DOE/ORO/2327 Oak Ridge Reservation Annual Site Environmental ...

Annual Site Environmental Report
Table 3.23. Analytical results exceeding screening levels from water samples collected
at sump S-073A before sediment removal
Location
Before sediment
removal
After sediment
removal
Cadmium
(µg/L)
Copper
(µg/L)
Lead
(µg/L)
Nickel
(µg/L)
Silver
(µg/L)
Zinc
(µg/L)
Mercury
(µg/L)
Gross
alpha
(pCi/L)
PCB-
1254
(µg/L)
PCB-
1260
(µg/L)
9.5 114 105 54.6 2.5 263 2 19.8 1.2 NA
1.18 15 8.76 NA NA NA 0.189 NA 0.46 0.31
Personnel from the City of Oak Ridge who are involved with the management of the sanitary sewer
system were notified about the results of the dye testing effort. Because of the levels of some
contaminants in the tested water, city personnel requested an estimate of the quantity of the discharge
from the sump into the sanitary sewer system. In February 2009, flow monitoring equipment was placed
in the sump to determine how much water the sump was discharging. Data were collected from February
2009 through the first week of May 2009. It was found that the sump did not discharge during periods of
dry weather. The discharge rate of the sump was found to be directly related to the amount of rainfall that
occurred. The sump was found to discharge approximately 6–8 gallons of water per 0.1 inch of rainfall.
The flow monitoring equipment was removed from the sump in August 2009.
Removal of the solids in the bottom of the sump was initiated in March 2009. The water present in
the sump at the time the solids were to be removed was pumped into 5-gallon containers using a
peristaltic pump. After all free water was removed from the sump, the solids were removed using a small
hand-held shovel and placed into 5-gallon waste containers. Grout was added to the solids, hydrated with
water from the sump, and allowed to set. Excess water was returned to the sump. The solidified material
was turned over to Waste Management personnel for disposal at Energy Solutions.
After the sediments were removed, the sump was allowed to discharge for a period of approximately
2 months before additional water samples were collected. This was done to allow the sump adequate time
to discharge and refill several times. The water in the sump was sampled in June 2009. The levels of some
of the contaminants that had exceeded screening levels before the solids were removed were found to
have dropped below screening levels after the solids were removed. However, several of the contaminants
remained above screening levels. The analytical results from this water sampling effort that exceeded
screening levels are presented in Table 3.23.
It has been determined that sump S-073A will remain in place until the demolition of the K-1006
building occurs.
3.5.1.7 Monitoring of Runoff from K-1070-B Burial Ground
The K-1070-B Burial Ground (Fig. 3.22) covers approximately 3.7 acres and has an average depth of
30 ft. This burial ground was opened in the early 1950s when the amount of equipment, materials, and
parts reached a level that made warehouse storage impractical. The burial ground grew outward from the
side of the hill south of Mitchell Branch. As waste was added and covered, the elevation became level
with the K-1300 complex to the south. The unit is estimated to have been in operation from 1950 through
the mid-1970s. Technological advances in barrier, compressor, and coolant systems resulted in plant
improvement programs that generated large quantities of obsolete machinery, equipment, materials, and
parts for disposal. Also, a former disposal site located near the junction of Highways 95 and 58 that was
jointly used by the Y-12 National Security Complex, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (formerly X-10),
and ETTP was cleaned up in the 1960s. At least ten tractor-trailer loads of materials were brought to
K-1070-B for disposal. These materials included ferrules, seal parts, radioactive green/yellow
compounds, stators, and contaminated valves. Operation of K-1070-B continued until the opening of the
K-1070-C/D Burial Ground in the mid-1970s. The K-1070-B Old Burial Ground was closed by covering
the site with soil, seeding with fescue, and planting black locust trees.
East Tennessee Technology Park 3-49