i

"90-777 > i F2002-00482

4 ;/x

Description of the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program

United States Department of Energy

DISCLAIMER

c

"This book was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States Government. Neither the United States Government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, o r assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned r igh t t Reference herein to any specific commercial product. process, or r e M c e by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not necessarily constitute or @ply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or m y agency thereof. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein d o not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or any agency thereof.''

This report has been reproduced directly from the best available copy.

Available from the National Technical Information Service, U. S. Department of Commerce, Springfield, Virginia 22161.

Price: Paper CopyS8.00 Microfiche $3.50

--

DESCRIPTION OF THE FORMERLY UTILIZED SITES REMEDIAL ACTION PROGRAM

ORO-777 Distribution Category UC-70

.. - -

Notice: This document contains information of a preliminary nature; i t is subject t o revision or correct ion and therefore may not represent a final report .

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Oak Ridge Operations

P.O. Box E Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830

September 1980 -,

.-

CONTENTS

1 .o INTRODUCTION

2.0 BACKGROUND

Historical Records Review AEC/ERDA/DOE Site Survey Program Overview of MED/AEC Activit ies

3.0 CURRENT STANDARDS

4.0 LEGISLATIVE AUTHORITY

C u r r e n t Authority New Authority Needed

5.0 FUSRAP PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

Object ives of Remedial Action Scope and Problem Definition Approach to Remedial Action Status of Si tes

6.0 ESTIMATED COSTS FOR REMEDIAL ACTION PROGRAM

Page

1

1 2 2

6

7

7 9

11

11 11 11 18

1 8 .

APPENDIX A: MED/AEC SITE SUMMARY REPORTS

... 111

FIGURES

Formerly Util ized Si tes - Basic Steps Involved in t h e Remedial Action Program

Location of S i tes Requiring or t h a t May Requi re Remedial Action

Work Schedule and Funding Requirements for Remedial Action at MED/AEC Sites

FUSRAP Costs by S t a t e and Site

TABLES

1 MED/AEC Sites f o r Which a Determinat ion Has Been Made That Remedial Action is Required

S t a t u s of Remedial Action a t MED/AEC S i t e s

Es t imates of Remedial Action Costs by MED/AEC Si te

2

3 .

Page

13

21

23

24

19

20

22

iv

DESCRIPTION OF THE FORMERLY UTILIZED SITES REMEDiAL ACTION PROGRAM*

1 .O Introduction

The background and t h e results to date of t h e Depar tment of Energy program to identify and evaluate t h e radiological conditions at s i t e s former ly uti l ized by t h e Corps of Engineers' Manhattan Engineer Distr ic t (MED) and t h e U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) a r e summarized in sect ion 2.0. The sites of concern w e r e federally, privately, and institutionally owned and w e r e used primarily f o r research, processing, and s torage of uranium and thorium ores, concentrates , or residues. S o m e sites were subsequently released f o r other purposes without radiological res t r ic t ion. Surveys have been conducted s ince 1974 t o document radiological conditions at such sites. Based on radiological surveys, s i tes a r e identified in this docum.ent t h a t require, or a r e projected to require, remedial act ion to remove potent ia l res t r ic t ions on t h e u s e of the property due to t h e presence of residual low-level radioact ive contamination. Specific recommendations f o r each s i t e will result f r o m more detai led environmental and engineering surveys t o b e conducted at those sites and, if necessary, a n envircnmental impact assessment or environmental impact s t a t e m e n t will b e prepared. Section 3.0 describes t h e current s tandards and guidelines now being used to conduct remedial actions. Current authority of t h e US. Depar tment of Energy (DOE) to proceed with remedial actions and t h e new authori ty required a r e summarized in section 4.0. A plan to implement t h e Formerly Util ized Si tes Remedial Act ion Program (FUSRAP) in accordance with t h e new authori ty is presented in sect ion 5.0, including t h e objectives, scope, general approach, and a summary schedule. Key issues a f fec t ing schedule and cost a r e discussed in section 6.0.

L.O Background

his tor ical Records Review

The original program for t h e development and use of a t o m i c energy, established under t h e MED and l a t e r continued by t h e AEC, involved t h e development of technology and t h e production of nuclear mater ia ls f o r national defense and security. T h e program was conducted under very stringent security restrictions and, at c o n t r a c t t e rmina t ion of t h e MED/AEC act ivi t ies , t h e s i tes involved were decontaminated according to t h e health and safe ty c r i te r ia and guidelines then in use and applied on a s i te-specif ic basis. However, radiological c r i te r ia for releasing t h e s e s i t e s f o r unrestr ic ted use have changed and s o m e cr i te r ia a r e still being developed. Therefore , to def ine t h e radiological condition of these s i tes in light of t h e changing environmental c r i t e r i a and standards, a records search was begun in 1974.

In many instances, documentation of t h e MED/AEC ac t iv i t ies at t h e s e s i t e s w a s destroyed in compliance with Government Records Management pract ices . Many of t h e radiological records covering t h e extent of cleanup act ions a r e incomplete. Also, many of t h e s i tes have changed ownership and a r e presently used f o r o ther purposes. In some cases, buildings have been modified or t h e ear l ier MED/AEC fac i l i t i es no longer exist.

*Much of t h e information presented in this document was ex t rac ted f r o m a d r a f t of "A lackground Repor t for t h e Formerly Utilized MED/AEC Sites Remedial Act ion 2rograrn," prepared for t h e Environmental Control Technology Division, Assis tant Secretary f o r Environment, U.S. Department of Energy, by t h e Aerospace Corporat ion, Yarch 1980.

-1-

c

< AEC/ERDA/DOE S i t e Survey Program

In e a r l y 1974, t h e AEC in i t i a t ed a survey program to ident i fy a l l fo rmer ly ut i l ized s i t e s involved wi th nuc lear ma te r i a l s and to d e t e r m i n e the i r radiological s t a tus . T h e responsibi l i ty f o r t h i s survey was assigned to t h e Division of Opera t iona l Safety. A t t h a t t i m e , a l l divisions and f ie ld o f f i c e s of t h e AEC w e r e requi red to s e a r c h their f i l e s to ident i fy any such f o r m e r government-owned or l ea sed sites and f a c i l i t i e s t h a t had been used in t h e r e sea rch o r product ion ac t iv i t i e s of t h e MED and t h e AEC. In addi t ion, t h e f i l e s w e r e sea rched f o r r eco rds ident i fying t h e radiological condi t ions a t t h e t e rmina t ion of t h e MED/AEC ac t iv i t i e s and/or t h e t r a n s f e r of cus todia l responsi- bi l i ty fo r such s i tes , t h e c u r r e n t radiological condi t ion of t h e s i tes , and t h e land-use and ownersh ip da t a . This e f f o r t ident i f ied many addi t ional s i t e s f o r which per t inent i n fo rma t ion was lacking or was insuf f ic ien t to d e t e r m i n e the i r radiological conditions.

I

O n J a n u a r y 19, 1975, t h e A E C was abol ished and its p r o g r a m m a t i c responsibi l i t ies t r a n s f e r r e d to t h e Energy R e s e a r c h and Development Admin i s t r a t ion (ERDA) which cont inued t h e ac t iv i t i e s of t h e survey program. C o n t a c t s w e r e m a d e wi th f o r m e r and c u r r e n t owners and s i t e vis i ts were conducted under t h e d i r ec t ion of t h e ERDA f i e ld o f f i ces to d e t e r m i n e t h e need for radiological surveys. If radiological surveys w e r e de t e rmined to b e necessary , t h e permission of t h e s i t e owners w a s ob ta ined and a press r e l e a s e was issued to inform t h e public of t h e survey work. Subsequent survey resu l t s w e r e also issued in a publ ic press r e l ease and w e r e published in a radiological survey r epor t t h a t ana lyzed t h e s ign i f icance of t h e findings wi th r e s p e c t to t h e po ten t i a l r i sks to t h e publ ic health.

Pu r suan t to t h e DOE Organiza t ion A c t of 1977, t h e func t ions a n d au tho r i ty of t h e ERDA w e r e t r ans fe r r ed to t h e DOE. In t h e DOE, t h e Ass i s t an t S e c r e t a r y fo r t h e Envi ronment (ASEV) w a s assigned t h e responsibility f o r t h e s i te -survey progiam. T h e resu l t s of seve ra l s i t e surveys c lear ly ind ica ted t h a t s o m e remed ia l a c t i o n would b e needed , no t only on t h e f o r m e r sites, bu t also o n ad jacen t o r r e m o t e proper;ies t h a t had b e c o m e con tamina ted f r o m t h e original processing s i te . D u e to t h e impor t ance of th i s e f f o r t , t h e ASEV in i t i a t ed t h e FUSRAP and d r a f t e d a g e n e r i c p l an to ident i fy all f o r m e r l y u t i l i zed s i t e s and to resolve any s i t e radiological problems. Using th i s g e n e r i c plan as a guide, in mid-1979 responsibility f o r t h e F U S R A P ac t iv i t i e s was divided be tween t h e ASEV and t h e Ass is tan t S e c r e t a r y f o r Energy Technology (now Ass is tan t S e c r e t a r y f o r Nuclear Energy [ASNEI). T h e ASEV i s responsible f o r ident i fy ing t h e s i tes , cha rac t e r i z ing t h e radiological condi t ion, de t e rmin ing t h e need fo r r emed ia l ac t ion at t h e s i tes , and u l t ima te ly f o r ce r t i fy ing t h e pos t - remedia l ac t ion radiological condi t ion of t h e FUSRAP si tes . T h e ASNE is responsible f o r implement ing t h e requi red remedia l act ions, including su i t ab le disposal or s t ab i l i za t ion of residual m at e r ial.

Overv iew of MED/AEC Act iv i t ies

In 1942, under t h e jur isdict ion of t h e U.S. Army, t h e MED was es tab l i shed as t h e agency responsible f o r t h e deve lopment of nuc lear m a t e r i a l s for na t iona l de fense and secur i ty . T h e au tho r i ty fo r process deve lopment , engineer ing design, p rocuremen t of ma te r i a l s , and site se lec t ion assoc ia ted with t h e nuc lear m a t e r i a l s program was t r ans fe r r ed t o t h e MED f rom t h e O f f i c e of Sc ien t i f i c R e s e a r c h a n d Development , D e p a r t m e n t of t h e Army. T h e headquar te rs f o r t h e MED, or iginal ly es tabl ished in New York, was t r ans fe r r ed to Oak Ridge, Tennessee, in 1943.

O n D e c e m b e r 31, 1946, t h e MED was deac t iva t ed and i t s responsibi l i t ies were t r a n s f e r r e d to t h e newly cons t i tu ted AEC. During t h e 1942 to 1946 t i m e period, t h e r e

-2-

w e r e m o r e than 10 c o n t r a c t o r s and seve ra l hundred s u b c o n t r a c t o r s involved in t h e product ion, r e sea rch , and deve lopmen t opera t ions . These c o n t r a c t o r s included indus -r ia l concerns , un ivers i t ies , and o t h e r s c i en t i f i c organizat ions. In c o n t r a s t to t h e ,tighly cen t r a l i zed o p e r a t i o n of t h e MED, t h e AEC decen t r a l i zed and es tab l i shed f i v e major c e n t e r s of ope ra t ion (New York C i ty , New York; S a n t a Fe, New Mexico; O a k Ridge, Tennessee; Hanford , Washington; and Chicago , Illinois). T h e A E C cont inued t h e MED p r a c t i c e of c o n t r a c t i n g w i t h industr ia l conce rns and a c a d e m i c in s t i t u t ions to per form t h e a c t u a l opera t ions .

T h e most readi ly ava i l ab le s o u r c e of his tor ical in format ion on t h e ea r ly a c t i v i t i e s of t h e MED/AEC is A His tory of t h e Un i t ed States A t o m i c Energy Commiss ion , Volume I - The New World a n d Volume I1 - Forging t h e A t o m i c Shield. A synopsis of t h e procurement , s to rage , and processing of t h e raw m a t e r i a l s conta in ing uranium i s presented h e r e to g i v e t h e r e a d e r a gene ra l overv iew of t h e MED/AEC ac t iv i t ies .

Uranium Procuremen t . T h e MED re l ied on t h r e e sources of uranium during t h e w a r years. About two-thirds c a m e f r o m mines i n t h e Belgian Congo, s l igh t ly m o r e t h a n one-sixth f r o m mines nea r G r e a t Bear L a k e in Canada , and t h e r ema inde r f r o m Amer ican ores , which in r ea l i t y w e r e ta i l ings f r o m vanadium re f ine ry opera t ions .

'

Afr ican Sources. A t t h e beginning of t h e nuc lear program in t h e l a t e 1930s and e a r l y 1940s, i t was d e t e r m i n e d t h a t , whi le t h e r e w e r e s ignif icant q u a n t i t i e s of uran ium ore ava i lab le in Czechos lovakia and Canada , t h e m o s t i m p o r t a n t sources , by f a r , w e r e i n t h e mines of t h e Belgian Congo. T h e suppl ies of ore in t h e Un i t ed States w e r e n o t considered ex tens ive and, w i t h t h e growing i n t e r e s t in uranium, G e r m a n y ceased a l l s a l e s of t h e Czechos lovakian ores . As a resu l t of this , plus t h e G e r m a n t a k e o v e r of Belgium and t h e inc reased G e r m a n a c t i v i t y i n Afr ica , t h e Uni ted S t a t e s , G r e a t Bri t ian, and Canada m a d e a n all-out e f f o r t to ob ta in as much of t h e Belgian Congo o r e !pitchblende) as quickly as possible to g u a r a n t e e a d e q u a t e suppl ies of uranium f o r t h e war period. Through ac t iv i t i e s t h a t began in Sep tember 1942, t h e Un i t ed States w a s a b l e t o purchase al l of t h e above-ground suppl ies of uranium ore f r o m t h e Belgian Congo. This included 1,200 tons of o r e (65 p e r c e n t uranium) f r o m A f r i c a n Meta ls ' predecessor , Union Miniere , t h a t had been impor t ed to t h e Uc i t ed States i n 1940 a n d s to red in t h e Archer-Daniels Midland Company warehouse, P o r t Richmond, S t a t e n Island, New York, and s o m e 3,000 t o n s of s imi la r o r e s t i l l in t h e Congo. By t h e end of 1944, t h e U S . Army had r ece ived approximate ly 3,700 tons of Congo ore.* T h e amoun t of o r e being r ece ived f a r e x c e e d e d t h e processing c a p a c i t y i n N o r t h A m e r i c a at t h a t t ime, and t h e o r e s had to be stored. The MED used t h r e e p r imary s t o r a g e areas: Seneca Ordnance Depo t , Romulus, New York; Cl in ton Engineer Works (now O a k Ridge National Labora tory) , Cl in ton , T e n n e s s e e ; a n d P e r r y Warehouse (Middlesex Sampling Plant) , Middlesex, New Jersey . T h e P e r r y Warehouse also b e c a m e a sampling, weighing, a n d assaying fac i l i ty .

T h e MED c o n t r a c t s w i th Af r i can Meta ls , Inc., involved only t h e r e c o v e r a b l e uran ium oxide (U 0 black oxide**) in t h e ore . Afr ican Metals ma in ta ined ownersh ip of t h e residue c?r Failings t h a t conta ined rad ium and o the r prec ious me ta l s . A s a resu l t , i t was necessary fo r t h e MED to es tab l i sh weighing and assaying opera t ions . Ini t ia l ly , t h e weighing and assaying were pe r fo rmed at c o n t r a c t o r fac i l i t i es ; however , i n November 1943, t h e MED set up a s e p a r a t e sampling program at t h e P e r r y Warehouse.

