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oQAiamos NATIONAL LABORATORY --EST 194) ---

Environmental Protection Division Environmental Compliance Programs (ENV-CP) PO Box 1663, K490 Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545 (505) 667-0666

Date: Symbol: LA-UR:

Locates Action No.:

Ms. Michelle Hunter, Acting Chief Ground Water Quality Bureau New Mexico Environment Department Harold Runnels Building, Room N2250 1190 St. Francis Drive P.O. Box 26110 Santa Fe, NM 87502

Dear Ms. Hunter:

National Nuclear Security Administration Los Alamos Field Office, A316 3747 West Jemez Road Los Alamos, New Mexico, 87545 (505) 667-5794/Fax (505) 667-5948

JUN 1 8 2015 ENV-D0-15-0155 15-24088 NA

Subject: Notice of Intent to Conduct Dilution Tracer Tests, Los Alamos National Laboratory

In accordance with Subsection A of20.6.2.1201 New Mexico Administrative Code (NMAC), the U.S. Department of Energy and Los Alamos National Security, LLC (DOEILANS) are filing this notice of intent (NO I) to conduct dilution tracer tests at the following locations: regional aquifer monitoring well R-50 (screen #1), and corehole piezometers CrPZ-2a, CrPZ-2b, and CrPZ-3. A tracer will be deployed at these locations to help determine local groundwater flow velocities. Enclosure 1 contains a completed New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) Ground Water Quality Bureau NOI form. Enclosures 2, 3, and 4 provide information to support this notice.

DOE/LANS propose to use one of the following three tracers-sodium 1 ,5-naphthalene disulfonate, sodium bromide, or sodium fluorescein-with a preference for sodium 1 ,5-naphthalene disulfonate. The preference for sodium 1 ,5-naphthalene disulfonate is based on the following technical reasons:

• The use of sodium 1 ,5-naphthalene disulfonate as a groundwater tracer was approved by NMED on five previous occasions in 2013-2014 (DP-1793, Temporary Permissions to Discharge). The Laboratory would prefer to use a tracer that has previously produced good results and to be consistent in tracer usage when a goal is to compare results from different tracer tests in the same aquifer.

An Equal Opportunity Employer I Operated by Los Alamos National Security, LLC for the U.S. Departme,

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Ms. Michelle Hunter ENV-D0-15-0155

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• Sodium 1 ,5-naphthalene disulfonate has a very low detection limit of approximately 0.1 J.Lg/L (ppb ), which means that much less of it is needed to achieve a successful tracer test than either of the other proposed tracers. In contrast, sodium bromide has a detection limit of approximately 10 ppb requiring that a significantly greater amount of tracer be used than sodium 1,5-naphthalene disulfonate .

• Sodium I ,5-naphthalene disulfonate has the precedent of being used by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) in a tracer test involving the injection of 650 kg into high-quality surface and ground water in Idaho (Nimmo et al., 2002. See Enclosure 4). For comparison, the amount proposed under this NOI are gram quantities.

• Naphthalene is a known carcinogen; however naphthalene sulfonates are not carcinogenic nor mutagenic, and they are reported to be nontoxic to aquatic life, including algae, bacteria, and the daphnia water flea at concentrations that DOEILANS are proposing to use in the dilution tracer tests, which is a maximum of about I 0 mg/L (See Greim et al., I994, Table 2, p. 2231 of article in Enclosure 4 ).

Please contact RobertS. Beers by telephone at (505) 667-7969 or by email at bbeers@lanl.gov if you have questions regarding this NOI.

Sincerely,

~\lA_~ Alison M. Dorries Division Leader Environmental Protection Division Los Alamos National Security LLC

AMD:GET:RSB/lm

Sincerely,

~t,~ Gene E. Turner Environmental Permitting Manager National Security Missions Los Alamos Field Office U.S. Department of Energy

Enclosures: (1) Completed NMED GWQB Notice oflntent to Discharge Form (2) Map ofthe project site (3) Safety Data Sheet (SDS) for tracers sodium 1 ,5-naphthalene disulfonate, sodium

bromide, and sodium fluorescein (4) Supplemental Information and Publications RE: sodium 1,5-naphthalene disulfonate

Cy: James Hogan, NMED/SWQB, Santa Fe, NM, (E-File) John E. Kieling, NMED/HWB, Santa Fe, NM, (E-File) Stephen M. Yanicak, NMED/DOE/OB, (E-File) Cheryl L. Rodriguez, EM-LA, (E-File) Gene E. Turner, LASO-NS-LP, (E-File) Kirsten Laskey, LASO-SUP, (E-File) Michael A. Lansing, PADOPS, (E-File) Amy E. De Palma, PADOPS, (E-File) Michael T. Brandt, ADESH, (E-File)

An Equal Opportunity Employer I Operated by Los Alamos National Security, LLC for the U.S. Department of Energy's NNSA f,J "" s~

Ms. Michelle Hunter ENV -D0-15-0 155

Cy (continued): Raeanna Sharp-Geiger, ADESH, (E-Fi1e) Randall Mark Erickson, ADEP, (E-File) Alison M. Dorries, ENV-DO, (E-File) Stephani F. Swickley, ER, (E-File) Danny Katzman, ER, (E-File) Paul M. Reimus, EES-14, (E-File) Michael T. Saladen, ENV-CP, (E-File) RobertS. Beers, ENV-CP, (E-File) lasomailbox@nnsa.doe.gov, (E-File) locatesteam@lanl.gov, (E-File) epccat@lanl.gov, (E-File) env-correspondence@lanl.gov, (E-File)

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An Equal Opportunity Employer I Operated by Los Alamos National Security, LLC for the U.S. Department of Energy's NNSAfJ 1." s~