Columbia River Component Site Conceptual Model and Data Gap
Analysis Slide 2 The Columbia River Arguably the most significant
environmental force in the Pacific Northwest region of the United
States. -The Center for Columbia River History Slide 3 The Idaho
Compass Copyright 2004 Thousands of years ago, Native Americans
inhabited the region we define as Washington and Oregon today.
George Chute Copyright 1950. -Oregon Public Broadcasting The Indian
tribes of the Pacific Northwest coast and the Columbia River have
always relied on salmon as major food source, a foundation for
life, culture, economy, and spirituality. Fishing continues today
along the Columbia River using traditional and more modern methods.
Slide 4 11 major dams on the main stem, and hundreds of major and
modest structures on tributaries block river flows and tap a large
portion of the Columbia's generating capacity: More than 21 million
kilowatts. -The Center for Columbia River History Slide 5 The 40
foot-deep channel in the lower river allows ocean freighters
navigation up the Columbia to Portland and barges can transport
goods to the interior. -The Center for Columbia River History Slide
6 The river has provided irrigation to many local farms which grow
alfalfa, potatoes, mint, beets, beans, orchard fruit, and wine
grapes. -The Center for Columbia River History Slide 7 Six percent
of the river basins yearly runoff is diverted to irrigate about 7.8
million acres of land. Slide 8 Presentation Agenda Columbia River
Overview Superfund Process Conceptual Site Models Data Gap Analysis
Columbia River Overview Superfund Process Conceptual Site Models
Data Gap Analysis Slide 9 Columbia River Resources/Uses Natural
Resources Fish and Recreation Agricultural Irrigation Irrigation
Returns Industrial Power generation Process water Waste water
disposal Transportation Municipal Drinking water source Waste water
disposal Slide 10 Columbia River Activity Pre development, pre
1880s Native Americans have lived along the Columbia River, from
the mouth of the Snake River all the way to the Pacific Ocean, for
thousands of years and countless generations. It is an area rich in
natural resources. Game was plentiful and wild plant foods, such as
camas and wapato, were harvested in season. Photo courtesy of Nez
Perce National Historical Park, Stephen D. Shawley Collection. But
it was the river itself, and its tributaries, that yielded the
greatest bounty. Slide 11 Early Settlement Columbia River Activity
(1800s to 1920s) 1800 to 1920 Settlement (mid to late 1800s) and
statehood (1889) Teck Cominco Mine (1890) and Smelter (1896)
constructed in Canada No Columbia River dams to date Slide 12
Pre-WWII Columbia River Activity (1920 1942) Pre-WWII Start of
major dam building Bonneville Dam (1937) Grand Coulee (1941)
Columbia Basin Irrigation Project Initiation (1938) Port of Pasco
(1940) Canneries Aluminum Smelters startup dates Vancouver,
WA/Alcoa (1940) Troutdale, OR/Alcoa (1941) Slide 13 Columbia River
Activity (1920 1942) Bonneville Dam 1937 Grand Coulee Dam 1941
Vancouver WA/Alcoa 1940 Port of Pasco 1940 Troutdale Alcoa 1941
Slide 14 Columbia River Industrialization (1942 1972) Dams
Construction McNary (1947 1954) The Dalles (1952 1957) John Day
(1958 1971) Priest Rapids (1956 1961) Ice Harbor (1955 1961)