*By t h e end of 1946, MED had c o n t r a c t e d fo r approximate ly 3,800 t o n s of U 0 f r o m over 29,000 tons of Af r i can o r e conta in ing f r o m 5 to 65 pe rcen t uran ium oxide? 8

**The various s t e p s of t h e uranium recove ry and ref ining process produced var ious -concent ra t ions and compounds of uranium oxide , which were gene ra l ly r e f e r r e d to by the i r color and chemica l s t a t e .

-3-

T h e weighing and assaying of t h e o r e samples w e r e p e r f o r m e d f o r t h e Federa l

P r ince ton Universi ty , P r ince ton , New Jersey; and t h e Nat iona l Bureau of S tanda rds (NBS), Washington, D.C. Weighing and assaying f o r Af r i can Metals , Inc., w e r e pe r fo rmed by Ledoux and Company, N e w York, New York.

Following weighing and assaying, t h e o r e was shipped to t h e var ious re f iner ies to be processed to black ox ide o r sodium d i u r a n a t e concen t r a t e s . Because t h e ta i l ings w e r e owned by Af r i can Metals, Inc., t h e MED was required to s t o r e t h e res idues f r o m t h e s e opera t ions unt i l t h e y could be r e t u r n e d to t h e owner. T h e s e res idues f r o m o r e s containing g r e a t e r t h a n 10 p e r c e n t U 0 w e r e s to red at t h e C l in ton Engineer Works o r t h e P e r r y Warehouse be fo re r e t u r n sAiprnent. Residues f r o m o r e s conta in ing less t h a n 10 p e r c e n t U O8 w e r e s to red at t h e L a k e On ta r io Ordnance Works (LOO'W). Some of th i s res idue das re tu rned to Af r i can Metals and s o m e is s t i l l at U.S. s t o r a g e sites.*

Canadian Sources . Negot ia t ions to ob ta in Canadian o r e w e r e begun i n 1942 wi th Eldorado Gold Mines, Ltd., ( l a t e r Eldorado Mining and Refining, Ltd.). T h e Eldorado Gold Mines, Ltd., mined uranium o r e at the i r G r e a t Bear L a k e m i n e and re f ined t h e Canadian o r e at the i r f ac i l i t y at P o r t Hope, Ontar io . By 1944, a b o u t 400 tons of t h e oxide had been produced and enough Canadian o r e had been mined to produce a n addi t ional 500 t o n s of t h e oxide. By 1946, ove r 4,000 t o n s of o r e c o n c e n t r a t e containing ove r 1,100 tons of U 0 in t h e fo rm of black oxide had been del ivered to t h e MED. Because t h e C a n a d i k o r e w a s processed to black ox ide at t h e Eldorado f ac i l i t y and t h e e n t i r e c o n c e n t r a t e was sold to t h e MED, no weighing and assaying program was set up f o r t h e Canad ian ore.

Governmen t by Lucius Pi tkin, New York, New York; Fr ick C h e m i c a l Labora tory , I I

I

8

8

Domes t i c Sources. Most of t h e uran ium in t h e Uni ted States was in c a r n o t i t e ores on t h e Colorado p la teau , but t h e high-grade deposi ts had a l ready been mined ear l ie r pr imari ly for t h e radium content . T h e heavy demand fo r vanadium during t h e war also c r e a t e d t h e po ten t i a l f o r a p r a c t i c a l s o u r c e of uranium oxide as a by-product of t h e vanadium processing. However , t h e ta i l ings f r o m vanadium processing w e r e of s u c h low uranium c o n t e n t t h a t i t was necessary to c o n c e n t r a t e t hem at or nea r t h e mine prior to the i r sh ipment to t h e process ing faci l i t ies . T h e Un i t ed S t a t e s Vanadium Corporation's c o n c e n t r a t e d vanadium ta i l ings were s tockpi led at- Uravan, Colorado, to produce a s ludge containing 15 to 20 p e r c e n t black uranium oxide. This s ludge w a s t ranspor ted d i rec t ly to t h e Linde Ref ine ry in Tonawanda, New York. T h e U.S. Vanadium Corpora t ion also had a p lan t at Durango, Colorado, f o r processing vanadium tai l ings and sands to produce a sludge. The output f r o m t h e Durango and Uravan f ac i l i t i e s went to Grand Junct ion , Colorado,** f o r processing to "yellow cake" (10 to 15 pe rcen t U 0 ) t h a t , in tu rn , wen t to t h e Linde re f inery a t Tonawanda, New York.

Concurren t wi th t h e U.S. Vanadium Corpora t ion opera t ion , t h e Vanadium Corpora t ion of Amer ica processed Amer ican ores f o r vanadium at its p l an t s i n Na tu r i t a , Colorado , and Monticello, Utah.** Most of t h e s l imes (50 percen t U 0 by weight) f r o m t h e s e p lan ts went d i rec t ly to Vitro Manufac tur ing Company, ?aifonsburg, Pennsylvania ,

.

3 8

*Some of t h e Afr ican Meta ls res idue t h a t is still in t h e Uni ted S t a t e s is cur ren t ly s to red at t h e Feed Mater ia l s Product ion C e n t e r , Ferna ld , Ohio.

**Uranium mills which produced c o n c e n t r a t e s fo r MED/AEC programs t h a t a r e inac t ive a r e cove red under t h e Uranium M i l l Tailings Radia t ion Con t ro l Ac t of 1978.

f o r processing. A por t ion of t h e 50-percent s l i m e ta i l ings w e r e sold to t h e g o v e r n m e n t =md processed at t h e U r a v a n fac i l i ty . By t h e end of 1944, d o m e s t i c o r e product ion had , ielded less t han 800 t o n s of uranium oxide, and, by t h e end of 1946, o v e r 1,300 tons of uranium oxide had b e e n produced in var ious concen t r a t ions f r o m t h e d o m e s t i c sources .

Uranium Processing O p e r a t i o n s and End Use. T h e in i t ia l ref ining ope ra t ions cons i s t ed of mechanica l gr inding and crushing of t h e o r e s to a sandy ma te r i a l . Acid was used to dissolve and, hence, e x t r a c t t h e uranium. T h e ac id e x t r a c t was t r e a t e d w i t h o t h e r chemica ls to p r e c i p i t a t e t h e ma jo r i ty of impur i t ies , and t h e p roduc t was f u r t h e r t r e a t e d to p r e c i p i t a t e t h e uranium. A f ina l roas t ing and drying ope ra t ion produced a black oxide (U308) or sodium d i u r a n a t e (Na2U207) c o n c e n t r a t e .

-

During World War 11, t h e o r e s w e r e re f ined to b lack oxides at t h e f a c i l i t i e s of L inde and Eldorado. Vitro ( a t Canonsburg) ref ined t h e ores to p roduce sodium d iu rana te . Following t h e war, Mal l inckrodt Chemica l Co., Inc., a l so produced -black o x i d e a t its fac i l i t i es in St. Louis, Missouri, and l a t e r at t h e AEC Weldon Spring C h e m i c a l P lan t .

Black oxide and sodium d i u r a n a t e w e r e f u r t h e r re f ined to o r a n g e o x i d e (UO ) a t t h e Mallinckrodt Chemica l Company p lan t , St. Louis, Missouri, and by E.I. du Pon t d e Nemours and Company, Deepwate r , New Jersey .

A t t h e du Pont p lan t , b rown oxide (U02) was m a d e f r o m black oxide a n d f r o m uranium peroxide (U042H20) ob ta ined f r o m uranium s c r a p processing. Abou t one-half of t h e du Pont ou tpu t was f r o m s c r a p and by-product ma te r i a l . Brown oxide was also produced by Harshaw Chemica l Company (Cleveland, Ohio), Linde, a n d Mallinckrodt. Brown and o range ox ide w e r e in t u r n re f ined i n t o g r e e n salt (UF4) by du Pont , Harshaw, Mall inckrodt , and Linde.+

3

.. .

d a r s h a w m a d e uranium hexaf luor ide f o r t h e t h e r m a l diffusion and gaseous diffusion uranium-235 sepa ra t ion projects . The g r e e n salt was used main ly i n m e t a l manufac tur ing by du Pont ; Mallinckrodt; Iowa State Co l l ege (now Universi ty) , Ames , Iowa; Westinghouse, Bloomfield, New Jersey; Brush Labora tor ies , Cleve land , Ohio; and E lec t rome t , N iaga ra Fal ls , New York. S c r a p m e t a l r ecove ry ope ra t ions w e r e conducted at Meta l Hydrides , Inc., Beverly, Massachuse t t s , a n d Iowa State College.

Uranium m e t a l s in t h e f o r m of powder w e r e also produced d i r ec t ly f r o m uranium oxides ins tead of g r e e n salt by Metal Hydrides. T h e m e t a l s m a n u f a c t u r e d by t h e s e var ious companies w e r e t h e n shipped to t h e Hznford S i t e a t Richland, Washington, f o r u s e in plutonium product ion. The plutonium produced at Hanford w a s t h e n shipped to Los Alamos f o r u se in t h e weapons development program.

Quality cont ro l of var ious processes i n t h e o r e / m e t a l p roduct ion cha in w a s p e r f o r m e d by t h e Universi ty of Chicago , Metal lurgy Labora tory , Chicago, Illinois; P r i n c e t o n University, Pr ince ton , New Jersey; Massachuse t t s In s t i t u t e of Technology, Cambr idge , Massachuset ts ; and t h e Nat iona l Bureau of S tandards , Washington, D.C.

+Following t h e war and after t h e cons t ruc t ion of t h e Weldon Spring Chemica l P l an t , much of t h e AEC uranium-conversion ope ra t ions w e r e cen t r a l i zed and t r a n s f e r r e d to Weldon Spring under Mall inckrodt and t h e F e e d Mate r i a l s Process ing C e n t e r at Fernald, Ohio, under t h e Nat iona l Lead Company of Ohio. T h e l a t t e r is cu r ren t ly t h e :enter f o r uranium-conversion operat ions.

-5 -

Activit ies following World War I1 broadened in scope. The A E C entered in to a number of research, development, and production cont rac ts t o recover uranium as by-products

cont rac ts were te rmina ted or established as product needs and research needs varied.

I

.

of cer ta in industrial processes such as phosphoric acid production. In addition, I

In addition to t h e ac tua l contractor-owned facil i t ies, a number of o f f s i t e storage locations were used such as landfills for disposal of low-level contaminated soil a n d waste f rom t h e uranium-ore-handling operations. Examples include t h e St. Louis Airport S torage Site, where residue from t h e Mallinckrodt AEC Operat ions were deposited; t h e former Hais t property, Tonawanda, New York, where mater ia l f rom t h e Linde AEC operations was deposited; t h e Burrell Township-Pennsylvania Railroad .

Landfill, where Vitro Corporation deposited residues from Canonsburg; and t h e Middlesex Municipal Landfill, Middlesex, New Jersey, where residues were deposited during construction act ivi t ies at t h e Middlesex Sampling Plant. S o m e private properties in Middlesex also became contaminated inadvertently as a result of r adi onucl i d e migration.

The companies and locations discussed in this report were identified during t h e records review 0: t h e MED history conducted under t h e FUSRAP activit ies.

Thorium Operations. Operations with thorium a f t e r t h e war were similar to t h e uranium operations, but w e r e conducted on a smaller scale. The f i r s t major research for t h e MED on thorium was begun early in 1946 with t h e procurement of thorium sa l t for a research project at Iowa S t a t e College. The thorium salts were supplied by Lindsay Light and Chemical Company, which was t h e major supplier through most of i he e a l y years of t h e program.* Lindsay Light and Chemical Company f i r s t received thorium from Germany and la te r processed monazi te ores f rom India and Brazil. In la te r years, processing of monazite and o ther ores f o r t h e AEC was accomplished by other industrial f i rms such as t h e Davison Chemical Division of t h e W. R. G r a c e Company, Curt is Bay, Maryland; Dow Chemical Company, Walnut Creek, California; and by Iowa State College. Extract ive research, meta l production and handling, and research and development f o r both uranium and thorium was conducted at a number of companies including Mallinckrodt, Simonds Saw and Steel, Lockport, New York; Sylvania Corning Nuclear Corporation, Bayside, New York; Bat te l le Columbus Division, Columbus, Ohio; Brush Beryllium Company, Cleveland, Ohio; and Horizons Metal Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.

The National Bureau of Standards was involved in quality control for t h e thorium programs, and t h e Middlesex Sampling Plant was used f o r s torage of some thorium. A major objective of t h e DOE FUSRAP effor t currently underway is to ensure t h s t all of t h e thorium s i tes have been identified and surveyed f o r radiological conditions. More in-depth record searches and personal communications with former AEC employees a r e also being conducted.

3.0 Current Standards

Throughout this report and in t h e site summary reports in Appendix A, r e f e r e n c e is made to "established standards" and current guidelines for contamination and exposure levels. These standards/guidelines a r e as follows:

*Lindsay Light and Chemical Company was using thorium for gas mantles, catalysts , and electron tube cathodes prior to nuclear applications. Remedial act ion ac t iv i t ies at this s i te and associated properties are being undertaken by t h e S t a t e of Illinois and Kerr-McCee Chemical Corporation, with assistance f r o m t h e Nuclear Regulatory

- Commission (NRC).

-6-

0 S u r f a c e C o n t a m i n a t i o n

"Guidel ines f o r Decon tamina t ion of Fac i l i t i e s and Equ ipmen t P r io r to R e l e a s e f o r U n r e s t r i c t e d Use o r Termina t ion of Licenses f o r By-product, S o u r c e or Spec ia l Nuc lea r Mater ia l ," by t h e USNRC, November 1976.

T h e N R C Decon tamina t ion Guidel ines p r e s e n t a lpha and b e t a - g a m m a l imi t s f o r s u r f a c e con tamina t ion f o r bo th f i x e d and t r a n s f e r a b l e con- t amina t ion , d e p e n d e n t on t h e mix tu re of nuc l ides present .

0 Radon Daugh te r P r o d u c t s and ExTernal G a m m a Rad ia t ion Exposure

A regula t ion based on t h e Surgeon Genera l ' s Guidel ines , "Grand Junc t ion Remed ia l Ac t ion Cr i t e r i a , " 41FR56, 777-56, 778, D e c e m b e r 30, 1976.

In 1972, Congres s passed P.L. 92-314 t h a t provided r emed ia l a c t i o n i n t h e communi ty of Grand Junct ion , Colorado. Regu la t ions imp lemen t ing t h a t l aw w e r e issued by t h e AEC, then ERDA, as 10CFR712. P.L. 92-314 w a s l a t e r ex tenked by P.L. 95-236.

In a l l cases, t h e m o s t r e s t r i c t ive guidel ine ( t h a t f o r schools or dwellings) has been used. However , i t should b e noted t h a t on s e v e r a l of t h e s i t e s w h e r e t h e con tamina t ion is assoc ia ted wi th a n indus t r ia l building r a t h e r t h a n wi th t h e soil, l i t t l e likelihood ex is t s of t h e site be ing used f o r t h e s e m o r e r e s t r i c t i v e purposes.

