• About
    • About Us
    • What We Cover
  • Advertise
    • Advertise
    • Our Advertisers
  • Contact
  • Donate
  • Send News
  • Subscribe

Oak Ridge Today

  • Home
  • Sign in
  • News
    • Business
    • Community
    • Education
    • Government
    • Health
    • Police and Fire
    • U.S. Department of Energy
    • Weather
  • Sports
    • High School
    • Middle School
    • Recreation
    • Rowing
    • Youth
  • Entertainment
    • Arts
    • Dancing
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Television
    • Theater
  • Premium Content
  • Obituaries
  • Classifieds


 







DOE commits to three-year, $4.5 million groundwater study in Oak Ridge

Posted at 3:34 pm January 23, 2014
By John Huotari 17 Comments

Daniel Goode and SSAB Groundwater Strategy Presentation

Daniel J. Goode, a research hydrologist for the U.S. Geological Survey, briefs members of the Oak Ridge Site Specific Advisory Board on a new groundwater strategy for the Oak Ridge Reservation.

The U.S. Department of Energy has agreed to spend $4.5 million during the next three years to study groundwater contamination on the Oak Ridge Reservation.

The reservation includes three federal sites—East Tennessee Technology Park, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and Y-12 National Security Complex—that have been involved in missions ranging from scientific research to uranium enrichment to nuclear weapons work. That work has sometimes included the use of hazardous substances such as mercury and technetium-99, a slow-decaying radioactive metal.

The $4.5 million in funding will help implement a new groundwater strategy developed by DOE with help from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The strategy, which was presented to the Oak Ridge Site Specific Advisory Board in November, will help guide future cleanup decisions, said Sue Cange, deputy manager for environmental management in DOE’s Oak Ridge Office.

Officials said there is no cause for alarm, and the off-site risks from possible groundwater contamination aren’t significant enough to compel the EPA to require the Department of Energy to act.

“No one should be alarmed,” said Daniel J. Goode, a research hydrologist for the U.S. Geological Survey. “DOE is managing the site. It’s very complex. It’s very contaminated. But they are protecting the public. There is no crisis here.”

But during a November briefing to the SSAB, Goode said there are questions about the potential migration of contaminated groundwater off the Oak Ridge Reservation through very limited, discrete waterways deep under ground.

The groundwater project team, which also included representatives from UCOR/RSI and SAIC, recommended a three-year off-site groundwater quality assessment focused on the southwest side of the Oak Ridge Reservation. Residential wells and springs could be sampled and their contents analyzed to determine if contaminants unique to the ORR are present and if there is a potential public health risk from DOE contaminants. The results could be evaluated to determine if more action is needed.

The groundwater strategy document said there have been recent sporadic, low-concentration detections of radionuclides and volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, in off-site sampling locations “downgradient” of the ORR.

The contaminants are at very low concentrations, but DOE has put in place some land-use restrictions and provided water to residents, Goode said. There are off-site monitoring wells in Melton Valley between Haw and Copper ridges, and they have detected contaminants that could have come for Oak Ridge.

“There are no known health impacts from contaminants detected off-site,” the strategy document said. “However, in order to minimize groundwater pumping that could draw DOE contaminants off-site, license agreements restricting groundwater use have been put in place for some residents in the area west of the Clinch River across from Melton Valley.”

The strategy said a number of radionuclides and VOCs have been periodically detected at low levels in monitoring wells in Melton Valley southwest of ORNL. There have also been intermittent detections of metals and VOCs in off-site wells on the west side of the Clinch River, across from the reservation, and two detections of strontium-90 and technetium-99 have been observed, the report said.

But with the exception of a low VOC detection in one well in 2010, no known DOE contaminants in off-site wells across the Clinch River from Melton Valley have exceeded safe drinking water standards, Goode said. And that one compound was not detected in subsequent samples from the same well.

