Technical Area 21
Management of contaminated buildings in TA-21
TA-21 Site History
Los Alamos National Laboratory’s (LANL) Technical Area 21 (TA-21) was the Manhattan Project and Cold War-era complex of buildings that housed the plutonium processing facility, and where groundbreaking tritium research for energy, environment and weapons defense research took place. At the height of operations, TA-21 contained 125 buildings. Visit the Public Electronic Reading room for more information about TA-21 Site History.
goal:
description:
Decontaminate and remove the existing structures, waste lines and tanks, debris and obsolete equipment, and implement the final remedy
Estimated COmpletion:
Technical Area 21 D&D and Cleanup: 2022
Material Disposal Areas A & T Remedy:
2028-2031
Cleanup Activities to Date
✓ Material Disposal Area B (MDA B), LANL’s oldest waste disposal site, was excavated, and, after confirmation sampling, was transferred to Los Alamos County
✓ Waste was shipped off-site and scrap metal was recycled
✓ MDA V was closed and transferred to Los Alamos County
✓ MDA U was closed, but has not yet been transferred to Los Alamos County
February 2019 Status
Key Future Activities
2019
Prepare TA-21 for cleanup by removing above ground vegetation and debris remaining from previous cleanup campaigns, begin D&D of Building 257 and the DP West building slabs, and begin removing DP West industrial waste line.
2019-2021
Remove the remaining building slabs, basements, utility tunnels and vaults, and other below-grade structures; remove contaminated soil and transport for off-site disposal; conduct sampling to confirm compliant cleanup; begin defining potential final remedies for MDAs A and T.
2020-2025
Define potential final remedies for MDAs A and T and begun process for public review and final selection by NMED, implement final remedy, complete site remediation, and complete all documentation necessary to allow transfer of the property to Los Alamos County for beneficial community use.
MDA A Overview
MDA T Overview
MDA T, located immediately west of MDA A, is a 2.2-acre radiological waste disposal site. It consists of four plutonium-contaminated absorption beds used to dispose of liquid wastes from 1945-1952; a retrievable waste storage area; a series of disposal shafts containing radioactive elements; an acid holding tank and acid sump; a caisson built in 1959 at the northwest corner of absorption bed 1; an inactive container storage area for alcohol, acetone, and freon; and two surface spills of radioactive waste.
Consent Order Campaigns
Under the Compliance Order on Consent (Consent Order) between the Department of Energy (DOE) and the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED), cleanup at TA-21 is divided into two campaigns: (1) TA-21 D&D and Cleanup and (2) Material Disposal Areas A & T Remedy.
Final Remedy
Produced by Los Alamos Legacy Cleanup Contractor, N3B Los Alamos, on behalf of DOE’s Environmental Management Los Alamos Field OfficeThe goal for both campaigns is two-fold: clean up to environmental standards while making land available for transfer to Los Alamos County. The goal requires the DOE’s Environmental Management Los Alamos Field Office (EM-LA), DOE’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), and NMED, with public input, to agree to final cleanup levels, and to secure the support of Los Alamos County on the cleanup levels and final site condition. After completion of the final remedy, DOE anticipates that land at TA-21 will be acceptable for reuse by Los Alamos County.
Presumed Remedy: TA-21 D&D and Cleanup Campaign – This campaign includes the removal and remediation of buried waste lines and contaminated soils. Demolition of facilities and slabs are not part of the Consent Order and will be executed under DOE requirements; the structures to be demolished include the DP West slabs and the Radiological Liquid Waste Treatment Facility, enabling access to contaminated soils.
Presumed Remedy: MDAs A and T Remedy Campaign – This campaign will result in long-term isolation of contamination to prevent release to the environment and subsequent exposure to humans. The General’s Tanks, two 50,000-gallon underground storage tanks containing the remnants of aqueous plutonium residues, are expected to be exhumed from MDA A, and the final remedy for both MDAs is expected to include construction of an engineered cover and long-term performance.
WHAT REMAINS: Above-Ground
- Debris left over from previous cleanup operations
- A radioactive materials processing facility
- Several above-ground tanks
- Two mobile buildings
- Obsolete equipment, and unused fencing and utility poles
WHAT REMAINS: Below-Ground or At-Grade
- Two large underground tanks containing radioactive effluent from material processing
- Underground waste transfer lines between buildings
- Buried waste
- Building slabs and roadways
Transfer of Land at TA-21
In November 1997, Congress authorized and directed DOE to transfer certain land tracts at LANL for other uses. At TA-21, in 2000 DOE transferred 20 acres to Los Alamos County. The law also allows for an additional 245 acres at TA-21 to be transferred to Los Alamos County upon completion of environmental cleanup activities.
Site Transfer Process
After TA-21 is cleaned to regulatory standards, EM-LA will transfer authority to NNSA, the federal landlord, who in turn will transfer it to Los Alamos County.
Protecting Businesses While Completing Cleanup
To protect businesses along DP Road during remediation activities, N3B will continue to:
- Operate with the highest safety standards necessary to protect the workers and the public
- Communicate with key stakeholders about the project status and related issues
- Strive to minimize disruption while safely maintaining schedule commitments
Additionally,
- All remediation is conducted within the TA-21 fence line
- Workers park within the TA-21 fence line
- Contact information is posted at the TA-21 gate
- Dust suppression is used
- Most truck traffic enters LANL via the truck route and Trinity Drive, and exits via the hill road
- Working hours are 7 a.m-5 p.m., Monday-Friday
