Scott SurovchakRocky Flats Site Manager

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Legacy Management (LM)

Cleanup and Remedy Implementation at the

Rocky Flats Site,Jefferson County, Colorado

Interstate Technology and Regulatory Council October 2011

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Rocky Flats, 1995

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Rocky Flats Closure Project

Ten years and $7 billion – physical completion in October 2005 (1 year ahead of schedule and $500 million under budget)

385-acre industrial area containing 800 buildings and other structures, including “the most dangerous building in America”

360 potentially contaminated environmental sites with 88 requiring remediation

21 tons of weapons-grade material shipped to other sites, 100 metric tons of plutonium residues dispositioned

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Special Nuclear Material and Waste Shipping

Required significant DOE Complex integration to support Rocky Flats closure

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Rocky Flats Closure Project (continued)

275,000 cubic meters of radioactive wastes disposed

Surface soils to a depth of 3 feet below the surface in the industrial area were cleaned up, where needed, to the 50 picocuries per gram (pCi/g) soil action level for plutonium-239/240. Majority of the site is below 7 pCi/g plutonium.

Some plutonium/americium contamination fixed and left in place in two building foundations and some process piping filled with grout (all below 6 feet)

600,000 property items dispositioned by transfer, sale, donation, or disposal as contaminated waste

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Nearly 15,000 m3 of Transuranic Waste Was Safely Shipped to Waste Isolation Pilot Plant

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Regulatory Framework

Cleanup completed under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Recovery Act (CERCLA) and Colorado Hazardous Waste Act (CHWA)/Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)

Rocky Flats Cleanup Agreement (RFCA) is a legally binding agreement on cleanup decisions between DOE, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE)

RFCA utilized accelerated actions Significant public participation in cleanup decisions

through participation of Rocky Flats Coalition of Local Governments, Rocky Flats Citizens Advisory Board, and numerous public meetings

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Physical Completion

All buildings removed with the exception of two vehicle inspection sheds

Surface soil remediated to the soil action level

Two landfills covered

Four groundwater treatment systems operating

Continued evaluation of groundwater and surface water through sampling network

Ongoing DOE presence through LM

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Rocky Flats, October 2005

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Regulatory Completion

The Corrective Action Decision/Record of Decision (CAD/ROD), signed in 2006, established two CERCLA Operable Units: Central Operable Unit (COU) and Peripheral Operable Unit (POU)

POU not impacted by hazardous substance releases and final remedy is no action

POU deleted from the National Priorities List (NPL) in May 2007

Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge established on the POU (excluding some mineral rights areas) in July 2007

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Rocky Flats, June 2007

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Current Rocky Flats Site

The Rocky Flats Site managed by LM currently consists of 1,309 acres in the COU plus 945 acres outside of the COU that will eventually transfer to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)

Primary regulatory oversight of CERCLA remedy by CDPHE through the Rocky Flats Legacy Management Agreement (RFLMA)

LM maintains community and public interaction

• Rocky Flats Stewardship Council

• Public meetings involving LM, CDPHE, and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

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Legend

Central OU Boundary

Former Structure (removed)

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Legacy Management

COU retained by LM for ongoing monitoring and maintenance to implement the CERCLA remedy

COU contains the areas with remaining contamination concerns:

• Two closed landfills, areas of groundwater contamination above maximum contaminant levels, some subsurface and residual surface soil contamination

COU remedy is institutional controls, physical controls, and monitoring

CERCLA 5-year reviews of continuing protectiveness of the remedy required for COU

Ecology systems – wetlands and Preble’s meadow jumping mouse (PMJM) habitat

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Rocky Flats, June 2011

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Recent Activities

Design and construction of new nitrate treatment component and reconfiguration of uranium treatment component for the Solar Ponds Plume Treatment System

Environmental Assessment and Adaptive Management Plan for surface water configuration (dam breach)

RFLMA modification to relocate Point of Compliance (POC) surface water monitoring locations

CAD/ROD Amendment/RFLMA modification to clarify several institutional controls

Reconsultation with USFWS on Programmatic Biological Assessment due to change in PMJM critical habitat

Media changeout for the Mound Site Plume Treatment System and installation of polishing component

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New POC Monitoring Location on Walnut Creek

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Ongoing Activities

Routine groundwater and surface water monitoring in accordance with RFLMA (primary contaminants include volatile organic compounds, nitrate, uranium); 98 groundwater monitoring and 18 surface water sampling locations

Non-RFLMA/Adaptive Management Plan water monitoring Operation of four groundwater treatment systems Inspection and monitoring of physical and

institutional controls Inspection and maintenance for two closed landfills Erosion control and erosion monitoring Site management activities, such as road maintenance

and weed control

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Original Landfill

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Ongoing Activities (continued)

Revegetation and wetland mitigation PMJM critical habitat monitoring and reporting