Annual Site Environmental Report, 2004

Abstract

This report provides information about environmental programs during 2004 at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC). Seasonal activities that span calendar years are also included. Production of an annual site environmental report (ASER) is a requirement established by the United States Department of Energy (DOE) for all management and operating (MO the environment is protected; and compliance is ensured. Throughout 2004, SLAC focused on these activities through the SLAC management systems (described in Chapter 3). These systems were also the way SLAC approached implementing ''greening of the government'' initiatives such as Executive Order 13148. The management systems at SLAC are effective, supporting compliance with all relevant statutory and regulatory requirements. There were no reportable releases to the environment from SLAC operations during 2004. In addition, many improvements were continued during 2004, in waste minimization, recycling, decreasing air emission rates, stormwater drain system, groundwater restoration, and planning for a chemical management system to manage chemical use better. Program-specific details discussed are: (1) Air Quality--SLAC operates its air quality management program in compliance with its established permit conditions: 2004 was the seventh consecutive year the air quality management program operated without receiving any notices of violation (NOVs) from regulators. (2) Hazardous Waste--The Environmental Health Division of the San Mateo County Health Services Agency is the California certified unified permitting agency (CUPA) responsible for overseeing hazardous materials and waste management at SLAC. The CUPA made no facility inspections of SLAC during 2004. (3) Stormwater and Industrial Wastewater--SLAC operates its industrial and sanitary wastewater management program in compliance with established permit conditions: 2004 was the eighth consecutive year the program operated without receiving any NOVs from program regulators. During 2004 the last 32 unauthorized discharge connections to the stormwater system were eliminated. (4) Hazardous Materials Program--Although SLAC has been successful in meeting the regulatory requirements for managing hazardous materials, it has decided to pursue a more active strategy in reducing its use of such materials. The cornerstone of this effort is the implementation of a chemical management system (CMS). (5) Environmental Radiological Program--In 2004, no radiological incidents occurred that increased radiation levels or released radioactivity to the environment. In addition to managing its radioactive wastes safely and responsibly, SLAC worked to reduce the amount of waste generated. As detailed in Chapter 5, SLAC has implemented programs and systems to ensure compliance with all radiological requirements related to the environment. (6) Groundwater Protection and Environmental Restoration--In general, environmental concerns at SLAC are limited in number, small in scale and are actively being managed or eliminated. The Environmental Restoration Program continued work on site characterization and evaluation of remedial alternatives at four sites with volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in groundwater and several areas with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and lead in soil.