• About
    • About Us
    • What We Cover
  • Advertise
    • Advertise
    • Our Advertisers
  • Contact
  • 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 responds to advisory board recommendation
 on groundwater studies

Posted at 10:05 pm August 27, 2014
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management has responded to a recommendation made earlier this year by the Oak Ridge Site Specific Advisory Board.

In May, the federally appointed citizens’ panel recommended that DOE conduct additional groundwater studies to address any potential offsite migration of chemicals or radioisotopes from DOE’s Oak Ridge Reservation. The recommendation focuses on developing information that fosters a better understanding of potential impacts of groundwater contamination related to risk mitigation, groundwater remediation, and long-term stewardship.

In 2013, DOE, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation held a series of workshops to prioritize groundwater pathways on the ORR. Together the agencies created a groundwater strategy document that described the potential for releases from waste disposal sites and storage areas. The document also prioritized known groundwater plumes, concentration of contaminants, contaminants of concern, and potential health risks.

In addition to recommending additional groundwater studies, ORSSAB asked DOE to review the existing monitoring well network for proper placement and to abandon any wells that are in the wrong location or lack structural integrity.

ORSSAB also recommended additional baseline funding to perform interpretive analysis to better understand potential plume migration and effects on offsite receptors.

ORSSAB members believed the plume rankings were subjective and suggested the development of process knowledge documents for each plume. The board continued that the ranking methods should be reviewed to confirm or revise the rankings.

In its response, DOE said it has proceeded with the offsite groundwater migration studies working in cooperation with EPA and TDEC. DOE has planned budgets for three years for the project studies, and it has planned budgets for follow-on years for additional activities that may result from the studies.

DOE acknowledged the plume rankings may be subjective, but they were agreed to by DOE, EPA, and TDEC and will remain unless conclusions from the additional studies warrant revision of the rankings.

The complete text of the recommendation and DOE’s response is available online here.

ORSSAB meets the second Wednesday of the month at 6 p.m. at the DOE Information Center at 1 Science.gov Way in Oak Ridge. The meetings are open to the public.

Filed Under: Oak Ridge Office, Oak Ridge Site Specific Advisory Board, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: chemicals, contaminants, DOE, Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, groundwater contamination, groundwater plumes, groundwater remediation, groundwater strategy document, groundwater studies, health risk, long-term stewardship, Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management, Oak Ridge Reservation, Oak Ridge Site Specific Advisory Board, offsite groundwater migration studies, offsite mirgation, ORR, ORSSAB, radioisotopes, risk mitigation, TDEC, Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, U.S. Department of Energy, well network, wells

Advertisements



 

Join the club!

If you haven't already, please consider subscribing to Oak Ridge Today. You don't have to subscribe to read most of our stories, but your subscription does provide benefits, including access to premium content. And it will help us cover local news for you day and night, as best we can. 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:

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.

If you prefer to send a check, 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

Updated: TerraPower, Isotek extracting cancer treatment materials from U-233 at ORNL

Updated: TerraPower, Isotek extracting cancer treatment materials from U-233 at ORNL

TerraPower, a company that Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates helped launch in 2006, is working with Isotek Systems LLC, a federal cleanup contractor in Oak Ridge, to extract rare isotopes from nuclear materials for cancer … [Read More...]

DOE still has top two supercomputers, including Summit at ORNL

DOE still has top two supercomputers, including Summit at ORNL

The Summit supercomputer, a 200-petaflop IBM system that is the world's most powerful, is pictured above at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. (Photo courtesy Katie Bethea/ORNL) The U.S. Department of Energy still has the … [Read More...]

For members: Companies have agreement to make nuclear fuel

For members: Companies have agreement to make nuclear fuel

The carbonization and heat treatment furnace used to produce TRISO fuel, a uranium fuel, at a pilot production facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. (Photo courtesy X-energy) Note: This story was updated at 12:15 … [Read More...]

Oak Ridge receives award for partnership that led to AMSE opening in new space

Oak Ridge receives award for partnership that led to AMSE opening in new space

The City of Oak Ridge was formally honored with a Community Partnership Award during a Celebration of Service to the Profession as part of ICMA’s Annual Conference on Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2019. Oak Ridge City Manager Mark … [Read More...]

Trump nominates Brouillette to be energy secretary

Trump nominates Brouillette to be energy secretary

U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette, who has been nominated to serve as energy secretary, traveled to Tennessee in August to tour the BWXT—Nuclear Fuel Services Inc. Facility, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, … [Read More...]

More DOE

Recent Posts

  • Close to 100 entries registered for Christmas Parade on Saturday
  • Oak Ridge Schools delayed two hours
  • Want to serve on city board or commission? Applications are available
  • Obituary: Verner Anderson
  • Karen’s Jewelers has open house Thursday
  • Power outages planned in west Oak Ridge on Saturday
  • O’Kegley, Santa to conduct Oak Ridge Chorus on Saturday
  • Christmas Tree Lighting is Friday in Oak Ridge
  • Leadership Oak Ridge provides outdoor seating area at AMSE
  • Call center relocates to Oak Ridge

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 © 2019 Oak Ridge Today