Los Alamos Stormwater Sampling Season is Underway
A Newport News Nuclear BWXT Los Alamos Environmental Remediation group member collects stormwater samples in Los Alamos Canyon.
LOS ALAMOS, N.M. — The rainy season holds significant importance in a high desert region. It also plays a crucial role in the commitment of the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management Los Alamos Field Office (EM-LA) to protect water quality in Northern New Mexico.
The Environmental Remediation Water Program of Newport News Nuclear BWXT Los Alamos (N3B), EM-LA’s legacy waste cleanup contractor, oversees collection of surface water and stormwater samples around the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). This program is especially active during the June-to-September rainy season. Thousands of water samples are collected each year, working around threatened and endangered species and existing mission work. Many sampling locations are in remote and difficult terrain.
Automated stormwater sampler activations begin in the spring, coinciding with warmer weather and snowmelt. Each activation involves documenting the work, ensuring sampler functionality, replacing worn parts and preparing samplers for storm events.
Crews face several challenges activating automated samplers and collecting samples, including restrictions related to threatened and endangered species, such as the Mexican spotted owl and the Jemez Mountain salamander. For example, during certain times of the year, N3B modifies fieldwork so that it does not disturb owls and salamanders in their critical habitat.
Other challenges include accessing sites, which may depend on LANL mission work; traveling to hard-to-reach areas; and managing logistical resources for 290 sampler locations spanning the 40-square-mile LANL site.
Water sample data helps determine the next steps for remediation and corrective action if contaminant exceedances are detected. Stormwater sampling and monitoring at LANL is governed by a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit. The system, a permitting program to protect and improve water quality, was created by the Clean Water Act and is administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
“The data we collect is a crucial indicator of the effectiveness of our legacy waste cleanup actions at LANL,” N3B Surface Water and Storm Water Manager Karly Rodriguez said.
“Ensuring water quality is a priority in our cleanup efforts,” Rodriguez said.