Detection of the contaminants doesn’t prove migration from the Oak Ridge Reservation, but there is a consensus that off-site migration is plausible, may have occurred, and needs investigation, Goode said.

Dave Adler of DOE-ORO said VOCs are not unique to Oak Ridge—they’re used for activities ranging from agriculture to racing—but technetium-99 is. The technetium-99 was found in a DOE sampling well and only after aggressive drilling that could have drawn contaminants into the well, Adler said.

Goode said the groundwater strategy could include a revival of state-of-the-art studies at the Oak Ridge Reservation that could include academic and government experts. That type of approach seems to be under way with respect to mercury, Goode said.

He said there are many data gaps regarding groundwater contamination because there has been little investigative work since the 1990s. Since the early 1990s, DOE has focused on remediation and monitoring and less on science, even though there have been scientific advances in characterization and modeling in the past two decades, Goode said.

The project team’s strategy document included a ranking of plumes on the Oak Ridge Reservation at ETTP, ORNL, and Y-12. They were ranked by pathway, hazard, toxicity, and longevity, among other things.

The top two plumes by what is known as a pathway score are contamination from undetermined sources on the southwest side of the reservation, southwest of ORNL’s main campus and near the Clinch River, and uranium in Maynardville limestone at Y-12. The third is S-3 Deep nitrate in the Maynardville limestone in Bear Creek Valley west of Y-12.

The top ranking by what is known as a total plume score—the final results were heavily weighted with the pathway score—is a hydrofracture disposal site south of ORNL where waste was injected between 700 to 1,000 feet underground with cement. That site had the highest hazard score.

Goode said the ORSSAB could consider recommending that DOE collect, review, and archive records associated with the hydrofracture disposal site to support long-term stewardship. He said that waste will be at that spot forever.

Communications with the public could be an important part of the groundwater work, Goode said.

For some time, regulators have wanted DOE to evaluate groundwater contamination and develop possible responses. Officials said the new groundwater strategy will include the implementation of more groundwater investigation to support ongoing efforts to manage groundwater resources associated with the Oak Ridge Reservation.

“This is a great example of us trying to be more collaborative with the environmental regulators,” said Michael T. Koentop, executive officer in DOE’s Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management.

Read the groundwater strategy document here: ORSSAB Groundwater Report.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

Filed Under: DOE, East Tennessee Technology Park, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge Office, Slider, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy, Y-12 National Security Complex Tagged With: Bear Creek Valley, Clinch River, contaminants, Copper Ridge, Daniel J. Goode, Dave Adler, DOE, drinking water, East Tennessee Technology Park, ETTP, groundwater contamination, groundwater quality assessment, groundwater strategy, Haw Ridge, hydrofracture, Melton Valley, mercury, Michael T. Koentop, migration, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge Office, Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management, Oak Ridge Reservation, Oak Ridge Site Specific Advisory Board, ORNL, ORR, ORSSAB, plumes, radionuclides, RSI, SAIC, strontium-90, Sue Cange, technetium-99, Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Geological Survey, UCOR, uranium, VOC, volatile organic compounds, wells, Y-12, Y-12 National Security Complex

Advertisements

 

Join the club!

If you appreciate our work, please consider subscribing. Besides helping us, your subscription will give you access to our premium content.

Most of our stories are free, brought to you by Oak Ridge Today with help from our members—advertisers, subscribers, and sponsors.

But some are premium content, available only to members. Those are in-depth, investigative, or exclusive stories that are available only on Oak Ridge Today. They generally require at least four hours to report, write, and publish.

You can subscribe for as little as $5 per month.

You can read more about your options here.

We currently offer five primary subscription options to readers, and they include benefits.

Basic

  • Basic monthly subscription ($5 per month)—access premium content
  • Basic annual subscription ($60 per year)—access premium content

Pro

  • Pro monthly subscription ($10 per month)—access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month
  • Pro annual subscription ($100 per year)—save $20 per year, access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month

Temporary

  • Temporary access ($3 per week for two weeks)

We also have advanced subscription options. You can see them here.

