Idaho National Laboratory Environmental Monitoring Plan

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Idaho National Laboratory (INL) consists of eight major facilities
located in southeastern Idaho within a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
specified boundary, typically referred to as the “INL Site,” and several
laboratories and administrative buildings located in Idaho Falls, Idaho,
approximately 48 km (30 mi) east of the INL Site boundary. This plan describes
routine environmental compliance and surveillance monitoring of airborne and
liquid effluents, and ecological and meteorological conditions in and around the
vicinity of the INL Site (see Figure E-1).
Environmental monitoring discussed in this plan is conducted in accordance
with DOE Order 450.1, “Environmental Protection Program.” 1 The objective of
DOE Order 450.1 is to provide guidance for implementing sound stewardship
practices for protecting the air, water, land, and other natural and cultural
resources that may be impacted by DOE operations. This plan provides an
overview of the organizations and federal agencies responsible for meeting these
stewardship objectives at the INL Site, the rationale for monitoring, the types of
media monitored, where the monitoring is conducted, and information regarding
access to analytical results. Environmental monitoring activities are conducted by
a variety of organizations consisting of:
Idaho National Laboratory
Idaho Cleanup Project
Environmental Surveillance, Education, and Research Program
United States Geological Survey
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Advanced Mixed Waste Treatment Project.
Compliance monitoring of airborne and liquid effluents is performed to
verify compliance with permitting requirements, state and federal regulations,
and environmental protection policies and commitments. Surveillance monitoring
addressed in this document is driven by DOE order and is performed to identify
key contaminants released into the environment, evaluate different pathways
through which contaminants move in the environment, and determine the
potential effects of these contaminants on the environment.
Nonroutine activities, such as special research studies and the
characterization of individual sites for environmental restoration, are outside the
scope of this plan. Environmental monitoring activities at Naval Reactors Facility
conducted by Bechtel Bettis, Inc. are not included in this plan.
iii
Executive Summary