0 Air and W a t e r Concen t r a t ions

lOCFR20, Appendix B, Table I1 presents , by nucl ide, c o n c e n t r a t i o n l i m i t s in bo th w a t e r and a i r fo r t h e genera l public. T h e va lue of t h e m o s t r e s t r i c t i v e f o r m , e i t h e r soluble or insoluble, has been used.

T h e EPA ha: proposed regula t ions f o r p r iva t e uranium mill- t a i l ing s i tes : 4 0 C F R l 9 2 , "Interim Cleanup Standards" and "Final Cleanup S tanda rds f 0: Inac t ive Uran ium Mill Tailing Sites," 45FR27366. T h e s e s tandards cover c l eanup of open l ands a n d con tamina ted buildings a s soc ia t ed wizh t h e s e sites.

4.0 Legis la t ive Au thor i ty

C u r r e n t Author i ty

Pursuant to t h e F i r s t War Powers A c t of 1941 and t h e A t o m i c Ene rgy A c t s of 1946 a n d 1954, as a m e n d e d t h e MED and i t s successor , t h e AEC, conduc ted during t h e 1940s a n d 1950s a program involving r e sea rch , deve lopment , processing, a n d p roduc t ion of uranium and thorium. This program also included t h e s t o r a g e of r ad ioac t ive o r e s and processing residues, e.g., mill tailings. Virtually all of th i s work was p e r f o r m e d by p r i v a t e c o n t r a c t o r s f o r t h e gove rnmen t on land t h a t was e i t h e r federa l ly , p r iva te ly , o r ins t i tu t iona l ly owned.

Due to t h e urgency and magn i tude of t h e ear ly nuclear m a t e r i a l s p rog rams and t h e l imi t ed knowledge ava i l ab le regard ing t h e rad ioac t ive c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s of uranium o r e and residual m a t e r i a l f r o m i t s processing, many of t h e s e s i t e s b e c a m e c o n t a m i n a t e d vi th rad ioac t iv i ty as a r e su l t of work done f o r t h e government .

-7-

In severa l wes te rn states, uranium mill t a i l ings ( a was te product of t h e uran ium mill processing opera t ions t h a t was n o t sub jec t to regula t ion by t h e gove rnmen t ) accumu- l a t e d in l a r g e piles and c o n t a m i n a t e d p r i v a t e ad jacen t and vicinity p rope r t i e s by migrat ion. In s o m e ins tances , t h e s e ta i l ings w e r e also used as f i l l and cons t ruc t ion m a t e r i a l in various cons t ruc t ion work in t h e communit ies . T h e p resence of t h e s e ta i l ings containing radium caused radon gas to co l l ec t in dwellings and in many cases produced unacceptab le exposure t o occupants . The government had no s t a t u t o r y au thor i ty to t a k e remedial ac t ion ; however , o u t of a s e n s e of mora l responsibi l i ty t oward t h e a f f e c t e d homeowners, t h e Congres s in 1972 passed P.L. 92-314 t h a t provided f o r remedia l ac t ion in t h e communi ty of Grand Junct ion, Colorado. Regktia- t ions implement ing t h a t l aw w e r e issued by t h e AEC and then by ERDA as 10 C F R 712. P.L. 92-314 was l a t e r ex tended by P.L. 95-236. Additional ex tens ions of th i s program h a v e been au thor ized and will b e sought as needed in t h e annual DOE budget au thor iza t ion and appropriat ion requests .

In 1978, Congress passed t h e Uranium Mill Tai l ings Radia t ion Cont ro l A c t (P.L. 95- 604) under which t h e DOE was au tho r i zed to e n t e r i n to coopera t ive a g r e e m e n t s w i th var ious states for undertaking remedia l a c t i o n s at c e r t a i n designated rnac t ive f o r m e r uranium mill processing fac i l i t i es in t h e Un i t ed States. T h e scope of th i s A c t was very narrowly drawn to cover , under s ec t ion 101(6), t h e s i t e s des igna ted in t h e A c t and any o t h e r f o r m e r processing s i t e s and c o n t a m i n a t e d nearby proper t ies at which substan- t i a l ly all of t h e uranium was produced f o r s a l e to t h e Uni ted S:ates Government . None of t h e FUSRAP s i t e s could qual i fy under th i s def ini t ion because t h e uran ium and thor ium processed at these s i t e s w e r e genera l ly owned by t h e government . Excluded from c o v e r a g e under t h e A c t a r e those s i t e s owned o r control led as of J a n u a r y 1, 1978 or t h e r e a f t e r by a Federa l agency , o r under a c t i v e N R C o r Agreemen t -S ta t e l icense. T h e leg is la t ive history m a d e i t c l e a r t h a t t h i s A c t was not to set a p receden t f o r t h e DOE to unde r t ake o the r was te m a n a g e m e n t remedia l ac t ion programs. Pu r suan t to t h a t Ac t , t h e EPA Adminis t ra tor was au tho r i zed and d i r ec t ed to develop environ- n e n t a l and hea l th s tandards f o r uranium mill ta i l ings contaminat ion cove red by t h e Ac t .

The FUSRAP program formally began in 1974. Radiological surveys a n d o t h e r -esearch work have been conducted by t h e AEC and its successors, t h e ERDA and t h e 3OE, under t h e implied au thor i ty of t h e A t o m i c Energy A c t of 1954, as amended. T h e n t e n t of Congress, as expressed in t h e FY 1978 DOE Author iza t ion Act was t h a t , at :he comple t ion of this program, t h e DOE would seek additional leg is la t ive au tho r i ty , w s u a n t to a Congressional rev iew of findings, f o r t h e undertaking of any requi red .emedial ac t ion work.

4 survey of exis t ing s t a tu to ry au tho r i ty shows t h a t pursuant to t h e Atomic Energy Act If 1954, as amended, t h e AEC was d i r e c t e d to p r o t e c t public hea l th and s a f e t y during h e r e sea rch and production operat ions. In t h e case of those opera t ions over which t h e ;overnment exerc ised ownership o r cont ro l , t h e DOE'S exis t ing au thor i ty has been n t e rp re t ed to include t h e implied au tho r i ty to decon tamina te such sites th rough emedia l actions undertaken at t h e conclusion of c o n t r a c t work. Accordingly, t h e )OE h a s under taken remedial ac t ion e f f o r t s at t h e Kel lex s i t e in Je r sey C i ty , New ersey, and in Middlesex, New Jersey. However , t h e absence of suf f ic ien t con t r ac tua l , roper ty , o r o t h e r historical records (as a resu l t of records r e t en t ion schedules and .mitat ions) has prevented f inal de t e rmina t ion of t h e e x t e n t of gove rnmen t ivo lvement in, and implied remedial a c t i o n au tho r i ty over , many of t h e s i tes . In ddition, expl ic i t cont rac tua l language and/or no ta t ions in deeds under which t h e rnited States is relieved f r o m all con t rac tua l l iabi l i ty ra i ses t h e issue as to whe the r , * i thout t h e proposed legislation, t h e gove rnmen t has any continui2g f inancial o r o t h e r spons ib i l i t y - with respec t to t h e s e propert ies .

--

-8-

Existing s t a t u t o r y au tho r i ty has b e e n rev iewed by t h e DOE, in addi t ion to all a v a i l a b l e con t r ac t , p rope r ty r eco rds and o t h e r f i les , to d e t e r m i n e t h e e x t e n t to which t h e DOE

ould e x e r c i s e i t s exis t ing authGri ty under t h e A t o m i c Energy A c t of 1954, as amended, to pe r fo rm remed ia l a c t i o n work under t h e FUSRAP program. As p a r t of t h i s study, cons idera t ion w a s g iven to t h e e x t e n t to which t h e MED and t h e AEC would have been con t r ac tua l ly responsible fo r t h e costs of decon tamina t ion , a n d w h e t h e r t h e c o n t r a c t o r s and/or p rope r ty t r a n s f e r e e s involved recognized t h e p r e s e n c e of t h e contaminat ion when t h e y c losed o u t t he i r c o n t r a c t s wi th t h e Uni ted States Government . This rev iew has shown t h a t au tho r i za t ion ex i s t s f o r remedia l a c t i o n at 10 si tes .

Unlike t h e uranium mill ta i l ings s i t e s , none of t h e FUSRAP fac i l i t i e s w e r e at a n y t i m e l icensed f o r conduct ing t h e MED/AEC ac t iv i t i e s b e c a u s e many w e r e e i t h e r i n opera t ion be fo re l icensing r equ i r emen t s w e r e es tab l i shed o r w e r e exc luded f r o m t h e l icensing r equ i r emen t s pursuant to Sec t ion 110 of t h e A t o m i c Energy A c t of 1954, as amended. T h r e e s i tes , Gi lman Hal l at t h e Univers i ty of Cal i forn ia , Berke ley , Cal i fornia; L inde Air P roduc t s a t Tonawanda , N e w York; and t h e Univers i ty of Chicago, a r e cu r ren t ly l icensed under t h e N R C or t h e A g r e e m e n t S t a t e provis ions of t h e Atomic Energy Ac t of 1954, as amended , and a r e exc luded f r o m t h e F U S R A P remedial a c t i o n because t h e N R C o r t h e A g r e e m e n t State h a s su f f i c i en t l i cens ing au thor i ty to p r o t e c t public hea l th a n d sa fe ty . .. .

Legislat ive au tho r i ty will be requi red to c la r i fy t h e DOE'S au thor i ty f o r r e m e d i a l ac t ion at 18 of t h e FUSRAP s i t e s discussed in th i s r epor t and f o r t h e loca t ion a n d acquis i t ion of disposaI sites.

T h e €PA is responsibl 2 f o r es tabl ishing radiological s t anda rds of gene ra l appl icabi l i ty for proper t ies re leased f o r un res t r i c t ed use; t h e N R C has responsibi l i ty for establishing c r i t e r i a and s t anda rds f o r r e s t r i c t e d u s e s i t e s t h a t would be l icensed. T h e NRC c r i t e r i a would be basical ly modeled a f t e r lOCFR40 Appendix A, proposed regulat ions f o r l icensed a c t i v e uran ium mill ta i l ings s i tes .

New Author i ty Needed

Broader au tho r i ty is needed to conduc t remedia l a c t i o n at t h e fo rmer ly u t i l i zed MED/AEC s i t e s t h a t a r e de t e rmined by es tab l i shed c r i t e r i a to pose a poten t ia l t h r e a t to t h e public or to t h e envi ronment because of the i r radiological contaminat ion . T h e new author i ty should include any loca t ion where t h e MED or t h e AEC a c t i v i t i e s resul ted in residual con tamina t ion exceeding es tab l i shed s tandards , including assoc ia ted p rope r t i e s t h a t b e c a m e c o n t a m i n a t e d f r o m t h e s e ac t iv i t ies . S i t e s t h a t a r e l icensed by t h e N R C or by an A g r e e m e n t State under Sec t ion 274 of t h e A t o m i c Energy A c t of 1954, as amended, should b e exc luded f r o m t h e au thor iza t ion .

The au thor i ty would not include sites cu r ren t ly owned o r l ea sed by t h e DOE s i n c e no c la r i f ica t ion of au tho r i ty is needed f o r t h e s e sites. However , new au thor i ty is needed f o r t h e DOE to pe r fo rm remedia l a c t i o n s at t h r e e p rope r t i e s t h a t w e r e fo rmer ly owned or leased by t h e Fede ra l Government . These proper t ies* w e r e t r ans fe r r ed to t h e present owners by qui tc la im deeds o r o t h e r documen t s under which t h e p re sen t o w n e r s re leased t h e Fede ra l government f r o m al l responsibility f o r c la ims re la t ing to t h e presence of t h e residual r ad ioac t ive mater ia l . These s i t e s a r e being included in t h e scope of t h e FUSRAP in order t o exped i t e c leanup and to provide f o r t h e long- te rm

*St. Louis Airport s t o r a g e s i t e , Palos Pa rk F o r e s t P rese rve , and Ashland Oil Company.

-9-

Federal management a t t h e site, or a t new federally owned disposal si tes. This - approach is consistent with t h e recommendations of t h e Interagency Review Group on Nuclear Waste Management. 1

In addition t o t h e formerly utilized MED/AEC sites, t h e r e a r e o ther contaminated sites t h a t were used f o r processing and using of radium-containing ores. A t some of these sites, work was performed for t h e Federal Government. Authority is needed to identify and conduct radiological surveys at all such sites known to contain radioact ive mater ia l above background levels t h a t resulted f rom t h e processing of uranium o r thorium ores and/or their daughter products, including radium, f o r t h e purpose of informing Congress of t h e extent of contamination and of t h e es t imated cosc f o r remedial action.

Under t h e existing and proposed new authority, radiological conditions a t t h e MED/AEC si tes would be assessed, re la t ive priorities established on t h e basis of t h e potential heal th hazard, and determination made to conduct remedial act ion if present s i t e conditions or possible unrestricted fu ture use would const i tute a risk to t h e public. Resti tution to t h e Federal Government for t h e costs of remedial act ion would b e provided f o r if t h e identity of any person having legal responsibility to clean up a s i t e could b e determined. Currently, t h e DOE is contact ing those par t ies i t has reason to believe could b e shown t o b e legally responsible for remedial act ion at a s i te , to secure their agreement to undertake clean-up operations, or f o r t h e reimbursement of expenses t h a t may b e incurred by t h e DOE for remedial actions.

For t h e states containing MED/AEC sites, t h e DOE Secretary would consult with t h e state t o determine whether i t is unreasonable to remove sufficient contaminated mater ia l f rom t h e s i te t o release i t for unrestricted use, o r whether residual radioactive mater ia l could b e stabilized onsite as a permanent disposition action. Initially, t h e DOE would acquire t h e MED/AEC si tes for remedial act ion purposes and t o minimize health e f fec ts or to prevent windfall profits. Any property acquired or dedicated for use as a permanent disposal s i te would b e licensed by t h e NRC. Affected states in which radioactive contaminated s i tes a r e located would be responsible for locating suitable disposal sites for t h e residual radioact ive material; initially, t h e DOE would acquire this property. The disposal s i tes could b e t ransferred t o t h e s t a t e by agreement t o accept ownership and custodial responsibilities. The DOE would have authority to provide financial support to t h e state in carrying out t h e custodial responsibilities.

The EPA AdministraTor would be authorized, in consultation with t h e DOE Secretary, to develop health and environmental standards of general applicability for residual radioactive mater ia ls at formerly utilized s i tes t h a t are to b e released for unrestr ic ted use. These general standards would supplement and be consistent with s tandards established by t h e Administrator under t h e Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control A c t of 1978. Where such standards d o not exist, t h e Administrator would b e required to promulgate t h e needed standards within a specified time.

The DOE Secretary, in consultation with t h e EPA Administrator, could promulgate remedial action standards for each s i te at which t h e Secre ta ry determines i t is necessary to begin remedial action before t h e Administrator promulgates s tandards of general application.

The DOE has proposed legislation to provide t h e needed authority. This proposed legislation is under review by other Federal agencies and t h e Off ice of Management and Budget.

-10-

5.0 FUSRAP Program Description

Dbjectives of Remedial Action

The objectives of t h e FUSRAP a r e to:

0 Identify former MED/AEC sites 0 Charac ter ize their radiological condition 0 Decontaminate s i tes as required and pursuant to authorization and

appropriation by Congress 0 Develop acceptab le disposal and stabil ization s i t e s in consultation with

the a f f e c t e d states, and ult imately 0 Cert i fy t h e acceptabi l i ty of t h e sites f o r f u t u r e use.

