What we do

Protect the environment for future generations

N3B Environmental Policy Statement

The Newport News Nuclear BWXT Los Alamos (N3B) Environmental Policy is implemented by adhering to the following principles: compliance, stewardship, communication, and continuous improvement.

Compliance

N3B will:

  • Conform to the requirements described in Department of Energy Order 436.1A, Departmental Sustainability.
  • Identify all applicable laws and regulations and implement programs and procedures to ensure compliance.
  • Protect unique natural, biological, and cultural resources while executing the Los Alamos Legacy Cleanup Contract to clean up legacy waste at Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Stewardship

N3B will:

  • Seek opportunities, beyond compliance requirements, for reducing potential environmental impacts.
  • Utilize management systems and develop procedures specifically designed to prevent activities or conditions that pose a potential threat to human health or the environment.
  • Look for ways to minimize risk; protect employees, the community, natural resources; and minimize waste.
  • Establish processes to ensure preparedness and response to minimize potential impacts to public health and the environment during emergencies.

Communication

N3B will:

  • Communicate this policy to all N3B and critical subcontractor employees working on the project.
  • Establish a process to seek employee input and integrate environmental objectives across the organization.

Continuous Improvement

N3B will:

  • Establish annual environmental objectives and environmental targets in support of environmental sustainability and stewardship.
  • Measure progress toward meeting objectives and communicating performance across the organization.
  • Assess N3B’s Environmental Management System on an annual basis, at minimum.
  • Seek input and feedback within N3B and from the Department of Energy Environmental Management Los Alamos Field Office, and continually seek opportunities to improve N3B’s adherence to these principles.

 

Protect Water Quality

N3B monitors groundwater for contamination and controls the migration of contaminated storm water linked to historical Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) operations. N3B is also treating a groundwater plume that contains elevated levels of hexavalent chromium and investigating a plume of Royal Demolition Explosives (RDX). Both plumes are in the regional aquifer beneath LANL.

GROUNDWATER

Monitor groundwater to ensure water leaving LANL does not pose an unacceptable impact to human or ecological health.

SURFACE AND STORM WATER

Monitor surface water and storm water runoff for contaminants linked to historical LANL operations while minimizing migration of potentially contaminated water through engineered controls.

Chromium

Control migration of the hexavalent chromium plume and reduce the plume footprint, while identifying a final remedy.

Royal Demolition Explosive

Ensure RDX groundwater contamination from past LANL operations does not threaten human and environmental health. 

Copper Water Quality Criteria

Obtain New Mexico Water Quality Control Commission approval for determining copper water quality criteria utilizing U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 2007 biotic ligand model.

Crews drill a borehole for groundwater monitoring well R-71 to further characterize the hexavalent chromium plume in groundwater beneath Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Resource Library

Protect Water Quality

Copper Fact Sheet

Protect Water Quality

Chromium Plume Fact Sheet

Protect Water Quality

RDX Fact Sheet

Clean Up The Land

N3B remediates sites across LANL where waste was historically spilled or disposed. Sites entail contaminated soil and debris, along with old landfills. N3B is also decontaminating and demolishing facilities used in LANL’s early Cold War-era plutonium processing and radiological liquid waste treatment operations.

MATERIAL DISPOSAL AREAS

Remediate old landfills, known as Material Disposal Areas, where contaminated material from past LANL operations was disposed.

AGGREGATE AREAS

Investigate, excavate and ship off-site for disposal contaminated soil and debris from LANL’s legacy operations.

MIDDLE DP ROAD

N3B responded to legacy LANL contamination found on Los Alamos County-owned land by investigating, excavating and shipping contaminated soil and debris off-site in preparation of safe residential use.

TECHNICAL AREA 21

Decontaminate and demolish decommissioned LANL buildings at TA-21, next to Los Alamos’ industrial area, to make the land available for beneficial use.

Tessa Hermes, assistant project manager and senior geologist with N3B subcontractor TerranearPMC, assesses excavation of contaminated soil near one of LANL’s Cold War-era underground explosives firing chambers. This Aggregate Area site is part of the Southern External Boundary Campaign to clean up contamination in Lower Water Canyon.

Resource Library

Clean Up The Land

TA-21 Fact Sheet

Clean Up The Land

MDA Fact Sheet

Ship Waste Off-Site

N3B retrieves, processes and ships off-site for disposal transuranic, low-level radiological and hazardous waste generated by LANL during the Manhattan Project and Cold War. Moving waste off-site reduces impact to human and environmental health from radiological and hazardous materials.

TRANSURANIC WASTE

Store, remediate and ship LANL’s legacy transuranic waste to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant

OTHER WASTE STREAMS

Store, remediate and ship other LANL waste off-site for processing.

An EM-TRU waste shipment from the Radioassay and Nondestructive Testing facility at LANL departs for WIPP.

Accomplishments