, and tetrahydrofuran were found in several of the wells.
An extensive quality assurance program is maintained to cover all aspects of the environmental surveillance sampling and analysis programs. Approved documents are in place along with the supporting standard operating procedures. Newly collected data were compared both with recent results and historical data to ensure that deviations from previous conditions were identified and promptly evaluated. Samples at all locations were collected using well-established and documented procedures to ensure consistency. Samples were analyzed by documented standard analytical procedures. Data quality was verified by a continuing program of analytical laboratory quality control, participation in interlaboratory cross-checks, and replicate sampling and analysis. Data were managed and tracked by a dedicated computerized data management system that assigns unique sample numbers, schedules collection and analysis, checks status, and prepares tables and information for the annual report.
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