The effor t to accomplish t h e f i r s t two of these objectives has been init iated. The authority sought under t h e legislation proposed by t h e DOE is necessary in most cases to accomplish t h e remaining objectives.

Scope and Problem Definition

The scope of the FUSRAP program is confined to those MED/AEC s i tes t h a t were formerly under cont rac t to, or owned by, t h e government and were involved in t h e handling, processing, and s t c r a g e of radioactive materials. The mater ia ls processed consisted primarily of pitchblende and carnot i te ores, and o ther mater ia ls f rom which uranium and thorium were recovered as products. The products of t h e processing included uranium and thorium meta ls and compounds. Waste by-products were also produced tha t generally contained low levels of radioactivity due to residual quant i t ies of uranium, thorium, and their radioactive decay products. In some cases, t h e s e contaminants have migrated off si te. Radium contamination is a major concern because it decays to a radioactive gas, radon, t h a t diffuses in to t h e air and can b e inhaled. Furthermore, t h e radon decays t o radioactive solid mater ia ls t h a t can also b e inhaled o r ingested.

Also included in t h e sites discussed in this report a r e Palos Park, Illinois, where t h e remains of two research reac tors a r e buried; Chupadera Mesa, New Mexico, which is near The location of t h e Trinity a t o m bomb test ; and two o ther s i tes at Los Alamos, New Mexico, involved in t h e nuclear weapons development program. At t h e Palos Park site, t h e primary contaminant of concern appears to b e tri t ium. A t t h e sites involved in weapons development, plutonium and o ther nuclides such a s uranium-235 and strontium-90 a r e of concern.

Approach to Remedial Action

Consistent with t h e objectives of t h e FUSRAP, sites a r e being identified by searching through t h e MED/AEC records and by publishing. press releases asking for public assistance in identifying t h e sites. After a site has been identified, it is assigned to

.one of t h e DOE national laboratories whose responsibility is to pssess t h e site’s radiological condition. This is accomplished by performing a records search, reviewing old radiological survey documents, and performing radiological surveys a s required. A ser ies of engineering studies and environmental reports, including those prescribed by t h e National Environmental Policy A c t (NEPA), will b e prepared to evaluate remedial action alternatives. Af te r t h e evaluation of t h e al ternat ives , appropriate measures (remedial actions) will be selected and implemented, and t h e resulting contaminated wastes will b e disposed of in a manner tha t ensures public s a f e t y and compliance with

- 1 I -

t h e provis ions of t h e A t o m i c Energy Act of 1954, as amended , and r e l a t e d NRC o r A g r e e m e n t State l icens ing requi rements . In s o m e cases, t h e residual r ad ioac t iv i ty will b e s t ab i l i zed ons i t e in a c c o r d a n c e wi th t h e provisions of a l i cense f r o m t h e NRC o r A g r e e m e n t State. When a s i t e is decon tamina ted suf f ic ien t ly to comply w i t h t h e EPA s t anda rds f o r un res t r i c t ed use, i t will be ce r t i f i ed for r e l e a s e by t h e DOE. During t h e c o u r s e of t h e inves t iga t ion , t h e public will b e informed, t h rough press r e l eases f o r example , of t h e n a t u r e of t h e MED/AEC work done at t h e s i t e , t h e con tamina t ion po ten t i a l , survey resu l t s , and remedia l ac t ions under taken . De ta i l ed r epor t s of t h e su rvey f indings will also be published by t h e D 3 E and, upon r eques t , will b e ava i lab le to t h e publ ic fo r a nominal fee.

-

I

T h e approach to iden t i f i ca t ion and eventual co r rec t ion of radiological con tamina t ion at t h e MED/AEC s i t e s or ad jacen t proper t ies is dependent upon ins t i tu t iona l issues which, in tu rn , i m p a c t t h e s t e p s of t h e gene r i c program plan f o r t h e FUSRAP.

Ins t i tu t iona l Issues. T h r e e pa ramoun t issues m u s t b e addressed and solut ions def ined b e f o r e r emed ia l ac t ions as out l ined in t h e gene r i c FUSRAP plan c a n b e implemented:

0 Legis la t ive au tho r i ty mus t be es tab l i shed by which t h e Fede ra l Govern- m e n t (DOE) c a n act t o c o r r e c t p roblems of radiological contaminat ion at fo rmer ly u t i l i zed sites. Although t h e DOE h a s implied au tho r i ty at s o m e s i tes , a l a r g e number of s i tes will r equ i r e addi t iona l leg is la t ive au thor i ty .

0 Radiological c r i t e r i a m u s t be deve loped f o r u s e as guidel ines to de ter - mine t h e e x t e n t of decontaminat ion requi red at e a c h s i t e , to d e t e r m i n e if a radiological problem exis ts , and to es tab l i sh s t a n d a r d s f o r un res t r i c t ed use.

0 Disposal s i t e s mus t b e developed f o r u l t i m a t e disposal of c o n t a m i n a t e d ma te r i a l t h a t is removed f rom t h e MED/AEC s i tes .

Sequence of Events Leading to Remedia l Action. Although e a c h fo rmer ly u t i l i zed s i t e will have ce r t a in s i te -spec i f ic charac te r i s t ics , a gene ra l s equence of e v e n t s c a n b e out l ined leading to t h e u l t i m a t e program objec t ive , which i s to p rec lude any f u t u r e radiological problems at f o r m e r l y ut i l ized s i tes f r o m previous MED/AEC ac t iv i t ies .

F igu re 1 i s a s c h e m a t i c presenta t ion of t h e bas ic s t eps involved in t h e remedia l a c t i o n program. S t e p 2 d e t e r m i n e s which s i t e s need remedia l ac t ion . S i t e s needing remedia l a c t i o n mus t b e addressed i n e a c h of t h e following s teps . If no remedia l a c t i o n i s necessary , only S teps 1, 2, a n d 8 a r e required. A brief discussion of e a c h s t e p follows.

S t e p 1, S i t e Ident i f ica t ion - The overall ob jec t ive of t h i s s t e p is to ident i fy and locate a l l cand ida te s i t e s and to de te rmine if any ac t ions are requi red under t h e FUSRAP.

The ac t iv i t i e s inc lude a reco rds sea rch and rev iew of in fo rma t ion s u b m i t t e d by t h e public o r indus t ry i n response to spec i f ic requests . When a site is ident i f ied as having been exposed to r ad ioac t ive ma te r i a l s under t h e MED/AEC ac t iv i t i e s , a r eco rds s e a r c h will b e in i t i a t ed to d e t e r m i n e t h e radiological condi t ion of t h e s i te . If t h e r e is a d e q u a t e documen ta t ion t h a t ind ica tes t h e s i t e is not con tamina ted , t h e s i t e will b e ce r t i f i ed as c lean and no f u r t h e r ac t ion will be required. If t h e documen ta t ion or r eco rds a r e inadequa te o r ind ica te t h e site m a y b e con tamina ted , su rvey e f f o r t s to d e t e r m i n e o r verify t h e radiological condition of t h e s i t e will b e in i t ia ted . These a c t i v i t i e s will b e pe r fo rmed by t h e ASEV.

:

-12-

KEY

31

c ENGINEERING - EVALUATION

1 ENVIRONMENTAL .

ANALYSIS A N 0

IMPACT EVALUATION

IOfNTlFY AND VERIFY

PRESENT RADIOLOGICAL

STATUS

EVALUATE

DETERMINE >- NO REMEDIAL

ACTION

?RELIMINARY ?UBLlC REVIEW A N 0 COMMENT - -

Y ES

REMEDIAL 2 ACTION A N 0

WASTE OISPOSAL OPTIONS

I 3 INITIATE SCOPING

REMEDIAL ACTION A N 0

OISPOSAL OPTIONS

PRELIMINARY PROCESS FOR FOR REYEOIAL LICENSING REMEDIAL ACTION ACTION-ONSITE

EVALUATION O F f S I l E DlS?OSAL STABILIZATION

I I SELECT - REYEOIAL ACTION

REMEOIAL ACTION ENGINEERING PLANIDESIGN

I OIsrOsAL I

AN0 MAINTENANCE

CERTIFY

COMOITIOM

Y P L EYENT

REYEDIAL ACTION SITE > AM0 YONITORIMG

/ \ ,

Figure 1. Former l y U t i l i zed Sites - Basic Steps Involved in the Remedial Action Program

-1 3-

n

A l a r g e port ion of th i s s t e p in t h e F U S R A P is comple t e . An e f f o r t has a l so been in i t i a t ed to iden t i fy t h e disposition of equ ipmen t t h a t may h a v e been r e m o v e d f r o m t h e F U S R A P s i t e s and a l so to ident i fy t h e s u b c o n t r a c t o r s to t h e MED/AEC con t rac - tors . O n e conce rn is t h e loca t ion of m a t e r i a l a n d equ ipmen t t h a t was r e m o v e d as p a r t of t h e ea r l i e r AEC decon tamina t ion efforts.

- (

S t e p 2, Radiological Survey - T h e purpose of th i s s t e p i s to c h a r a c t e r i z e t h e c u r r e n t radiological condi t ion of t h o s e s i t e s d e t e r m i n e d in t h e p reced ing s t e p to requ i r e a radiological survey. A plan f o r t h e radiological survey of a spec i f i c s i t e will b e prepared , taking. i n t o a c c o u n t t h e pas t and c u r r e n t ac t iv i t i e s at t h e s i t e and assoc ia ted r ad ioac t ive m a t e r i a l and po ten t i a l contaminat ion . T h e e x t e n t of t h e effort a s soc ia t ed wi th a spec i f i c s i t e survey will depend on t h e data avai lable . In s o m e cases, ea r l i e r survey r epor t s exis t and only supp lemen ta l i n fo rma t ion is r equ i r ed to c h a r a c t e r i z e t h e site; in o t h e r cases, no d a t a are ava i lab le and a radiological survey is required. T h e e l e m e n t s t h a t m a k e up t h e c o m p l e t e radiological survey inc lude t h e f 011 owing:

0

0

0

0

Measuremen t s of f ixed and t r a n s f e r a b l e a lpha and b e t a - g a m m a rad ia t ion on buildings and equipment s u r f a c e s Gamma- ray exposilre r a t e s

Alpha exposure r a t e s Radionucl ide con tamina t ion in surf ace w a t e r and g roundwate r Radionucl ide con tamina t ion in building d ra ins and a s soc ia t ed componen t s Radionucl ide con tamina t ion in underground dra ins a n d s u r f a c e dra inage- ways S u r f a c e and subsu r face depos i t s of r ad ioac t ive m a t e r i a l Radionucl ide concen t r a t ions in a i r Radionucl ide concen t r a t ions in vege ta t ion samples .

Beta-gamma exposure r a t e s . .

These ac t iv i t i e s will b e pe r fo rmed by t h e ASEV.

In order to p lace al l measu remen t s and r e su l t s in t h e proper pe r spec t ive wi th t h e surrounding a rea , m e a s u r e m e n t s of a s imi la r n a t u r e will be pe r fo rmed in areas not a f f e c t e d by t h e f o r m e r MED/AEC ac t iv i t ies . T h e s e resu l t s will b e used to r e p r e s e n t t h e na tura l background radiat ion of t h e a rea . Aer ia l r ad iomet r i c surveys will also b e pe r fo rmed in suppor t of t h e radiological a s ses smen t , independent of t h e ground-level radiological survey. The mos t impor t an t resu l t f r o m th i s e f f o r t will b e t h e ident i f ica- t i on of any unknown o f f s i t e contaminat ion . If t h e ae r i a l survey ind ica t e s t h e p r e s e n c e of contaminat ion n o t previously d e t e c t e d , t h e new a r e a will be surveyed f r o m t h e ground.

When t h e f ie ld work i s comple t e , a survey r e p o r t t h a t c h a r a c t e r i z e s t h e radiological condi t ion of t h e s i t e will be prepared. T h e r e p o r t or r e p o r t supp lemen t will also include, fo r con tamina ted sites, a n eva lua t ion of rad ia t ion exposures to m a n f r o m known radiat ion exposure pa thways a t t h e s i te . This eva lua t ion will ou t l i ne t h e l eve l s of rad ioac t iv i ty and e x t e n t to which humans could b e exposed in t h e course of normal s i t e ac t iv i ty . T h e s e leve ls will be c o m p a r e d to leve ls of exposure r ece ived f r o m normal background sources of rad ia t ion to p l a c e t h e exposure in perspec t ive . T h e eva lua t ions will b e prepared on t h e basis of t h e condi t ions at t h e s i t e during t h e radiological survey. In cases where t h e possibility of rad ia t ion exposure a b o v e background levels is ident i f ied, e i t h e r s u m m a r i e s or t h e c o m p l e t e r epor t will b e submi t t ed to appropr i a t e state regula tory au tho r i t i e s , t h e EPA, and t h e NRC.

-14-

Upan public re lease of t h e report , or before , meetings will b e held with a f f e c t e d v o p e r t y owners and concerned agencies to explain t h e results of t h e survey and t h e , u tu re DOE plans f o r action. Press releases will also be used to inform t h e public and provide an a c c u r a t e basis for understanding t h e results of t h e radiological survey.

S tep Za, Determine t h e Need f o r Remedial Action - The radiological s t a t u s reDort will b e reviewed and will Drovide t h e basis f o r a determinat ion by t h e DOE as to w i e t h e r remedial act ion is requfred to remove or reduce residual radioact ive m a t e r i a l s to levels t h a t conform to t h e appl icable EPA, NRC, or DOE standards, including t h o s e to be developed pursuant to t h e proposed legislation. This de te rmina t ion will b e performed by t h e ASEV and provided to t h e ASNE, who will b e responsible f o r accomplishing t h e remedial action.

S t e p 3, Ini t ia te Scoping - The purpose of this s t e p is to begin t h e process of identifying t h e specif ic a l te rna t ive remedial actions t o b e examined and, as appro- priate, t h e candidate disposal sites. This s t e p will involve in te rac t ions with t h e affected state and local authori t ies , t h e EPA, t h e NRC, and o ther appropr ia te agencies. The principle issues to b e examined will b e identified, and t h e responsibili- ties, schedule, and appropriate i n t e r f a c e s f o r conducting t h e necessary studies will be agreed upon. A k e y output is for t h e state to identify candida te disposal s i t e s f o r subsequent study during t h e engineering and environmental evaluation. To obtain th i s information, t h e DOE would work with t h e s t a t e s and support screening studies. Two disposal options will generally b e evaluated: a permanent disposal site within t h e state where t h e wastes a r e generated, and a regional disposal s i t e f o r remedial a c t i o n wastes f rom states within t h e regiori. Regional s i tes t h a t could sa t i s fy t h e needs of several states is a preferred option to minimize t h e number of disposal sites.

