Los Alamos Completes FY24 Legacy Cleanup Milestones, Meets Regulatory Commitments

LOS ALAMOS, N.M. — The EM Los Alamos Field Office (EM-LA) has achieved another year of fulfilling its legacy cleanup commitments with the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL).

For the recently ended fiscal year 2024, EM-LA and legacy cleanup contractor, Newport News Nuclear BWXT-Los Alamos, LLC (N3B), completed all 15 of the agreed FY24 Appendix B Milestones under the 2016 Compliance Order on Consent (Consent Order) between DOE and NMED. Since 2016, EM-LA has successfully completed 128 of 129 milestones under the Consent Order.

“I’m proud of our continued success in meeting our regulatory commitments with the state of New Mexico,” EM-LA Manager Jessica Kunkle said. “By fulfilling our commitments, we are demonstrating to the State, and the residents of northern New Mexico, our dedication to safely, effectively, efficiently and transparently progressing the LANL legacy cleanup mission.”

The Consent Order is an enforceable agreement for the cleanup of legacy waste at LANL. It contains requirements for investigation and cleanup, which are part of the corrective action process. The Consent Order establishes a structure for accomplishing cleanup work on a priority basis through campaigns.

In addition to completing all FY24 Appendix B Milestones, EM-LA and N3B had several other accomplishments over the last fiscal year that advanced the LANL legacy cleanup mission. These accomplishments occurred while N3B continued to focus on safely executing the mission.

Approximately 71 cubic meters of transuranic (TRU) waste were sent to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) for disposal, and more than 1,350 cubic meters of low-level and mixed low-level waste were shipped off-site for disposal. In total, EM-LA and N3B have completed the disposal of more than 80 percent of the legacy above-ground low-level and mixed low-level waste at LANL.

N3B retrieved all 158 corrugated metal pipes of cemented TRU waste from above Pit 9 at Technical Area 54 and made steady progress in size-reduction activities to prepare this waste for shipment to WIPP. EM-LA and N3B also completed a demonstration of the Universal Drum Assay and Segregation System (UDASS), which is designed to more accurately analyze the contents of radioactive waste containers. If successful, there is potential value for UDASS across the EM complex.

Additionally, significant progress was made in addressing soil contamination at LANL. For the first time, N3B simultaneously performed work in five Aggregate Areas—watersheds or canyons that contain contaminated soil and debris from legacy operations at LANL. Of those five Aggregate Areas, N3B completed field work, including soil remediation, and submitted an Investigation Report to NMED in one Aggregate Area (Twomile Canyon). Field work was completed in two other Aggregate Areas.

EM-LA and N3B obtained NMED approval of the successful cleanup of the Middle DP Road Site, confirming completion of the project. In addition, N3B conducted over 4,500 surface water inspections and collected over 1,800 surface water samples to help inform cleanup decision-making.

“I want to thank every N3B team member for their contributions to our cleanup successes during FY24,” N3B President and General Manager Brad Smith said. “In partnership with EM-LA, we continued to advance our goals of protecting water quality, cleaning up land and disposing of waste. I’m especially proud of the strong safety performance of the N3B workforce in making progress, and the spirit of operational excellence we have established across the LANL legacy cleanup mission.”

-Contributor: Mike Nartker