Plans and Practices for Groundwater Protection at the Los Alamos National Laboratory
—Interim Status Report—
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS
Washington, D.C.
www.nap.edu
NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.
This study was supported by U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Environmental Management contract #DE-FC01-04EW07022. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organizations or agencies that provided support for the project.
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THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES
Advisers to the Nation on Science, Engineering, and Medicine
The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone is president of the National Academy of Sciences.
The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. Wm. A. Wulf is president of the National Academy of Engineering.
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The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy’s purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone and Dr. Wm. A. Wulf are chair and vice chair, respectively, of the National Research Council.
COMMITTEE FOR THE TECHNICAL ASSESSMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAMS AT THE LOS ALAMOS NATIONAL LABORATORY
LARRY W. LAKE (chairman),
The University of Texas, Austin
RODNEY C. EWING (vice chairman),
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
DEANNA S. DURNFORD,
Colorado State University, Fort Collins
ROLF U. HALDEN,
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland
INEZ HUA,
Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana
ANNIE B. KERSTING,
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California
ANTHONY J. KNEPP,
YAHSGS, LLC, Richland, Washington
CHRISTOPHER J. MURRAY,
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington
KENNETH A. RAINWATER,
Texas Tech University, Lubbock
ARTHUR W. RAY,
Wiley Environmental Strategies, Columbia, Maryland
JOHN R. SMITH,
Alcoa Inc., Alcoa Center, Pennsylvania
NUCLEAR AND RADIATION STUDIES BOARD LIAISON
WARREN F. MILLER,
Texas A & M University, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Staff
JOHN R. WILEY, Study Director
TONI GREENLEAF, Financial and Administrative Associate
COURTNEY GIBBS, Senior Program Assistant
JAMES YATES, JR., Office Assistant
NUCLEAR AND RADIATION STUDIES BOARD
RICHARD A. MESERVE (chairman),
Carnegie Institution, Washington, DC
S. JAMES ADELSTEIN (vice chairman),
Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
HAROLD L. BECK,
Department of Energy Environmental Laboratory (retired), New York City, New York
JOEL S. BEDFORD,
Colorado State University, Fort Collins
ROBERT M. BERNERO,
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (retired), Gaithersburg, Maryland
SUE B. CLARK,
Washington State University, Pullman
ALLEN G. CROFF,
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (retired), Oak Ridge, Tennessee
DAVID E. DANIEL,
The University of Texas at Dallas
SARAH C. DARBY,
Clinical Trial Service Unit (CTSU), Oxford, United Kingdom
RODNEY C. EWING,
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
ROGER L. HAGENGRUBER,
University of New Mexico, Albuquerque
DANIEL KREWSKI,
University of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
KLAUS KÜHN,
Technische Universität Clausthal, Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Germany
SUSAN M. LANGHORST,
Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri
NIKOLAY P. LAVEROV,
Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow
MILTON LEVENSON,
Bechtel International (retired), Menlo Park, California
C. CLIFTON LING,
Memorial Hospital, New York City, New York
PAUL A. LOCKE,
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland
WARREN F. MILLER,
Texas A & M University, Albuquerque, New Mexico
ANDREW M. SESSLER,
E.O. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California
ATSUYUKI SUZUKI,
Nuclear Safety Commission of Japan, Tokyo
JOHN C. VILLFORTH,
Food and Drug Law Institute (retired), Gaithersburg, Maryland
PAUL L. ZIEMER,
Purdue University (retired), West Lafayette, Indiana
Staff
KEVIN D. CROWLEY, Board Director
EVAN B. DOUPLE, Scholar
RICK JOSTES, Senior Program Officer
MICAH D. LOWENTHAL, Senior Program Officer
JOHN R. WILEY, Senior Program Officer
NAOKO ISHIBE, Program Officer
TONI GREENLEAF, Administrative and Financial Associate
LAURA D. LLANOS, Administrative and Financial Associate
COURTNEY GIBBS, Senior Program Assistant
MARILI ULLOA, Senior Program Assistant
JAMES YATES, JR., Office Assistant
Reviewers
This report has been reviewed in draft form by persons chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise in accordance with procedures approved by the National Research Council’s Report Review Committee. The purposes of this review are to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institution in making the published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards of objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process. We wish to thank the following for their participation in the review of this report:
Jean M. Bahr, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Sue B. Clark, Washington State University, Pullman
James R. Cook, Savannah River National Laboratory, Aiken, South Carolina
Werner Lutze, Catholic University of America, Washington, DC
Bruce M.Thomson, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque
Although the reviewers listed above have provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse, nor did they see the final draft of the report before its release. The review of this report was overseen by Lloyd A. Duscha, Deputy Director of Engineering and Construction, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (retired). Appointed by the National Research Council, he was responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content of this report rests entirely with the authoring committee and the National Research Council.