S t e p 3a, Engineering Evaluation - Engineering evaluations will b e required only Lor those s i t e s for which radioactivity is found to exceed t h e established heal th and safety guidelines (e.g., see sect ion 3.0) and/or the standards to b e developed. T h e engineering evaluation will include assessment of existing conditions f o r t h e s i t e as well a s surrounding properties. The scope of t h e e f for t will include t h e following:

0 0

0

0

0

0

0

Verification of property ownership Preparation of descr ipt ive maps and s i t e plans Analysis of radiological surveys to determine decontaminat ion require- ments and ident i fy and col lect any supplemental d a t a needed f o r a sound engineering evaluation of remedial act ion options Performance of an engineering assessment of t h e decontaminat ion o r demolition of s t ruc tures Engineering evaluation of removal, transport , in te r im storage, and permanent disposal options f o r contaminated soil, s t ruc tures , debris, and o ther m a t e r i a1 s Evaluation of suitable means of stabilizing residual radioactivity, w h e r e appropriate, including investigation of pertinent aspec ts of s i t e geology, hydrology, and meteorology Analysis of a l te rna t ive remedial action options including preliminary project plans f o r t h e remedial action and disposal s i tes , specif icat ions, and cost es t imates Preparation of summary reports.

S tep 3b, Environmental Analysis - The objective of t h e environmental analysis t t o provide an environmental evaluation of the remedial act ion options covered by

ihe engineering evaluation. The analysis will discuss t h e environmental impacts of t h e

-15-

presen t condi t ion of t h e site, s tab i l iza t ion of t h e ma te r i a l ons i t e and/or decontamina- t ion of t h e s i t e , and removal of t h e ma te r i a l to a t empora ry s t o r a g e o r to a disposal s i te . This ana lys i s will p rovide a basis f o r de te rmining whether a m a j o r Fede ra l ac t ion is involved t h a t m a y r equ i r e t h e p repa ra t ion of a n envi ronmenta l i m p a c t a s ses smen t o r impac t s t a t e m e n t conforming to t h e r equ i r emen t s of t h e NEPA. Envi ronmenta l analysis and c o m m e n t s on t h e analysis will b e used as input to suppor t decis ions regarding t h e need f o r t h e NEPA process. The analysis will inc lude a rev iew of t h e i m p a c t s of t h e opt ions during and a f t e r any remedia l ac t ion and will c o v e r t h e ful l s cope of env i ronmen ta l conce rns as well as radiological effects.

f

S t e p 3c, E v a l u a t e Remed ia l Act ion and Waste Disposal Op t ions - T h e engineer- - i ng ' eva iua t ion and envi ronmenta l analysis produced in S teps 3a and 3b a b o v e will b e

eva lua ted by t h e DOE to ident i fy t h e p re fe r r ed opt ion a n d ~ r e a s o n a b l e a l te rna t ives . In th i s s t ep , t h e DOE will adv i se t h e appropr i a t e Federa l , state, loca l agencies , and t h e public of t h e resu l t s of t h e prel iminary engineer ing eva lua t ion , t h e envi ronmenta l analysis, and t h e DOE conclusions regarding t h e p re fe r r ed opt ion and reasonable a l te rna t ives . T h e DOE will s eek t h e i r prel iminary reviews and comment s .

T h e risks, bene f i t s , and cos t s of e a c h remedia l ac t ion and disposal op t ion will b e considered in t h e se l ec t ion of t h e proposed remedial act ion. F a c t o r s a f f e c t i n g t h e r em ediai ac t ion , including envi ronmenta l issues, t echnica l issues, and publ ic opinion, will b e cons idered in t h e risk, bene f i t , and cos t analyses. In se l ec t ing or proposing remedial ' ac t ion , emphas is will b e given to de termining t h e m o s t p r a c t i c a l and expedient m e a n s to e l imina te or l imi t exposure to t h e public. If i t i s de t e rmined t h a t ma te r i a l m u s t be moved and no p e r m a n e n t disposal s i t e is ava i l ab le at t h e t i m e of t h e imp lemen ta t ion of a n ac t ion , t h e a l t e r n a t i v e of moving t h e c o n t a m i n a t e d m a t e r i a l and s tabi l iz ing i t at a n in t e r im s t o r a g e s i t e l oca t ed at o r near t h e con tamina ted s i t e will b e examined. I t is assumed t h a t t h e DOE will have ownersh ip and ma in tenance responsibi l i t ies for all s tabi l ized s i tes , in te r im s t o r a g e s i tes , and pe rmanen t disposal s i t e s e x c e p t w h e r e t h e a f f e c t e d states a g r e e to a c c e p t ownership and custodial responsibilities. I t is a l so assumed t h a t t h e s tabi l ized s i tes , t e m p o r a r y storage si tes , and t h e p e r m a n e n t disposal sites will b e l icensed by t h e N R C and will m e e t t h e re levant c r i t e r i a of t h e proposed N R C regulat ions (basically modeled a f t e r 10 CFk 40 Appendix A). O n t h e basis of this in te ragency and public iev iew, t b e DOE will deve lop i t s proposals f o r remedia l ac t ion and w a s t e disposal options.

S t e p 4, P ropose Remedia l Act ion and Disposal Opt ions - T h e remedia l ac t ion and disposal op t ion proposed by t h e DOE Sec re t a ry , and t h e reasonable a l t e rna t ives will b e ident i f ied and documented f o r t h e conduct of t h e NEPA process in S teps 5a, 5b, and 5c.

S t e p 5a, NEPA Process fo r Remed ia l Act ion - Ons i t e S tab i l iza t ion - When t n e remedial ac t ion is proposed, t h e ava i lab le d a t a will b e rev iewed to d e t e r m i n e if t h e proposed ac t ion is a major Federa l ac t ion t h a t will have a s igni f icant i m p a c t on t h e envi ronment and w h a t NEPA documen ta t ion is required. This rev iew will also ensure t h a t t h e d a t a co l l ec t ed in t h e envi ronmenta l analysis cover all envi ronmenta l issues.

If required, t h e d a t a developed during t h e environmental ana lys i s s t ep , a long wi th any addi t ional d a t a required, will b e used in t h e prepara t ion of a n envi ronmenta l impac t assessment (EIA) o r an envi ronmenta l i m p a c t s t a t e m e n t (EIS). T h e NEPA documen- t a t ion will b e p repa red as out l ined in t h e CEQ NEPA Regulat ions (Ti t le 40 C F R , P a r t s 1500-1508), t h e DOE NEPA guidel ines (45 FR 20,594-20,701, M a r c h 28, 1980), and t h e DOE Orde r 5440.1. As noted in F igure 1 and discussed below, t h e NRC l icensing process will b e in i t i a t ed in paral le l wi th th i s step.

;

-16-

--

Step 5b, NEPA Process f o r Remedial Action - Offs i te Disposal Options - In this s tep, t h e MED/AEC site and t h e candidate disposal sites tha t were identified in S t e p 3 by t h e affected state in consultation with t h e DOE, will b e evaluated in parallel through t h e NEPA process to provide t h e basis f o r selecting t h e disposal site. The NEPA process will b e conducted as outlined in t h e CEQ NEPA Regulatiorx (Step 5a). As noted in Figure 1 and discussed below, t h e NRC licensing process will b e ini t ia ted in parallel with this step.

S t e p 5c, Selected Remedial Action - At t h e conclusion of t h e NEPA process for both onsite remedial ac t ion or offsite disposal, t h e DOE will issue a Record of Decision announcing t h e se lec ted remedial act ion and a decision as to how t h e radioactive mater ia ls will b e permanently diposed.

The selection of t h e disposal site option will t a k e into ,consideration t h e preliminary NRC licensing evaluation of t h e s i te , as appropriate.

Step 6 , Remedial Act ion Engineering Plan - An engineering plan for t h e proposed action will b e prepared, containing detailed plans and specifications for implementation of t h e se lec ted remedial action a l te rna t ive including, as appropriate, a t t h e disposal site. The engineering plan will present detailed cost es t imates , work plans, an3 schedules t h a t d e f i n e t h e engineering aspects of t h e remedial ac t ion .. . and will be used t o cont rac t f o r t h e remedial action.

During this step, a l icense application for e i ther stabilizing onsite o r f o r of fs i te disposal will be prepared and submit ted to t h e NRC.

Step 7, Implement Remedial Action and Monitoring - The remedial act ion contractor will conduct t h e ac t ion in accordance with t h e cont rac t and as outlined in t h e engineering plan. P a r t of this step, where appropriate, will b e t h e preparat ion of a disposal site. I t will also include initiation of t h e operation, surveillance, and/or maintenance s t e p t h a t will cont inue as long as t h e site is used as a repository f o r t h e s e wastes. Independent monitoring by t h e DOE-ASEV will b e conducted during t h e remedial action, and periodic s t a t u s reports will b e prepared.

Step 8, Cer t i fy S i te Condition - During and upon completion of t h e remedial action, radiological surveys will be performed by t h e DOE-ASEV t o verify t h e effectiveness of t h e remedial action, and t h e radiological condition of t h e site requiring remedial act ion will b e documented. If t h e surveys verify t h a t t h e levels of residual radioactive mater ia l s meet t h e established standards for unrestricted use, t h e site will b e released for use without restrictions. If t h e surveys do no? verify t h a t t h e residual radioactivity m e e t s t h e levels within t h e standards for unrestr ic ted use, then fur ther remedial act ion measures will be prescribed.

To assure control and enforcement of restrictions on "stabilized" si tes, ownership by t h e Federal Government o r t h e state will b e required and t h e s i tes will b e l icensed by t h e NRC or t h e state. Such controls may permit s o m e beneficial land use, such as making t h e a r e a in to a park where no permanent s t ruc tures may be constructed, or possibly continuing t h e use of t h e s i te for other regulated nuclear activities. In any case, upon completion of t h e remedial action, a final report will be prepared documenting t h e e n t i r e remedial action effor t and t h e radiological condition of t h e site. The final report will also note t h e quantity of mater ia l removed from t h e s i te and its disposition. The final report and all supporting documentat ion will b e stored in permanent Federal Government

Disposal si tes will b e t r e a t e d in a similar fashion.

-17-

archives and copies or summary mater ia l will be placed in t h e records of appropriate - local and state agencies and recorders offices.

1

Sta tus of Si tes

As a result of t h e DOE ef for t s t o identify t h e former MED/AEC sites, investigations to de termine t h e radiological s ta tus of over 70 sites were or a r e being completed. Based on d a t a collected to date , t h e DOE has determined t h a t 18 s i t e s will require some form of remedial act ion (as identified in Table 1) and 13 other s i tes a r e likely to require remedial act ion by t h e DOE.

Table 2 l ists t h e 31 s i tes being considered and t h e current s t a t u s of remedial action as of January 31, 1980. Radiological surveys of uniform charac te r have been conducted at 20 sites, of which 19 reports have been issued in draf t and 13 in f i n d form. The remaining I1 s i tes have b e e n surveyed with less rigor and will require more detailed surveys t h a t a r e scheduled to b e undertaken. Conceptual engineering evaluations have been init iated a t f ive s i t e s with final reports completed for two of those sites. Detai led engineering plans h a v e been ini t ia ted at two sites. Remedial action has begun at a number of s i tes where t h e r e is existing DO€ authority t o conduct such actions. Implied authority for t h e undertaking of remedial action exists at 13 sites and must b e clarified a t 18 sites.

Appendix A t o this document provides brief information summaries f o r each site.

Figure 2 shows t h e location of t h e s e 31 sites.

6.0 Estimated Costs f o r Remedial Action Program

Preliminary cost es t imates have been developed for remedial act ion f o r each MED/AEC si te* and a r e summarized in Table 3, excluding those s i tes t h a t a r e licensed by t h e NRC or Agreement S ta tes (Cilman Hall, University of Chicago, and Linde). These es t imates a r e considered to be t h e upper bound of costs as explained below. Est imated costs f o r t h e remedial action program by work phase and by fiscal year a r e presented in Figure 3. Estimated costs of remedial act ion by site and by state a r e presented in Figure 4. The basis for t h e est imates a r e decontamination and restoration to unconditional public use using containers for waste transport , ra ther than bulk car r ie rs and transportation of 500 miles to regional disposal sites.

Key Issues Affecting Costs and Schedule. Major f a c t o r s influencing t h e cost of remedial act ion at t h e MED/A€C sites are:

0 The option chosen for remedial action, either removal of contamination and restoration for unrestricted use by t h e public o r permanent stabilization of existing contamination on t h e formerly utilized site to minimize exposure of t h e public with appropriate controls

0 Cri te r ia and standards for decontamination or stabil ization

*"Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program - Preliminary Cost Estimates" prepared f o r USDOE Oak Ridge Operations Off ice TechnicaI Services Division by Ford, Bacon b: Davis Utah Inc., October 1979; and radiological survey, environmental monitoring, and certif ication cost es t imates from t h e ASEV.

- I 8-

Tab le 1

MED/AEC SITES FOR WHICH A DETERMINATION HAS BEEN MADE THAT REMEDIAL ACTION IS REQUIRED*

Site -

Ashland Oil Company , Tonawanda, New York Bay0 Canyon Area , Los Alamos, New Mexico C lecon Meta ls , Inc., Cleveland, Oh io Gi lman Hall, Univers i ty of Cal i fornia ,

Conserv Inc., Nichols, F lor ida E. I. d u Pon t d e Nemours and Company, Deepwate r ,

Card in ie r , Inc., Tampa , Flor ida Cu te r1 Spec ia l S t ee l Corpora t ion , Lockpor t , New York Kel lex R e s e a r c h Fac i l i ty , J e r s e y Ci ty , N e w J e r s e y L a k e O n t a r i o O r d n a n c e Works Assoc ia t ed P rope r t i e s ,

L inde Air Products , Tonawanda, New York* * Mall inckrodt , Inc., St. Louis, Missouri Middlesex Municipal Landfill, Middlesex, New J e r s e y Middlesex Sampling Plan t , Middlesex a n d P i sca t away ,

Pa los P a r k F o r e s t P rese rve , Cook County , Illinois St.,Louis Ai rpor t , St. Louis, Missouri Seaway Industr ia l Pa rk , Tonawanda, New York Seneca Army Depot , Romulus, N e w York

Berkeley, Cal i forn ia* *

New J e r s e y

Lewiston, New York

New J e r s e y

H e a l t h . ..

Pr io r i ty

TBD L M/H L

L/M L

M L H TBD

L H L H

M TBD TBD L

Key: L = Low M = Medium H = High

TBD = T o be de te rmined

*Based upon DOE de te rmina t ions comple t ed through March 1980; d e t e r m i n a t i o n s o n 13 addi t iona l s i t e s a r e in progress.

**Licensed by Agreemen t State provisions of t h e A t o m i c Ene rgy A c t of 1954, as amended , and exc luded f r o m FUSRAP; t h e s e l icenses provide for site decontaminat ion .

- 1 9-

e I Eng'r'g Draft Final

Table 2 Status of Remedial Action a t MEDlAEC Sites

-

State

NM OR N Y

'NM CA IL NM OH F L NJ FL MD N Y OH I A

-

. NJ.

N Y N Y

MO.. N J N J IL IL IL MO N Y N Y M A PA M A M A -

Namr rt 1 7 F i n d Init iated

Remedial Ac t ion Re -

Draft -

0 0

0 0 0 0

0

0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0

'ity

E x i s u ** 0 0

0 * * 0

0

0

0 * 0 0

0

13 -

Remedic Req'd

Redioiogical Sunry

T Initiated

e II Eng' Draft

k t i o n Jndamry

Aut Raq'd

1 Acid Pueblo Canyon 2 Albany M a t a l l u q i u l Rermrch Cantmr 3 Aahland Oi l Company 4 B y o C a n y o n 5 G i l m m Hdl. University of California 6 University of Chic- 7 ChupderaMwa 8 CIemn Metals, IK. 9 C a n a n Inc.