Hanford Nuclear Reservation Construction and Production Activities
Port of Walla Walla (1952) Nuclear Weapons Atmospheric Testing
(1954 1963) Irrigation Discharge (1943 present) Richland water
intake (1963) Aluminum Smelters startup dates Columbia Gorge
Aluminum LLC (1970) Wenatchee Alcoa (1952) Boise Cascade Paper Mill
at Wallula Gap (1959) Slide 15 Columbia River Dams Ice Harbor 1961
Priest Rapids 1961 McNary 1954 John Day 1971 The Dalles 1957
Bonneville Dam Grand Coulee Dam Slide 16 Hanford Nuclear
Reservation Timeline (1942 1972) 1940195019601970 Late 1950s to Mid
1960s All of the original eight plutonium production reactors
operated at their highest power levels during this time August,
1949 The Soviet Union detonated its first atomic bomb 1946 The U.S.
Congress passed the Atomic Energy Act September, 1944 Hanford began
making plutonium for atomic bombs when B reactor started July, 1945
The first atomic bomb was tested at Alamogordo, New Mexico, using
plutonium produced at Hanford January, 1943 Manhattan Project 1955
The last two of Hanfords original eight reactors started operation
1951 to 1968 The U.S. started domestic atomic bomb testing at the
Nevada Test Site January, 1971 The AEC closed the last of Hanfords
original eight once through reactors December, 1964 President
Johnson ordered the gradual shutdown of Hanford operations by
closing three of Hanfords nine reactors Bonneville Dam John Day Dam
McNary Dam The Dalles Dam Slide 17 100 AREAS Hanford Reactor
Timeline 105-B 9/1944 105-C 11/1952 105-KW 1/1955 105-KE 4/1955
105-N 1964 105-D 12/1944 105-DR 10/1949 105-H 10/1949 105-F 2/1945
Slide 18 The Majority of Radionuclides Contamination Occurred After
McNary Dam Bonneville Dam McNary Dam Primary Sediment Deposition
Hanford Site Historic District: T.E. Marceau, Bechtal Press 2003
Slide 19 Key Radionuclides Released to the Columbia River by Year
(1944-1971) PNWD-2227 HEDR (1994) Slide 20 105-KE 4/1955 - 1/1971
Hanford Reactor Shutdown Sequence 105-B 9/1944 - 2/1968 105-C
11/1952 - 4/1969 105-N 1964 - 1988 105-D 12/1944 - 6/1967 105-H
10/1949 - 4/1965 105-F 2/1945 - 6/1963 105-KW 1/1955 - 2/1970
105-DR 10/1949 - 1964 Slide 21 Major Development Activities Along
the Columbia River System (1942-1972) Chinook Packing Co. Reynolds
Metals Weyerhaeuser Co. Longview Fibre Co. Boise-Cascade Kasko Fish
Products Jessies Ilwaco Fish Co. Ilwaco AGRIUM Kalama Chemical Co.
Fort James Camas L.L.C. ALCOA 1952 Columbia Aluminum Co. Goldendale
Aluminum Co. Boise-Cascade 1959 Priest Rapids Dam 1959 McNary Dam
1954 The Dalles Dam 1957 Grand Coulee Dam 1941 Bonneville Dam 1937
Irrigation Area 1943 John Day Dam 1971 Hanford Area 1943 Ice Harbor
Dam 1955 Port of Walla 1952 Wenatchee/Alcoa 1952 Slide 22 Columbia
River Awareness (1972 present) Wastewater Treatment Teck Cominco
(1982) Environmental Regulations / Activities Clean Water Act
(1973) RCRA (1976) CERCLA / Superfund (1980) Hanford Reservation
Investigation/Remediation Initiated Tri Party Agreement approved
(1989) CERCLA RI/FS work underway (1989-1995) 10 IARODs approved
for 100 and 300 Areas (1995 2003) Over 6.8M tons of waste removal
to ERDF (1996 present) Slide 23 1972198019902000 1980 CERCLA /
Superfund 1973 Clean Water Act 1973 - June China performs first
Nuclear test Hanford Nuclear Reservation Timeline (1972 present)
1976 RCRA 1989 - 1995 CERCLA RI/FS work underway 1995 - 2003 10
IARODs approved for 100 and 300 Areas 1998 Completed C Reactor ISS
project and excavation of 22 waste sites 2000 Excavated 42
contaminated waste sites 2002 Completed DR Reactor ISS project 2003
Completed F Reactor ISS project 2004 Completed D Reactor ISS
project 2005 Completed remediation of last liquid waste effluent
site 2006 Closed out 52 waste sites Demolished 75 facilities
Completed H Reactor ISS project Slide 24 1995 2000 1996 37,000 1997
496,000 Annual Waste Removed to ERDF (in tons) 1998 669,000 1999
702,000 2000 640,000 2001 610,000 2005 1,000,000 2002 655,000 2003
700,000 2004 500,000 2006 714,000 Thru May 2007 106,000 Slide 25
Columbia River Overview Superfund Process Conceptual Site Models
Data Gap Analysis Slide 26 Summary of RI/FS Process Slide 27
Typical Superfund Process Hanford Interim Action Process Slide 28
Where is DOE in the RI/FS Process? 100/300 area? Inter-Areas?
Columbia River? Slide 29 The 100/300 Area Source Operable Units are
in the final Phases of the Remedial Investigation and Risk
Assessment - Status to date Slide 30 The Inter-Area Shoreline
Component is still in the Remedial Investigation Phase - Status to
date Slide 31 The Columbia River Component is in the Remedial
Investigation Phase - Status to date Slide 32 Extensive Sampling
has been done along the Columbia River Component Over 1600 studies
from 1940s to present Compiled by WCH in July 2006 Supplemented w/
data from: 100/300 Area RCBRA Inter-Areas sampling USACE Slide 33
Incorporated data from over 8,000 sampling locations into one
integrated data base Over 95,000 Analytical Results Database
Summary - Existing Data Surface Water Sediments GW Seeps
