HomeContact Us
river viewcollage
 

BDD News

News Release

For More Information, Contact:
Patti Watson — 1-800-687-3417/505-269-9691 cell
Rick Carpenter — 505-955-4206; 660-5696 cell

BUCKMAN DIRECT DIVERSION PROJECT ASKS LOS ALAMOS NATIONAL LABORATORY TO TAKE SIX SPECIFIC ACTIONS TO MINIMIZE RADIOACTIVE CONTAMINATION OF RIO GRANDE AND CONSTRUCTION AREA

BDD sends formal request to LANL asking commitment and funding to address concerns

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—November 5, 2007


SANTA FE—Today Harry Montoya, chair of the Buckman Direct Diversion (BDD) Project Board, sent a formal letter to Susan Stiger, associate director for environmental programs, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and George Rael, assistant manager for environmental programs, National Nuclear Security Administration, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), asking LANL to take six specific action steps in response to three areas of concern discussed at the BDD Board meeting in October 2007.  The Board directed BDD staff to prepare the letter at that meeting.

The three areas of concern are: 1) buried contaminants, such as plutonium, in river sediments deposited in the 1940s-1960s in an area next to the site of the BDD river diversion facilities; 2) contaminants in the Pajarito Plateau that might be stirred up and transported to and down the Rio Grande during storms or high snowmelt; and 3) contaminants that have reached the regional aquifer under LANL, which is the current source of drinking water pumped by the Buckman wells.

The six action steps the letter asks LANL to take include:

  1. Stop migration of LANL contaminants to the Rio Grande and to groundwater through the construction of additional sediment barrier and containment systems, improved waste treatment and disposal practices, stabilization and clean-up of sediment beds and banks in the Rio Grande tributary canyons that have received LANL waste discharges, and other appropriate management actions;
  2. Properly monitor the transport of legacy contaminants (contaminants from the 1940s-1960s) in both the surface water and groundwater flow systems, including implementation of all recommendations contained in a report entitled “Plans and Practices for Groundwater Protection at Los Alamos National Laboratory, Final Report (2007)” recently published by the National Academy of Sciences with especially high priority placed on improvements in monitoring the transport of contaminants in the regional groundwater flow toward the Buckman well field and implementation of the recommendations addressing surface water and transport of contaminants from LANL property;
  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 to determine whether the BDD, as currently aligned, will intersect areas with elevated concentrations of these contaminants and help the BDD determine if minor realignment of project facilities could avoid these areas;
  4. Provide an early warning 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;
  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 to show that the treated drinking water and sediments removed during treatment meet or exceed all state and federal standards); and
  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.

The BDD Board prepared and sent the letter, in part, so that LANL can formally estimate and request the funding necessary to take action.  BDD staff is already working with LANL staff and staff of the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) to address these issues and has scheduled a meeting soon with LANL management to discuss the letter.

For more information, persons can contact Rick Carpenter, BDD Project Manager, at (505) 955-4206 or rrcarpenter@ci.santa-fe.nm.us.

About the Buckman Direct Diversion Project

The Buckman Direct Diversion (BDD) project will diversify the region’s drinking water supply so that the regional aquifer can rest and recharge (refill), and so that reliance is reduced on  reservoirs, which can run out of water during a dry year.  A joint project of the City of Santa Fe and Santa Fe County, in partnership with Las Campanas, LP, the BDD will divert water from the Rio Grande at a site three miles below the Otowi Bridge. The water will be piped underground to a new Water Treatment Plant near the Municipal Recreational Complex, then treated and delivered to customers of the City of Santa Fe and Santa Fe County. Las Campanas will receive and treat a portion of the water for its residents. Construction on the BDD is expected to begin in 2008, with the project scheduled to be operational in 2010.