10 €.I. du Pont 6 Nemours b Compan 11 Gerdinnr. inc. 12 W. A. Grace 8 Company

14 HDnhaw Chamio l Company 15 low*. StaIe University 16 Kallar 17 Lake OnIario Ordnana Works

Associated Properties 18 Linde Air Products 19 Mallinckrodt, Inc. M Middiesex Landfill 21 M idd le rx Sampling Plant 22 National Guard Armory 23 Ol in Chmmiul Company 24 Palor Park 25 SL Louis Airport 28 Smnray lndui l r ia l Park 27 Senou Army Depot 28 ShpdcLand( i l1 ZU Unlverul C y d o p . Inc 30 Ventron Corporation 31 W a b r t w n AWMI

Totals

13 Gutarl S1-I Corp.

0 0 0

0 0 0 0

0

0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0

0 0 0

0 0 0 0

0

0

0 0 0 0 ' 0

0 0 0 0

0 0

0 0 0

0

0

0

0 0 0 0 0

0

0 0

0 *** 0 0 0

0

0 0 0 0 0

*** 0 0 0

18 -

I N 0 I

0

0 0

0 0

- - 1 r 20 19 2 18 1

Th.r sit" h n . b..n deleted from thi FUSRAP b.c*lse t h e NRC or Agreements States hare suf f iun t l iunsing authority to proIec1 public health and u f e t y .

** RmWdiml Act ion wthorlty i x i t 8 where such m l o n i 8 requirad t o protect puMlc health and safety.

d.brmlnatlon u t o rrhecher ddltlond mucharity I# required t o Implement remedial actlon ** wntly underway.

F i i u h 2 Location of Sites Requiring or that May Require Remedial Action

i

Tab le 3 ESTIMATES OF REMEDIAL ACTION COSTS BY MED/AEC SITE+

Acid/Pueblo Canyon Area , Los Alamos, New Mexico Albany Meta l lurg ica l R e s e a r c h C e n t e r ,

Ashland Oil Company , Tonawanda, New York Bay0 Canyon Area , Los Alamos, New Mexico Chupade ra Mesa Area , White Sands Missile Range,

Clecon Meta ls , Inc., Cleveland, Ohio Conserv Inc., Nichols, Flor ida E. I. du P o n t de Nemours and Company, Deepwate r ,

Gardinier , Inc., Tampa, Flor ida W . R. G r a c e & Company, C u r t i s Bay, Maryland Cuter1 Spec ia l S t e e l Corpora t ion , Lockpor t , New York Harshaw Chemica l Company, Cleveland, Ohio Iowa S t a t e Universi ty , Ames, Iowa Kel lex R e s e a r c h Fac i l i t y , J e r s e y Ci ty , N e w J e r s e y L a k e O n t a r i o O r d n a n c e Works Assoc ia ted Proper t ies ,

Mall inckrodt , Inc., St. Louis, Missouri Middlesex Municipal Landfill, Middlesex, New J e r s e y Middlesex Sampl ing Plan t , Middlesex and P i sca t away ,

Nat ional Guard Armory , Chicago, Illinois Olin Corpora t ion , Jo l i e t , Illinois Palos Pa rk F o r e s t Preserve , Cook County , Illinois St. Louis Ai rpor t , St. Louis, Missouri Seaway Industr ia l Park , Tonawanda, New York Seneca Army Depo t , Romulus, New York Shpack Landfill, Norton, Massachuse t t s Universal Cyclops, Inc., Aliquippa, Pennsylvania Ventron Corpora t ion , Beverly, Massachuse t t s Wate r town Arsena l , Water town, Massachuse t t s

Albany, Oregon

New Mexico

New J e r s e y

Lewiston, N e w York

New J e r s e y

$ 1,900,000 3 ,000 ,000

29,000,000 2,800,000

180,000

2,400,000 660,000

3,000,000

2 ,300 ,000 17,000,000

9,000,000 570,000

1,400,000 3,000,000

1,100,000

26,000,000 50,000,000 48,000,000

710,000 680,000

7,100,000 98,000,000 24,000,000

860,000 2 ,200 ,000 1 ,000,000

880,000 630.000

$338,000,000

*Upper boundary of costs fo r removal and disposal option.

-22-

Figure 3 Work Schedule and Funding Requirements for Remedial Action a t MED/AEC Sites

7. Disposal of Residues 8. Contingency (15% of Sum of Items 2-71

Total

I 01,000,000 41,100,000

$ssa,ooo,ooo

$/Cubic Yard Contaminated residue retrieval 112 Containerlzstion'of residues 138 Transportation of residues (600 miles to regional disposal site)

208 110

Disposal of residues

Estimates of Annual Budget Authorization Requests in FY 1981 Dollars

Fiscal Year Amount Fiscal Year Amount --

1980 $ 9,400,000 1985 $ 46.200.000

1982 21,300,000 1987 50,800,000 1983 32,600,000 1988 42,600,000 1984 38,000,000 1989 35,300,000

$338,000,000

1981 1 3,8 3 0 , O 00 1986 4a,ooo,ooo

-92-

Middlesex Middlesex Landfill Sampling Plant

1981 S, Millions

du Pont & Kellex

n

5 -. cp

(0

P

n C v) R D '0 0 El rc cn

2 !-

z <

- r I-

2

3 m X

I I I I 0

I I

St. Louis Airport 1 Mallinc- I krodt

Ordnance Works

WR( Grace

Harshaw 9 Clecon

Palos Park

Olin, i3i Armory

Bayo Canyon, Acid/Pueblo Canyon & Chupadera Mesa I

S h pack, Ventron & Water town

1 I I I I I I

0 The me thod of packaging of m a t e r i a l s f o r t r a n s p o r t g e n e r a t e d by decon- tamina t ion , genera l ly , e i t h e r con ta ine r i zed o r bulk

0 Locat ion of disposal site, e i t h e r i n - s t a t e or regional

0 Type of disposal-s i te ownersh ip (based on e i t h e r g o v e r n m e n t f inanc ing o r commerc ia l r a t e s )

Remed ia l Act ion Options. Op t ions ava i l ab le for r emed ia l a c t i o n a t a c o n t a m i n a t e d s i t e a r e e i the r r emova l of con tamina t ion and r e s to ra t ion of t h e s i t e to p e r m i t un res t r i c t ed public use, or p e r m a n e n t s tab i l iza t ion of t h e r a d i o a c t i v e m a t e r i a l on t h e remedia l ac t ion s i t e and r e s to ra t ion f o r r e s t r i c t e d use. Because of t h e long t i m e per iod required to l o c a t e a n d develop a disposal s i t e , t e m p o r a r y r emed ia l a c t i o n s m a y b e t a k e n to reduce h e a l t h impacts . S tab i l iza t ion involves f ix ing of t h e con tamina t ion on t h e soil o r s t r u c t u r e s such t h a t t r anspor t o f f s i t e th rough s u c h mechan i sms as erosion, leaching i n t o w a t e r suppl ies and aqui fe rs , or th rough up- take in t h e b iosphere does not occur and will no t o c c u r in t h e long t e rm. C r i t e r i a and s t anda rds f o r s tab i l ized s i t e s will m e e t t h e i n t e n t of those c r i t e r i a and s t a n d a r d s used for t h e disposal s i tes , e.g., 10 C F R 40 Appendix A, t h e c r i t e r i a proposed by N R C f o r pr iva te ly owned mill ta i l ing s i tes . Ins t i tu t iona l con t ro l s have t o b e imposed at t h e s tab i l ized s i t e to p reven t d i s tu rbance of t h e buried m a t e r i a l and its subsequent re lease. Remova l of con tamina t ion f r o m s t ruc tu res , d i smant l ing and removal of s t r u c t u r e s , and r emova l of soil and o the r c o n t a m i n a t e d ma te r i a l , fo l lowed by s i t e r e s to ra t ion fo r u n r e s t r i c t e d use by t h e public, i s t h e m o s t ex tens ive remedia l a c t i o n t h a t c a n b e t a k e n at a s i te . The costs for p e r m a n e n t s tab i l iza t ion migh t b e a f a c t o r of 5 to 10 less t h a n f o r decon tamina t ion and removal . Fo r t h e purposes of providing a bounding cost of t h e proposed legis la t ion, cost e s t i m a t e s w e r e based upon decon tamina t ion of all t h e 29 MED/A.EC s i t e s and r e s to ra t ion f o r un l imi ted public use.

C r i t e r i a and S tanda rds f o r Remed ia l Actions. The basis of t h e cost e s t i m a t e s provided fo r remedia l ac t ion a s sumes con tamina t ion would b e r educed to 5 p icocur ies of radium-226 per g r a m of soil (or comparab le leve ls f o r o t h e r radionuclides), which is in t h e r ange of 2 to 10 t i m e s t h a t of natural ly occurr ing radium leve ls in t h e soil. If a lower value of a c c e p t a b l e con tamina t ion w e r e to b e imposed, subs tan t ia l ly higher costs m a y resul t . For s tab i l ized s i tes , ano the r f a c t o r a f f e c t i n g cost is t h e d e p t h of ground cove r ma te r i a l t h a t will b e requi red by t h e NRC. In th i s cost e s t i m a t e , no sites w e r e considered f o r s tab i l iza t ion . Because t h e s tab i l iza t ion and disposal s i t e s will b e l icensed by t h e NRC, t h e f ina l c r i t e r i a and s t anda rds es tab l i shed by t h e N R C will i m p a c t costs. T h e N R C h a s proposed c r i t e r i a f o r l icensed uranium mill t a i l ings s i t e s (10 C F R 40, Appendix A) and is developing c r i t e r i a f o r large-volume, low-ac t iv i ty w a s t e t h a t a r e e x p e c t e d to b e genera l ly cons is ten t wi th t h e mil l t a i l ings c r i t e r i a . These c r i t e r i a m a y be appl ied to t h e fo rmer ly u t i l i zed s i t e s t h a t a r e s tab i l ized a n d to t h e disposal s i tes . In addi t ion, t h e EPA h a s issued in t e r im and proposed f ina l criteria f o r remedia l ac t ion at i n a c t i v e mill t a i l ings sites.

Method of Packaging. T h e packaging of con tamina ted m a t e r i a l g e n e r a t e d in t h e remedia l ac t ion of decon tamina t ing t h e MED/AEC sites c a n b e accompl i shed e i t h e r by use of con ta ine r s such as 55-gallon drums, or bulk t r anspor t e r s such as la rge-volume t rucks o r ra i l road cars . T h e r e l a t ive costs for t h e handling and t r anspor t of smal l con ta ine r s i s t h r e e to f o u r t i m e s g r e a t e r f o r t h e smal l con ta ine r s versus bulk sh ipment . For t h e purposes of t h e proposed legis la t ion, cost e s t i m a t e s w e r e based upon conta iner iza t ion of w a s t e residues.

-25-

.-

Location of Disposal Sites. Transportation to a site for disposal of t h e contaminated material removed f r o m t h e MED/AEC sites may be a significant fac tor in t h e cost of remedial action. T h e major f a c t o r in cost is the distance f o r transport of ei ther containerized mater ia l or bulk quant i t ies via truck or rail. Depending upon t h e location of t h e sites requiring decontamination and restoration, a suitable regional disposal site may b e found t h a t could satisfy t h e needs of more than o n e s ta te . Cooperative e f for t s between states will be encouraged to jointly solve this common problem. The DOE will coopera te and support t h e states in this site selection activity. Cost es t imates werz based upon transportation costs associated with shipment of 500 miles to a regional disposal site.

Type of Disposal Sites. S i tes f o r disposal of residues contaminated f rom t h e former MED/AEC use may be federal ly owned or state-owned. To ensure long-term institutional control of t h e disposal site, privately owned sites a r e not acceptable. This approach is consistent with t h a t used in t h e Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control A c t of 1978, and t h e c r i te r ia proposed by t h e NRC f o r t h e privately owned uranium mill tailings sites. Restriction of access to t h e site, and monitoring and surveillance requirements, will require administrative control t h a t can b e accom- plished by e i ther Federal or state ownership and custody of t h e site. Costs of operation of a disposal site for contaminated residues must ref lect t h e quant i t ies of wastes to b e handled and t h e t i m e period of act ive and passive controls. ...

These costs will b e a f fec ted by whether t h e s i te is a single-use site or a multiple-use site.

-26-

APPENDIX A

MED/AEC SITE SUMMARY REPORTS

CONTENTS

SITE SUMMARY REPORTS

P a g e

Acid /Pueblo Canyon A r e a Los Alamos, N e w Mexico Albany Meta l lurg ica l R e s e a r c h C e n t e r , Albany, Oregon Ashland Oi l Company , Tonawanda, N e w York Bay0 Canyon Area , Los Alamos, New Mexico Gi lman Hal l , Univers i ty of Cal i forn ia ,

Univers i ty of Chicago , Chicago, Illinois Chupade ra Mesa A r e a , Whi te Sands Missile Range ,

C lecon Meta ls , Inc., Cleve land , Oh io Conse rv Inc., Nichols, F lor ida E. I. du P o n t d e Nemours and Company , Deepwate r ,

Gard in ie r , Inc., Tampa , F lor ida W. R. G r a c e & Company, C u r t i s Bay, Maryland G u t e r l Spec ia l S t e e l Corpora t ion , Lockpor t , N e w York Harshaw C h e m i c a l Company, Cleve land , Oh io Iowa State Univers i ty , Ames, Iowa Kel lex R e s e a r c h Fac i l i ty , J e r s e y C i ty , New J e r s e y L a k e O n t a r i o O r d n a n c e Works Assoc ia ted Proper t ies ,

L inde Air P r o d u c t s Division, Tonowanda, New York Mall inckrodt , Inc., St. Louis, Missouri Middlesex Municipal Landfill, Middlesex, New J e r s e y Middlesex Sampl ing P lan t , Middlesex and P i sca t away ,

Nat iona l Guard Armory , Chicago , Illinois Ol in Corpora t ion , Jo l i e t , Illinois Pa los Pa rk F o r e s t P rese rve , Cook County , Illinois St. Louis Ai rpor t , St. Louis, Missouri Seaway Industr ia l Pa rk , Tonawanda, New York S e n e c a A r m y Depot , Romuius, N e w York Shpack Landfill, Norton, Massachuse t t s Universal Cyclops, Inc., Aliquippa, Pennsylvania Ventron Corpora t ion , Beverly, Massachuse t t s Wate r town Arsenal , Water town, Massachuse t t s

Berkeley, Ca l i fo rn ia

New Mexico

New J e r s e y

Lewiston, New York

New J e r s e y

A-2 A- 4 A-6 A- 7 A-9

A-10 A-12

A-13 . . A-14 A-16

A- 18 A-20 A-21 A-23 A-25 A-27 A-29

A-31 A-32 A-34 A-36

A-38 A-39 A-40 A-42 A-44 A-45 A-47 A-49 A-50 A-51

SITE SUMMARY REPORTS

INTRODUCTION

The information contained in t h e following MED/AEC site summary reports represents t h e current knowledge of radiological conditions a t , and f o r m e r government use of, each site. In s o m e cases, additional work necessary for complete character izat ion of a site is underway or planned.

