131 LA UR 03 5862 - National Nuclear Security Administration ...

Table 3.2-4. Discharges from NPDES Permitted Outfalls by Facility (Millions of Gallons)PROJECTEDDISCHARGE DISCHARGE DISCHARGE DISCHARGE DISCHARGE DISCHARGEFACILITY (SWEIS ROD) (1998) (1999) (2000) (2001) (2002)Plutonium Complex 14.0 8.5 8.6 6.5 0.4053 2.82Tritium Facility 0.3 13.7 9 8.6 0.3932 13.4CMR Building 0.5 3.1 4.5 2.3 0.0209 0.76Sigma Complex 7.3 12.7 5.9 3.9 0.0555 2.00High Explosives Processing 12.4 17.1 0.2 0.1 0.036 0.03High Explosives Testing 3.6 1.8 14.3 16.1 0.006638 1.38LANSCE 81.8 53.4 37.2 30.5 20.45 24.04HRL 2.5 0.0 0 0 0 0Radiochemistry Facility 4.1 0.0 0 0 0 0RLWTF 9.3 6.1 5.3 4.9 3.6 2.92Pajarito Site 0 0 0 0 0 0MSL 0 0 0 0 0 0TFF 0 0 0 0 0 0Machine Shops 0 0 0 0 0 0Waste Management0 0 0 0 0 0OperationsNon-Key Facilities 142.1 95.2 232 192.5 99.01 130.83Totals 278.0 212.0 317.2 265.4 124.04 178.18The RLWTF, Building 50-01, Outfall 051, discharges into Mortandad Canyon. During 2002, about 2.9million gallons of treated radioactive liquid effluent, about 0.7 million gallons less than 2001, were releasedto Mortandad Canyon from the RLWTF, compared to 9.3 million gallons projected by the SWEIS ROD. TheTA-16 HEWTF discharged about 0.0275 million gallons compared to 12.4 projected by the SWEIS ROD.Treated wastewater released from LANL’s NPDES outfalls rarely leaves the site. However, the NPDESpermit program also regulates storm water discharges from certain activities. During CY 2002, LANLoperated about 75 stream-monitoring and partial-record storm water-monitoring stations located in 17watersheds. Data gathered from these stations show that surface water, including storm water, occasionallyflows off of DOE property. Flow measurements and water quality data for surface water are detailed inLANL’s annual reports, Environmental Surveillance at Los Alamos (an example is LANL 2001c) and SurfaceWater Data at Los Alamos National Laboratory (an example is LANL 2000c).Overview of the NPDES Outfalls HistoryThe number of outfalls listed in the NPDES permit had decreased from 88 at the end of 1996 to 66 at theend of 1997. Even more substantial reductions occurred during 1998, and the number of permitted outfallshad decreased to just 36 by the end of December 1998. Most of the reductions during both 1997 and 1998were from the High Explosives Processing Key Facility (six eliminated in 1997, and 13 eliminated in 1998)and High Explosives Testing Key Facility (five eliminated in 1997, and seven eliminated in 1998). Outfallreductions for both High Explosives Key Facilities largely resulted from redirecting some flows, such ascooling tower discharge waters, to the sewage plant at TA-46, and from the routing of high explosivescontaminated flows through the HEWTF, which has but a single outfall. The HEWTF began treatmentoperations in 1997.At the end of 1999, the number of outfalls listed in the NPDES permit had decreased by 16. Three ofthe 16 outfalls eliminated during 1999, Outfalls 03A-040, 03A-045, and 06A-106, were associated with theHRL, Radiochemistry Laboratory, and High Explosives Testing Key Facilities, respectively; and, each was3-8SWEIS Yearbook—2002