Quality Assurance Project Plan for the Environmental Monitoring Program in Waste Area Grouping 6 at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Environmental Restoration Program

Abstract

Waste Area Grouping (WAG) 6 is a hazardous and low-level radioactive waste disposal site at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). Extensive site investigations have revealed contaminated surface water, sediments, groundwater, and soils. Based on the results of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Facility Investigation (RFI) conducted from 1989--1991 and on recent interactions with the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC), a decision was made to defer implementing source control remedial measures at the WAG. The information shows WAG 6 contributes < 2% of the total off-site contaminant risk released over White Oak Dam (WOD). The alternative selected to address hazards at WAG 6 involves maintenance of site access controls to prevent public exposure to on-site contaminants, continued monitoring of contaminant releases to determine if source control measures will be required in the future, and development of technologies to support final remediation of WAG 6. This Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPjP) has been developed as part of the Environmental Monitoring Plan for Waste Area Grouping 6 at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee (DOE/OR/01-1192&D1). Environmental monitoring will be conducted in two phases: the baseline monitoring phase and the routine annual monitoring phase. The baseline monitoring phase will be conducted to establish the baseline contaminant release conditions at the Waste Area Grouping (WAG), to confirm the site-related chemicals of concern (COC), and to gather data to confirm the site hydrologic model. The baseline monitoring phase is expected to begin in 1994 and continue for 12-18 months. The routine annual monitoring phase will consist of continued sampling and analyses of COC to determine off-WAG contaminant flux, to identify trends in releases, and to confirm the COC. The routine annual monitoring phase will continue for {approximately}4 years.