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BDD Project Newsletter

Vol. 1, Issue 1   •   July 2009

BDD Board Reports Progress on Six Action Steps Asked of LANL

With a great deal of encouragement and assistance from the New Mexico’s congressional delegation and members of the New Mexico Legislature who sponsored and supported House Memorial 120, encouraging the U.S. Department of Energy and Los Alamos National Laboratory to resume negotiations with the BDD Board and Staff, a great deal of progress has been made on the six action steps the BDD Board asked LANL to take to protect water quality in November 2007.

Progress on Six Action Steps

As of May 2009, the status of these issues was as follows:

In Progress

1. Stop migration of LANL contaminants to the Rio Grande and to groundwater.

STATUS: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the New Mexico
Environment Department (NMED) have ordered DOE to implement numerous
improvements to reduce contaminated storm water runoff to the Rio Grande,
before the BDD begins operations.
under negotiation

2. Properly monitor the transport of legacy contaminants (contaminants from the 1940s-1960s) in both the surface water and groundwater flow systems.

STATUS: LANL is working with NMED and BDD representatives to sample the Rio Grande above LANL and at the BDD river diversion site. LANL groundwater monitoring is being performed subject to an NMED Consent Order. The BDD Board thinks other monitoring improvements are necessary, but these aspects

under negotiation

3. Measure the radioactive and toxic contamination of buried sediments containing higher concentrations of post World War II LANL legacy contaminants now buried in the slough (side channel) upstream of the BDD diversion site.

STATUS: Completed – Study paid for by BDD Board and NMED.
In Progress

4. Provide an early notification system so the BDD can temporarily stop diversions of any water from the Rio Grande when the Rio Grande is expected to contain elevated levels of contaminants of LANL origin.

STATUS: Construction has begun; some details remain in negotiation.
under negotiation

5. Monitor the mass of any LANL-origin contaminants diverted with BDD raw water supplies and account for that mass in water treatment plant residuals and treated drinking water (to assure contaminants remain at low levels in the diverted water prior to treatment and show the treated drinking water and sediments removed during treatment meet or exceed all State and Federal standards).

STATUS: The BDD has developed a specific monitoring plan that is under
review.
In Progress

6. Provide funding for the BDD Board to retain independent peer
review by qualified persons with regard to matters of LANL-origin contamination of the public drinking water resources of Santa Fe County and the City of Santa Fe.

STATUS: Concept is agreed. An RFP (Request for Proposals) has been
prepared; funding arrangements are being worked out.

Negotiations are continuing.  BDD Board and staff will update these six action steps as their status changes.