Throughout t h e summary reports, re fe rence is made to "current guidelines" f o r contamination and exposure levels. The guidelines discussed in sec t ion 3.0 Appendix A provides brief information on each s i t e as follows:

rn rn S i t e location rn rn 9

rn rn

Owner history - f rom t h e MED/AEC period t o t h e present

S i te uti l ization during t h e MED/AEC period Use of s i t e s ince t h e MED/AEC period Radiological history - results of surveys conducted and relat ive contami- nation levels Remedial act ion options and costs Pro jec t s t a t u s - curren t s t a t u s of surveys, engineering studies, recom- mendations for remedial action, and existing or implied authori ty f o r f u t u r e remedial action.

A- 1

ACID/PUEBLO CANYON AREA LOS ALAMOS, NEW MEXICO

I

OWNER HlSTORY

1943-1 967: U.S. Governmen t 1967-Present: Los Alamos Coun ty and U.S. Governmen t (upper Canyon)

SITE LOCATION

Acid and Pueblo Canyons a r e loca t ed ad jacen t to t h e towns i t e of Los Alamos in no r th cen t r a l New Mexico, a b o u t 25 mi les nor thwes t of S a n t a Fe. These canyons are two of many canyons c u t i n t o t h e Pa ja r i to Plateau. Acid Canyon is a t r i b u t a r y of Pueblo Canyon.

MED/AEC SITE USE These deep canyons w e r e t h e d ischarge a r e a f o r u n t r e a t e d r ad ioac t ive liquid was te s be tween 1943 and 1951 resul t ing f r o m resea rch and processing at t h e Los Alarnos Sc ien t i f ic Labora tory . S t a r t i n g in 1951, t r e a t e d r ad ioac t ive e f f luen t s w e r e discharged i n t o t h e canyon f r o m a l iqu id-was te- t rea tment f ac i l i t y which ope ra t ed unt i l 1964.

POST MED/AEC SITE USE T h e a r e a is un res t r i c t ed to public access and is used on a l i m i t e d basis f o r r ec rea t iona l purposes.

.. .

RADIOLOGICAL HISTORY

Plutonium, amer i c ium, a n d fission products were d ischarged i n t o t h e canyons in liquid e f f luen t s during t h e y e a r s 1943 to 1964. The f i r s t survey of Acid Canyon, f o r purposes of cleanup, w a s m a d e on August 31, 1965. On O c t o b e r 4, 1966, work c o m m e n c e d o n removing t h e w a s t e - t r ee t m ent-f aci l i ty s t ruc tures . Five-hundred t ruck loads of demoli t ion debris and d i r t f r o m this loca t ion w e r e removed. Ninety-four loads of debris f r o m Acid Canyon w e r e placed in a solid-waste disposal a r e a wi th in t h e cur ren t ly opera t iona l Los Alamos Sc ien t i f ic Labora tory s i te . This decon tamina t ion ac t iv i ty included t h e removal of al l drain pipes, wires , rocks, t u f f , and o t h e r debr i s found con tamina ted in Acid and Pueblo Canyons. This work was comple t ed in 1967, and i t was r epor t ed t h a t a smal l amoun t of contaminat ion remains in inaccess ib le places.

In November 1973, it was repor ted t h a t plutonium concen t r a t ions in f i l t e r e d s u r f a c e w a t e r s in Acid Canyon and t h e ad jacen t port ions of Pueblo Canyon genera l ly aver&gcd abou t 20 picocuries/ l i ter . A l imi t ed number of samples of t h e al luvium t a k e n in 1970 indica ted plutonium concen t r a t ions of 27 picocuries/gram i n lower Acid Canyon, 4.6 picocuries/gram in Pueb lo Canyon 1 mi l e below t h e Ac id Canyon o u t l e t , and 1.1 picocuries/gram 2 m i l e s below Acid Canyon.

S o m e radiological and envi ronmenta l survei l lance eva lua t ions have been c o m p l e t e d and documented f o r Pueb lo Canyon. Severa l hundred soil and sed imen t s a m p l e s w e r e co l l ec t ed fo r t h e p re sen t de ta i led radiological survey dur ing 1977. D a t a show s o m e l imi ted a r e a s in t h e canyons t h a t exceed t h e EPA-proposed soil screening guides f o r plutonium concent ra t ions . Measurements of pene t r a t ing rad ia t ion showed no a r e a s t h a t exceed rad ia t ion p ro tec t ion s tandards.

A-2

REMEDIAL ACTION OPTIONS AND COSTS

Some form of remedial act ion may b e required and could include stabil ization and/or decontamination by excavat ion of t h e cliff face, outfal l a r e a , cliff base and channel, and t h e Acid Canyon s t r e a m bed. Seventeen-hundred cubic yards of contaminated mater ia l would b e produced. The es t imated cost is $1,900,000.

PROJECT STATUS

Following t h e completion of t h e radiological survey report , t h e Assistant Secre ta ry f o r Environment will determine whether t h e s i t e requires remedial action. Work has been init iated on an Engineering Evaluation Report-Title I. Authority to implement a remedial act ion exists under t h e Atomic Energy A c t of 1954, as amended.

A-3

ALBANY METALLURGICAL RESEARCH CENTER ALBANY, OREGON

OWNER HISTORY T h e site h a s been and is cur ren t ly owned by t h e Bureau of Mines, U.S. D e p a r t m e n t of t h e Inter ior .

SITE LOCATION T h e s i t e is l o c a t e d in Albany, Oregon, approximate ly 23 miles sou th of Salem. Eight buildings and t h e i r surroundings w e r e used fo r f o r m e r MED/AEC ac t iv i t ies .

MED/AEC SITE USE From 1954 to 1971, t h e Albany Metal lurgical R e s e a r c h C e n t e r w a s engaged in me ta l lu rg ica l ope ra t ions involving thorium. Opera t ions included reduct ion , mel t ing, machining, welding, and alloying. Resea rch on alloys of uranium and thor ium s t a r t e d i n 1955 and cont inued to 1978.

.. . POST MED/AEC SITE USE R e s e a r c h involving uranium and thorium was suspended i n 1978. O n s i t e a r e a s t h a t conta in c o n t a m i n a t e d soils have been f e n c e d to r e s t r i c t access. None of t h e buildings a r e cu r ren t ly used for uranium or thorium alloy research. n

RADIOLOGICAL HISTORY

A t t h e t i m e t h a t t h e original AEC c o n t r a c t was t e r m i n a t e d (approximate ly 1960), t h e s e buildings w e r e decon tamina ted accord ing to t h e g e n e r a l guidel ines provided by t h e AEC to t h e Bureau of Mines. These guidelines w e r e not as spec i f i c as l a t e r guidelines, and t h e r e is no record that t h e f ina l decon tamina t ion was documented . C o n t a m i n a t e d mater’ials, equipment , o r was tes gene ra t ed under t h e A E C c o n t r a c t s w e r e r emoved f r o m t h e s i t e f o r disposal.

T h e Argonne Nat iona l Labora tory (ANL) conducted a radiological su rvey of t h e s e buildings and grounds in 1978 and found contaminat ion t h a t exceeded c u r r e n t guidel ines for un res t r i c t ed use still ex is ted on su r faces and t h a t s o m e a r e a s of soil w e r e c o n t a m i n a t e d wi th uranium and thorium. As an i n t e r i m measure , t h e Bureau of Mines has f e n c e d in a r e a s of con tamina ted soil to r e s t r i c t access. Some addi t ional survey work, including an aer ia l r ad iomet r i c survey, was conduc ted in 1979, and s o m e subsu r face inves t iga t ions a r e scheduled f o r 1980. ANL is prepar ing a radiological survey report to documen t all survey act ivi t ies .

No s igni f icant publ ic hea l th impac t ex is t s due to re s t r i c t ed use of t h e c o n t a m i n a t e d a reas ; however , po ten t ia l hea l th i m p a c t s could resul t if u s a g e w a s changed. In te r im access cont ro l measu res have been employed.

REMEDIAL ACTION OPTIONS AND COSTS Remedia l ac t ion may b e required and could involve excavat ion of c o n t a m i n a t e d soils, decon tamina t ion of buildings and removal of s t ruc tu ra l e l e m e n t s and plumbing. Thirty-seven-hundred cubic yards of con tamina ted ma te r i a l could be produced. T h e e s t i m a t e d cost f o r remedia l ac t ion is $3,000,000.

A-4

PROJECT STATUS

A radiological survey has been-comple ted and a final report is in preparation. Upon completion of this report , t h e Assistant Secretary for Environment will de te rmine whether remedial act ion is required. Authority t o implement remedial act ion exists under t h e Atomic Energy A c t of 1954, as amended.

A-5

ASHLAND OIL COMPANY TONAWANDA, _NEW YORK

OWNER HISTORY

1943-1 944: 1944-1 960: U S . G o v e r n m e n t 1960-Present : Ashland Oil Company

E. Hais t et al. - leased by MED

SITE LOCATION T h e l0 -ac re s i t e is l o c a t e d in a l a r g e industr ia l a r e a in Tonawanda , N e w York. I t is ad j acen t to t h e Seaway Industr ia l Park , ano the r fo rmer ly u t i l i zed MED/AEC s i te .

MED/AEC SITE USE

From 1943 to 1946, t h e s i t e was used for disposal of uranium-processing res idues f r o m t h e Linde Air P roduc t s Division-Union C a r b i d e Corpora t ion o r e r e f ine ry opera t ions . Eight-thousand tons of res idue containing approx ima te ly 0.54 p e r c e n t u ran ium w e r e spread over two-thirds of t h e site to a dep th of 1 to 5 feet.

POST MED/AEC SITE USE

In 1974, 6,000 c u b i c ya rds of res idue w e r e r emoved by Ashland and t r a n s p o r t e d to the ad jacen t Seaway Industr ia l Park . The s i t e was developed as an o i l s t o r a g e s i t e at t h a t t ime.

RADIOLOGICAL HISTORY

A radiological survey was conduc ted in 1958. Following th i s survey , t h e p r o p e r t y was re leased f o r un res t r i c t ed u s e wi thout removal of t h e residues. A de ta i l ed su rvey was conducted under t h e FUSRAP during July and August 1976. An ae r i a l s u r v e y was conducted in S e p t e m b e r 1979.

Resul t s of t h e 1976 survey ind ica ted t h a t ex terna l g a m m a rad ia t ion exceeded appl icable guidel ines ove r f a i r ly l a rge a r e a s of t h e site. However , t h e r e su l t s i nd ica t ed t h a t t h e residues on t h e s i t e "do not pose a n i m m e d i a t e h e a l t h hazard , assuming t h a t res idues remain in p l ace and t h a t t h e s i t e cont inues to b e used i n t h e manner in which i t is present ly used." The radon daughter concen t r a t ion i n t h e ons i t e building i s c lose to background leve:, and only smal l quan t i t i e s of radium o r uran ium a r e c a r r i e d f r o m t h e s i t e in s u r f a c e runoff. Because t h e p rope r ty is l oca t ed in a n industr ia l area, t h e populat ion dens i ty surrounding t h e site is ve ry low, and t h u s t h e r e a r e f e w peop le at risk. If t h e site u s e w e r e changed and buildings cons t ruc t ed ons i te , t h e r e could b e a n inc rease in exposure and a po ten t i a l hea l th haza rd could resul t .

REMEDIAL ACTION OPTION AND COSTS

Remedia l a c t i o n is i nd ica t ed and could involve removal of approx ima te ly 48,000 .cubic ya rds of residues and con tamina ted soil. The e s t i m a t e d cost for t h i s r emed ia l a c t i o n is $29,000,000.

PROJECT STATUS

A radiological survey was comple t ed in August 1976; a f ina l r e p o r t was issued in May 1978. T h e Ass is tan t S e c r e t a r y fo r Envi ronment has de t e rmined t h a t t h e s i t e will requi re remedia l ac t ion . Additional au tho r i ty to implemen t r emed ia l a c t i o n will b e required.

A-6

B A Y 0 CANYON AREA LOS ALAMOS, NEW MEXICO

OWNER HISTORY 1944-1967: U.S. Government 1967-Present: Los Alamos County

SITE LOCATION

Bay0 Canyon is located adjacent t o t h e townsi te of Los Alamos in north cent ra l New Mexico, about 25 miles northwest of Santa Fe. Bay0 Canyon is one of many canyons c u t into t h e Pajar i to Plateau.

MED/AEC SITE USE

Experiments with high explosives were conducted in Bay0 Canyon during t h e period 1944 through 1961. The explosive test assemblies included natural and depleted uranium and lanthanum-140, which was used as a t racer . Strontium-90 was also present as a contaminant of t h e lanthanum-140. The site faci l i t ies include radio- chemistry laboratories, radioactive liquid-waste disposal facil i t ies, and sol-id-waste disposal facilities.

POST MED/AEC SITE USE

The site was decommissioned in 1963. Since 1967 t h e canyon has been used exclusively f o r recreational purposes, including picnicking, trail riding, hiking, wood cut t ing, and pinon nut gathering. Proposed uses include residential and l ight commercial develop- m ent.

RADIOLOGICAL HISTORY From 1949 through 1969, 1.355 curies of natural uranium, 1.218 curies of depleted uranium, and between 30 and 40 curies of strontium-90 were dispersed into t h e s u r f a c e environment of t h e Bay0 Canyon area. An additional 85 to 120 curies of strontium-90 were deposited in waste-handling faci l i t ies and sorne f rac t ion migrated in to t h e subsurface environment. Most of the act ivi ty was associated with debris t h a t was removed in 1963, leaving a comparatively small amount of radioactivity a t t h e s u r f a c e of t h e s i te and in subsurface layers of soil. A radiological survey was conducted under t h e FUSRAP i n 1977.

The results of this survey show t h a t exposure of current nearby residents to airborne strontium-90 and uranium is no different than t h a t of other northern New Mexico residents. However, dose est imates for construction workers if t h e a r e a were to b e developed indicate exposure levels at less t h a n 1.5 percent of DOE guidelines. The est imated exposure of residents in t h e developed a r e a would be, at most, 3 percent of DOE guidelines. Individuals presently using t h e a r e a f o r recreat ional purposes rece ive somewhat lower exposures because of t h e shorter exposure period and minimal interact ion with disturbed soil.

REMEDIAL ACTION OPTIONS AND COSTS

Remedial action is indicated and could t a k e t h e form of stabil ization of dispersed radioactivity with restrictive control over change in s i t e use or decontamination by excavation of soil to remove radioactivity. If decontamination is performed, 3,500 cubic yards of contaminated mater ia l will b e produced. The es t imated cost to perform this remedial act ion is $2,800,000. -

A-7

PROJECT STATUS I

A radiological survey w a s comple t ed in 1977; t h e f ina l r e p o r t was issued in J u n e 1979. T h e Ass is tan t S e c r e t a r y f o r Environment has de t e rmined t h a t t h e s i t e will requi re remedia l act ion. P r e p a r a t i o n of a n Engineer ing Evalua t ion Repor t -Ti t le I, ha s been in i t ia ted . Au thor i ty to implemen t remedia l a c t i o n ex i s t s under t h e A t o m i c Energy A c t of 1954, as amended.

1

A-8

OWNER HISTORY

University of California

GILMAN HALL UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA

BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA

SITE LOCATION

The site is located on t h e Berkeley Campus of t h e University of California and consists of t h e third floor and basement of Gilman Hall.

