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

Oak Ridge Reservation
4.3.5 Safe Drinking Water Act
The City of Oak Ridge supplies potable water to the Y-12 Complex that meets all federal, state, and
local standards for drinking water. The water treatment plant, located north of the Y-12 Complex, is
owned and operated by the City of Oak Ridge.
The Tennessee Regulations for Public Water Systems and Drinking Water Quality, Chap.1200-5-1,
sets limits for biological contaminants and for chemical activities and chemical contaminants. Sampling
for the following are conducted by Y-12 Utilities Management Organization:
• Total Coliform
• Chlorine Residuals
• Lead
• Copper
• Disinfectant By-product
• Propylene Glycol
In 2009, the Y-12 potable water system retained its approved status for potable water with the TDEC.
Y-12 continued sampling the potable water system for propylene glycol. TDEC instituted a requirement
for sampling the site potable water system for propylene glycol in 2007 after learning that an unapproved
cross connection exists between the Y-12 potable water system and the antifreeze fire sprinkler systems
containing propylene glycol. All of the samples collected during 2009 resulted in laboratory results below
the detection limits. A potable water system upgrade project is scheduled for the installation of approved
backflow prevention devices, conversion to dry pipe, and/or disconnection of the antifreeze fire sprinkler
systems by 2010.
All total coliform samples collected during 2009 were analyzed by the state of Tennessee lab, and the
results were negative. Analytical results for disinfectant by-products (total trihalomethanes and haloacetic
acids) for the Y-12 water systems were below the TDEC and Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) limits.
The Y-12 potable water system is currently sampled triennially for lead and copper, and the system
sampling was last completed in August 2008. These results were below the TDEC and SDWA limits and
meet the established requirements.
Major improvements were performed during 2009 to the potable water system included the following:
• Construction of two 7.5 million liters (2 million gallons) elevated water tanks that are scheduled for
completion in 2010 to replace legacy ground storage tanks.
• Replacement of 702 m (2,300 ft) of potable water lines
• Cleaned and lined 645 m (2,115 ft) of potable water lines
• Excavated and inspected 317 m (1,040 ft) of existing potable water lines
• Installed 52 new backflow assemblies
• Isolation and conversion of 152 anti-freeze loop fire sprinkler systems.
4.3.6 The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) regulates hazardous wastes that, if
mismanaged, could present risks to human health or the environment. The regulations are designed to
ensure that hazardous wastes are managed from the point of generation to final disposal. In Tennessee,
EPA delegates the RCRA program to TDEC; EPA retains an oversight role. Y-12 is considered a “largequantity
generator” because it may generate more than 1,000 kg (2,205 lb) of hazardous waste in a month
and because it has RCRA permits to store hazardous wastes for up to 1 year before shipping off site to
licensed treatment and disposal facilities. Y-12 also has a number of satellite accumulation areas and
90-day waste storage areas.
Mixed wastes are materials that are both hazardous (under RCRA guidelines) and radioactive. The
Federal Facilities Compliance Act (1992) requires that DOE work with local regulators to develop a site
treatment plan to manage mixed waste. Development of the plan has two purposes: to identify available
4-26 The Y-12 National Security Complex