We also accept donations. You can donate here.

If you prefer to send a check for a subscription or donation, you may do so by mailing one to:

Oak Ridge Today
P.O. Box 6064
Oak Ridge, TN 37831

Thank you for your consideration and for reading Oak Ridge Today. We appreciate your support.

Commenting Guidelines

We welcome comments, but we ask you to follow a few guidelines:

1) Please use your real name, including last name. Please also use a valid e-mail address.
2) Be civil. Don't insult others, attack their character, or get personal.
3) Stick to the issues.
4) No profanity.
5) Keep your comments to a reasonable length and to a reasonable number per article.

We reserve the right to remove any comments that violate these guidelines. Comments held for review, usually from those posting for the first time, may not post if they violate these guidelines. Thank you for your patience and understanding. Thank you also for reading Oak Ridge Today and for participating in the discussion.

More information is available here.

More U.S. Department of Energy News

U.S. Department of Energy Logo

Controlled burns start this week on DOE land

The U.S. Department of Energy is starting a series of controlled burns of grassland areas on the Oak Ridge Reservation this week. The controlled burns could continue through mid-April, depending upon weather. The … [Read More...]

Mason, an IDB member, community volunteer, dies of COVID complications

David Mason David Lane Mason, a member of the Oak Ridge Industrial Development Board and community volunteer, died of COVID-19 complications on Monday. He was 79. Mason was a former deputy director of environmental … [Read More...]

Ashley Golden promoted to director of ORISE health studies program

The Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education promoted Ashley Golden to director of its health studies program, where she previously served as a group manager and biostatistician. In her new role, Golden will … [Read More...]

Public Notice: Comment period extended for Draft EA for Lithium Processing Facility at Y-12

EXTENSION OF THE COMMENT PERIOD FOR THE DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE LITHIUM PROCESSING FACILITY AT THE Y-12 NATIONAL SECURITY COMPLEX (DOE/EA-2145) The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Nuclear … [Read More...]

For members: Summit at ORNL remains second-most powerful supercomputer

Pictured above being interviewed by a CNBC television crew before a ceremony on Friday afternoon, June 8, 2018, for the then-new Summit supercomputer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory are Ginni Rometty, left, chairman, … [Read More...]

More DOE

Recent Posts

  • Police chief to speak to League of Women Voters on Tuesday
  • Martin Luther King Jr. celebration will feature ORHS principal
  • Controlled burns start this week on DOE land
  • Current status of city facilities due to COVID
  • Rep. Fleischmann tests positive for COVID
  • Oak Ridge man charged with second robbery
  • Mason, an IDB member, community volunteer, dies of COVID complications
  • Tammy Dunn appointed Oak Ridge city attorney
  • Which Wich closes
  • Obituary: David Lane Mason

Recent Comments

  • Matt Bailey on Dodson also wants to serve as mayor pro tem
  • Mark Caldwell on Dodson also wants to serve as mayor pro tem
  • Matt Bailey on Dodson also wants to serve as mayor pro tem
  • Mark Caldwell on Dodson also wants to serve as mayor pro tem
  • Matt Bailey on Dodson also wants to serve as mayor pro tem
  • Tracy Powers on Planning Commission to consider Main Street apartments, plan revisions
  • johnhuotari on Four incumbents re-elected to Oak Ridge City Council
  • Levi D. Smith on Four incumbents re-elected to Oak Ridge City Council
  • samuel hopwood on Housing: Apartments proposed on former AMSE site
  • Matt Bailey on Robin Smith named Oak Ridge police chief

Search Oak Ridge Today

About Us

About Oak Ridge Today
What We Cover

How To

Advertise
Subscribe

Contact Us

Contact Oak Ridge Today

Copyright © 2021 Oak Ridge Today