MED/AEC SITE USE Laboratory faci l i t ies in Gilman Hall were used in support of t h e Manhat tan Pro jec t and/or early AEC activit ies. I t is believed t h a t weapons-grade plutonium was involved.

POST MED/AEC SITE USE A preliminary radiological survey was completed by Lawrence Livermore Laboratory and a l e t t e r report issued in 1976. The survey was designed t o document alpha contamination. However, evidence of significant cesium-1 37 was also found.

REMEDIAL ACTION OPTIONS AND COSTS Remedial act ion is indicated and could take e i ther one of two forms. The a r e a could b e left as is but placed under control, which would require t h a t any f u t u r e renovation and/or demolition work b e performed under contamination removal and control procedures. This may require a license.

Alternatively, t h e a r e a would b e decontaminated by stripping away floor tile, sand blasting concre te surf aces, and removing piping. Thirty cubic yards of contaminated mater ia l would b e produced. Est imated cost for this remedial act ion is $483,000.

PROJECT STATUS A preliminary radiological survey was conducted in 1976. A detai led survey will b e ini t ia ted soon. The Assistant Secretary for Environment has determined tha t remedial act ion is required. Authority to implement remedial act ion exists under t h e Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended.

A-9

UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

OWNER HISTORY

The s i te is owned by t h e University of Chicago.

SITE LOCATION

The University of Chicago buildings associated with the MED work w e r e t h e New Chemistry Lab and Annex, West Stands, Ryerson Physical Lab, Eckhart Hall, K e n t Chemistry Lab, Jones Lab, Ricke t t s Lab, and an a r e a known as Animal Quarters . A comprehensive information search could not verify t h e location or even t h e exis tence of t h e Animal Quarters.

MED/AEC SITE USE

The University was t h e site of t h e first successful nuclear pile and i t conducted associated research required for t h e production of plutonium and ul t imately t h e a tomic bomb. Research was conducted under the MED and t h e AEC during t h e 1940s and 1950s. .. .

POST MEDIAEC SITE USE

The New Chemistry Lab and Annex, t h e West Stands, and Ricke t t s Lab have been torn down. The remaining buildings a r e currently in use as offices, laboratories, and classrooms. Some of t h e laboratories a r e still being used for nuclear research and a r e under l icense by t h e NRC.

RADIOLOGICAL HISTORY References indicate t h a t all of t h e buildings were decontaminated prior to release; however, some documentation is missing and some was inadvertently destroyed. Radiological surveys were performed during t h e period September 1976 to September 1977 under t h e FUSRAP.

Results of t h e 1976-1977 surveys indicate t h a t contamination is widespread throughout t h e laboratories but at fair ly low levels except for isolated small areas. Analysis of potential exposure conditions indicate t h a t persons will not receive exposures exceeding current guidelines under present usage. However, remodeling or demoli tion act ivi t ies could f r e e fixed contamination resulting in a potential health hazard. Soil samples indicate contamination is confined to t h e buildings.

REMEDIAL ACTION OPTIONS AND COSTS

Remedial act ion may b e required and could involve decontamination of t h e buildings involved. Seventy-five cubic yards of contaminated mater ia l would b e produced. The est imated cost for this remedial a.ction is $630,000.

PROJECT STATUS

A radiological survey was completed in September 1977; a d r a f t report has been issued f o r review. Upon issuance of t h e final report, t h e Assistant Secre ta ry for Environment will make a determination as to whether remedial act ion is required. Authority to implement remedial act ion exists under t h e Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended.

A-10

However , as t h e Univers i ty c a m p u s is unde r l i c e n s e by t h e NRC, t h i s site would not be d e c o n t a m i n a t e d under t h e F U S R A P p r o g r a m s i n c e t h e N R C h a s su f f i c i en t l icensing au tho r i ty to p r o t e c t publ ic h e a l t h and s a f e t y .

A-1 I

CHUPADERA MESA AREA WHITE SANDS MISSILE RANGE, NEW MEXICO

-

OWNER HISTORY

T h e s i t e was and con t inues to b e p r iva t e l ands wi th mul t ip le ownership.

SITE LOCATION

The s i t e is l o c a t e d approx ima te ly 70 mi l e s sou theas t of Albuquerque, New Mexico, and immedia t e ly n o r t h of t h e Whi t e Sands Missile Range.

MED/AEC SITE USE The s i t e a r e a r ece ived f a l lou t f r o m an a t o m i c bomb test at Trin'ity s i t e in 1945.

POST MED/AEC SITE USE

Chupade ra Mesa is ex tens ive ly used as graz ing land. In t h e nor thern a rea , t h e l and is used pr imari ly f o r growing a l f a l f a and a s so r t ed row crops.

RADIOLOGICAL HISTORY

The Universi ty of Cal i forn ia , Los Angeles, conduc ted t h e f i r s t con tamina t ion su rvey in

Subsequently, i n t h e 1972 to 1976 period, t h e Los Alamos Sc ien t i f i c Labora to ry (LASL) collected s imi la r samples . In 1977, LASL co l l ec t ed addi t ional d a t a a round Trini ty ground z e r o and t h e out lying f a l l o u t zones. T h e exis t ing data a r e being e v a l u a t e d and a radiological survey r e p o r t i s cu r ren t ly being prepared.

c t h e 1947 to 1950 period. Thousands of soil and biological s amples w e r e obta ined . _ - -

REMEDIAL ACTION OPTIONS AND COSTS I t is expec ted t h a t s o m e s tab i l iza t ion of contaminat ion m a y b e required. T h e e s t i m a t e d cost i s $1 80,000.

PROJECT STATUS

Following t h e comple t ion of t h e radiological survey repor t , t h e Ass is tan t S e c r e t a r y f o r Environment will d e t e r m i n e whe the r t h e site requires remedia l act ion. Work on a n Engineering Evaluat ion Repor t -T i t l e I has been in i t ia ted . Au thor i ty to i m p l e m e n t a remedia l ac t ion ex is t s under t h e A t o m i c Energy A c t of 1954, as amended.

A-12

CLECON METALS, INC. CLEVELAND, OHIO

OWNER HISTORY MED/AEC util ization period: Horizons, Inc. Present: Clecon Metals, Inc.

SITE LOCATION The s i te , encompassing approximately 3.5 acres , is loca ted within Cleveland, Ohio, in a primarily industrial a r e a which is sparsely populated. Two of t h r e e buildings on the s i t e were used for processing radioactive materials.

'.

MED/AEC SITE USE During t h e 1940s and 1950s, two buildings at t h e Horizons metal-handling faci l i ty w e r e used f o r t h e production of granular thorium metal. The feed mater ia l , thorium n i t r a t e te t rahydrate , was processed through a number of s teps and ul t imately converted 10 thorium meta l by use of an electrolytic process.

POST MED/AEC SITE USE The plant site is current ly used for t h e production of gaskets and f o r t h e lamination of various materials. The buildings were former ly used f o r processing radioact ive materials, f o r receiving and storing nonradioactive materials, and for office space. Approximately 60 workers use these buildings.

.. .

RADIOLOGICAL HISTORY In December 1954, t h e Health and Safety Laboratory performed a n a i r hygiene survey t h a t revealed airborne concentrations of thorium in both buildings to b e 18 to 377 t imes grea te r than t h e applicable guideline. A subsequent survey indicated t h a t t h e contamination was ei ther removed or covered due to construction modifications m a d e since t h e thorium operations. A radiological survey was conducted under t h e FUSRAP during February and March 1977.

Results of t h e 1977 survey indicate alpha, beta , and gamma levels in excess of cur ren t guidelines in several a reas of both buildings. Contamination is located mainly in s torage areas, drains and under floors. Exposure is l imited to a f e w persons for short t i m e periods. If use of buildings changes, doses of 0.2 to 0.4 rem/year could occur.

REMEDIAL ACTION OPTIONS AND COSTS

Remedial action is indicated, and could include decontamination of building surf aces, removal of some s t ructural elements, izmoval of portions of t h e pumping system, and excavation of soil. An est imated 800 cubic yards of contaminated material would be produced. The est imated cost for remedial action is $2,400,000.

PROJECT STATUS

A radiological survey was conducted in February and March 1977. The f ina l report was issued in February 1979. The Assistant Secretary f o r Environment has determined t h a t t h e s i te will require remedial action. Additional authori ty f o r t h e ASNE to implement remedial action is required.

A-1 3

CONSERV INC. - NICHOLS, FLORIDA

OWNER HISTORY

1952-1960: Virginia-Carolina Chemical Corporation 1960- : Unidentified - changed ownership 3 t imes Present : Conserv Inc.

SITE LOCATION The site is located at Nichols, Florida, approximately 22 miles east of Tampa. The area involved with radioact ive mater ia ls is approximately 0.5 acres.

MED/AEC SITE USE

Star t ing in 1952, a pilot plant was operated f o r t h e recovery of uranium f r o m wet- process-produced phosphoric acid. This plant was disassembled in 1960. Location of equipment, tanks, piping, and building mater ia ls is unknown.

POST MED/AEC SITE USE 1961-1968: 1969-1973: Plant shut down 1974-Present:

Phosphoric acid and other phosphate product production

Phosphoric acid and other phosphate product production. T h e s i t e of t h e f o r m e r recovery plant is currently used f o r s torage and contains a building t h a t houses a maintenance shop, lunchroom, tool s torage cage, and a small office. This building is built on t h e c o n c r e t e pad of t h e former recovery plant.

RADIOLOGICAL HISTORY A preliminary radiological survey, conducted in April 1977, indicated alpha, be ta , and gamma contamination of t h e concre te pad of t h e former recovery plant and uranium- 238 and radium-226 contamination of nearby soil. Soon a f t e r t h e survey, t h e plant operator removed approximately 4 cubic yards of contaminated soil. The soil was buried in an inactive gypsum pile located about 2,600 feet f rom original site and covered with 2 to 3 feet of gypsum and soil. A detai led radiological survey was conducted under t h e FUSRAP during December 1977.

Results of t h e December 1977 survey indicate contamination is primarily loca ted in t h e soil around t h e c o n c r e t e pad, on t h e pad outside t h e bui!ding, and in t h e a r e a where contaminated soil was dumped. It should b e noted t h a t present s i t e act ivi t ies dealing with phosphate product production contribute significantly to e leva ted radiation levels at t h e plant site. In many areas of t h e plant s i te , t h e levels a r e unrelated to t h e former MED/AEC activit ies. No significant heal th hazard current ly exists, principally because of infrequent occupancy. However, if t h e site use w e r e changed to crop production or if a new building were constructed over t h e a r e a s of higher contamina- tion, exposures exceeding t h e guidelines could result.

REMEDIAL ACTION OPTIONS AND COST

Remedial action is indicated and could involve excavation of contaminated soils near t h e concrete pad and in t h e a r e a of dumping of previously excavated soil. Cleaning and/or removal of t h e concre te pad may be required. One-hundred-thirty cubic yards

A-1 4

of contaminated mater ia l would be produced. act ion is $660,000.

The es t imated cost f o r this remedial

PROJECT STATUS

A radiological survey was completed during December 1977; t h e final report was issued in February 1979. The Assistant Secre ta ry f o r Environment has d e t e r m i n d t h a t t h e s i t e will require remedial action. Additional authori ty to implement remedial action will b e required.

A-15

E. I. du P O N T d e NEfvIOURS AND COMPANY - CHAMBERS WORKS DEEPWATER, NEW JERSEY

OWNER HISTORY T h e s i t e is owned and o p e r a t e d by t h e E. I. du P o n t d e Nemours Company.

SITE LOCATION

T h e 700-acre C h a m b e r s Works site is l o c a t e d ad jacen t to t h e res ident ia l c o m m u n i t i e s of Deepwate r , Pennsvi l le , and Penns Grove , New Jersey. Within t h i s s i t e , ope ra t ions involving MED/AEC a c t i v i t i e s w e r e conf ined to four locat ions. T h e s e w e r e t h r e e buildings and a rad ioac t ive m a t e r i a l burial faci l i ty .

MED/AEC SITE USE

The du Pon t operat ior ls f o r t h e MED included development of a p rocess f o r conve r t ing uranium oxide to uranium t e t r a f luo r ide , p roduct ion of uranium pe rox ide f r o m t h e MED scraps, product ion of uranium te t ra f luor ide , uranium meta l , u ran ium hexaf luor ide , and var ious r e l a t ed r e sea rch ac t iv i t ies . Such ac t iv i t i e s took p lace during t h e per iod 1942 through 1947. Decon tamina t ion and radiological survey a c t i v i t i e s t ook p l a c e during 1948. The l a s t por t ion of t h e s i t e used fo r t h e MED was r e l eased to du P o n t in December 1948.

POST MED/AEC SITE USE Of t h e t h r e e buildings involved in t h e MED ac t iv i t ies , t w o h a v e b e e n demol ished and o n e is s t i l l in u se as a warehouse. A park ing l o t has been c o n s t r u c t e d on t h e s i t e of o n e of t h e demolished buildings and a new building cons t ruc t ed a t t h e s i r e of t h e other . The rad ioac t ive m a t e r i a l burial fac i l i ty , which is a p p r o v d by t h e State of N e w Jersey , possibly conta ins a f e w p ieces of equipment f r o m t h e demolished buildings.

c

.. -

RADIOLOGICAL HI STORY

In 1948, all c o n t a m i n a t e d equipment was removed f r o m t h e s i te . Building decon tami - nation, conducted under t h e d i rec t ion of t h e AEC, Included sandblas t ing , vacuuming, and washing of all building surfaces . A rad ia t ion survey w a s m a d e by t h e H e a l t h Division of t h e AEC and t h e buildings w e r e subseqent ly r e l eased to du Pont . A radiological survey was conduc ted under t h e FUSRAP during M a r c h 1977.

Resul t s of t h e 1977 su rvey ind ica t e t h a t e l eva ted concen t r a t ions of uranium w e r e found in res idues f r o m t h e opera t ions building and in s o m e s u r f a c e a n d s u b s u r f a c e soil samples . Alpha and be ta -gamma con tamina t ion levels in s o m e areas of t h e ope ra t ions buildings were a b o v e t h e l imi t s of c u r r e n t Federa l guidelines. Under c u r r e n t condi t ions of s i t e use, t h i s contaminat ion does not cause employees working at t h e s i t e to r ece ive rad ia t ion exposures apprec iab ly d i f f e ren t f rom t h o s e d u e to background radiation. However , under d i f f e ren t condi t ions of use (i.e., u s e of c o n t a m i n a t e d soils fo r growing crops o r a c t i o n s which involve ag i t a t ion o r abras ion of d ry c o n t a m i n a t e d surf aces), poten t ia l rad ia t ion exposures to employees and t h e publ ic could resul t .

REMEDIAL ACTION OPTIONS AND COSTS

Remedia l ac t ion is i nd ica t ed and could involve decontaminat ion of building s u r f a c e s and excavat ion of soil. Twenty-seven-hundred cubic yards of c o n t a m i n a t e d m a t e r i a l would be produced. T h e e s t i m a t e d cost f o r this remedial ac t ion is $3,000,000.

A-16

PROJECT STATUS

A radiological survey was completed in March 1977; t h e final report was issued in December 1978. The Assistant Secretary for Environment has determined t h a t t h e s i t e will require remedial action. Authority to implement remedial action exists under t h e Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended.

A-1 7