Operated by Los Alamos National Security, LLC for the U.S. Department of Energy’s NNSA

U N C L A S S I F I E D

Integrated Post-Las Conchas MonitoringLos Alamos National Laboratory

Buckman Direct Diversion Board Monthly Board Meeting

October 6, 2011

Operated by Los Alamos National Security, LLC for the U.S. Department of Energy’s NNSA

LA-UR-11-11570 U N C L A S S I F I E D

Integrated Post-Las Conchas Monitoring - Los Alamos National Laboratory

Multiple Organizations are collecting data• NMED• Buckman• LANL• Albuquerque Water Utility

Integration• Data collection methodologies

— How to effectively collect samples under challenging conditions

— Comparable data sets enable integration for risk assessment

• Coverage across the burn area— LANL (upstream and downstream)— Rio Grande — Elsewhere below burn area

• Data Types— Storm water runoff— Sediment— Rio Grande

Operated by Los Alamos National Security, LLC for the U.S. Department of Energy’s NNSA

LA-UR-11-11570 U N C L A S S I F I E D

Integrated Post-Las Conchas Storm Water Monitoring - Project Goals

Goal of Integrated Monitoring Effort

• Establish a data set that enables assessment of risks and guides actions to protect water resources, and human and ecological health

• Inter-Agency Flood Risk Assessment Team

LANL goals

• Evaluate potential LANL contributions to contamination observed in storm water, and

• Take actions necessary to mitigate risks and repair damage associated with post-fire runoff

Operated by Los Alamos National Security, LLC for the U.S. Department of Energy’s NNSA

LA-UR-11-11570 U N C L A S S I F I E D

• LANL sampled from areas upgradient (unaffected) by LANL operations to characterize “natural” constituents in ash and soils

• Some interior sampling stations were damaged by August floods.

• Boundary stations all remain operational

Slide 4

Integrated Post-Las Conchas Storm Water Monitoring – LANL Sampling Plan

SAP map here

Los Alamos Canyon

Water Canyon

Pajarito Canyon

BDD

Operated by Los Alamos National Security, LLC for the U.S. Department of Energy’s NNSA

LA-UR-11-11570 U N C L A S S I F I E D

Integrated Post-Las Conchas Storm Water Monitoring –Samples Collected by LANL to Date

LANL has collected samples from 21 different days with runoffSamples collected from:• Locations upstream (unaffected) of LANL operations

— Helps characterize constituents found in ash and mountain soils• Canyons immediately north and south of LANL, also unaffected by

LANL operations— Helps characterize constituents found in ash and mountain soils— Helps understand how concentrations in runoff change downstream

from burn area• Downstream LANL boundary locations above and below Buckman

Diversion— Only Los Alamos Canyon joins the Rio above Buckman

Operated by Los Alamos National Security, LLC for the U.S. Department of Energy’s NNSA

LA-UR-11-11570 U N C L A S S I F I E D

Integrated Post-Las Conchas Storm Water Monitoring –Sample Results Overview

Constituents observed at locations unaffected by LANL are consistent with observations from similar locations after Cerro Grande• Some results exceed State water-quality standards • Cyanide, Dioxins/Furans – source is combustion of organic material in burn area• Metals – source is plant uptake of constituents found in soils• Radionuclides, PCBs – concentrated from global fallout deposited on forest floor

Observations at lower LANL boundary locations, including E109.9 • Cyanide and PCB concentrations are generally lower. Some still exceed standards • Metals, Radionuclides, Dioxins/Furans – similar concentrations as samples above

LANL

Results received to date are in RACER, remainder within several weeksData is being integrated with NMED, BDD, and Albuquerque water utility

for use in IFRAT Risk assessment