Carlsbad Environmental Monitoring & Research Center

01/22/2016

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jan. 22, 2016
Governor Susana Martinez Contact: Chris Sanchez
(505) 819-1398
[email protected]
U.S. Department of Energy: (202) 586-4940
U.S. Department of Energy and New Mexico Finalize $74M in Settlement Agreements for Nuclear Waste Incidents of 2014
Agreements Include Schedules and Funding Parameters for Corrective Actions and Improvement Projects for New Mexico’s Roads, Water Infrastructure, and Emergency Response

Washington, DC — Today, the New Mexico Environment Department, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and its contractors signed two settlement agreements to resolve the State of New Mexico Environment Department’s claims against DOE and its contractors related to the February 2014 incidents at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in Carlsbad and the associated activities at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL).
Under the agreements, which provide funding and scheduling parameters for a set of Supplemental Environmental Projects (SEPs) in both the Carlsbad and Los Alamos communities, New Mexico’s roads, water infrastructure, and emergency response infrastructure will receive critical improvements. The finalized settlement agreements are based on the State of New Mexico’s and DOE’s General Principles of Agreement signed by the parties on April 30, 2015.
“LANL and WIPP are critical assets to our nation’s security, our state’s economy, and the communities in which they operate,” said New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez. “The funds New Mexico will receive through this agreement will help ensure the future safety and success of these facilities, the people who work at them, and their local communities. We look forward to continuing to work with the federal government to ensure the safety and success of both LANL and WIPP.”
“We are pleased to resolve the Administrative Compliance Orders so that we can continue to focus full attention on resuming and improving our waste management operations at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz. “The projects we are funding as part of this settlement are important investments in the health and safety of New Mexicans who work at or live nearby DOE facilities, and will enhance our operations.”
These projects, estimated at a total value of $74 million, include approximately:
• $34 million to help the N.M. Department of Transportation to make necessary repairs to New Mexico roads used for the transportation of transuranic waste to WIPP in the southeastern portion of New Mexico. The first project is to repair the WIPP North Access Road, an approximately 13-mile stretch of road between Highway 62-180 and the WIPP site.
• $4 million to fund the construction of and equipment for an offsite emergency operations center near WIPP to be operated by DOE.
• $1 million to fund enhanced training and capabilities for local emergency responders, in and around Carlsbad, NM, including funding for training and exercises with local mine rescue teams.
• Up to $12 million to improve DOE-owned transportation routes at LANL used to ship transuranic waste to WIPP.
• $10 million to replace aging potable water lines and install metering equipment for LANL potable water systems.
• $7.5 million to design and install engineering structures in canyons in and around LANL to slow storm water flow and decrease sediment load to improve water quality.
• $2.5 million to fund increased sampling and monitoring capabilities for storm water runoff in and around LANL, with the results of the sampling and monitoring to be shared with the public and NMED.
• $3 million for agreements to conduct external triennial compliance reviews of environmental regulatory compliance and operations at WIPP and LANL.
The agreements further require that DOE and its contractors implement the necessary corrective actions at both facilities in order to ensure safe and sustainable continued operations to resolve the State of New Mexico Environment Department’s Administrative Compliance Orders issued in December of 2014, which totaled $54.3 million in civil penalties. The agreement signed by NMED, DOE, Los Alamos National Security and Nuclear Waste Partnership was signed and executed today and is available at:
LANL Settlement Agreement
WIPP Settlement Agreement

12/10/2015

The CEMRC has published its 2014 Annual Report - a comprehensive report covering our environmental monitoring activities of the WIPP for calendar year 2014.

Take a look at www.cemrc.org under the "annual reports" tab.

The Carlsbad Environmental Monitoring & Research Center is a division of the College of Engineering at New Mexico State University. This 26,000 ft2 radiochemistry facility includes environmental and general radiochemistry laboratories, a special plutonium-uranium lab, an in vivo bioassay facility, m…

08/11/2015

August 10, 2015

WIPP false alarm of Station B radiological measurements confirmed by independent laboratory.

Following last Tuesday’s false alarm at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), the Carlsbad Environmental Monitoring and Research Center (CEMRC), a division of the College of Engineering at New Mexico State University, conducted both non-destructive gross alpha/beta screening and isotopic destructive analyses of a WIPP Station B exhaust air filter collected the morning of August 5, 2015 to determine the levels of radioactive contamination present on the filter during the false alarm time period.

Results from these independent radiological analyses show that radiological contamination present on the WIPP exhaust Station B filter for the August 4, 2015 timeframe were below background levels and do not represent any harm to the environment or to public health.

Isotopic analyses show that only a trace amount of WIPP-related radioactive isotopes, primarily Americium (241Am) and Plutonium (239+240Pu), were detected on the filter. Further, the levels measured were very low and quite typical of measurements found on previous Station B WIPP exhaust filters analyzed by the CEMRC after the February 14, 2014 underground radiation event.

08/05/2015

Last evening (Tuesday, August 4th, 2015) at approx. 6pm, radiological technicians at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) detected minute levels of radiation on a WIPP exhaust station B filter and initiated a shelter in place order and activated the Emergency Operations Center/Joint Information Center.

At approximately 10:30pm the same evening, it was determined that this was a false positive reading and the shelter in place order was lifted and the EOC/JIC was deactivated.

The CEMRC will be performing radiological analyses of their WIPP exhaust station B filters from this time period and will provide the results of this analyses as soon as the analyses has been completed.

04/09/2015

The Carlsbad Environmental Monitoring & Research Center is searching for two full-time staff members.

One is a senior facilities technician who will perform routine maintenance activities at the CEMRC facility. The position requires a high school diploma/GED and three years' relevant experience in facility maintenance. Applicants must apply through the NMSU Jobs portal. See https://jobs.nmsu.edu/postings/21713 for more information about this position.

The second position is a research lab technician who will collect environmental samples from within and around the WIPP facility. The position requires a high school diploma/GED and two years' relevant experience in field/laboratory work. See https://jobs.nmsu.edu/postings/21714 for more information about this position.

New Mexico State University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer; Minorities, Females, Veterans, and those with a Disability are encouraged to apply.

12/08/2014

An Update on Lung and Whole Body Counting Activities on Area Residents Measured After the 2/14/14 WIPP Underground Radiation Event

By: Dr. Russell Hardy, Director

The Carlsbad Environmental Monitoring and Research Center (CEMRC) Internal Dosimetry (ID) laboratory has been performing free lung and whole body counting services for adult residents living within a 100-mile radius of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) through a program entitled “Lie Down and Be Counted” (LDBC) since 1997. The purpose of the LDBC program was to establish a baseline of “normal” or “background” radiation present in adults living in the region of the WIPP prior to the emplacement of radioactive waste in the WIPP. Further, once disposal operations began at the WIPP, the LDBC program allows for the continued monitoring of public citizens to determine if WIPP-related disposal activities have any observable impact on area residents’ health.

Between July 21, 1997 and March 26, 1999 (a period referred to as the “pre-operational” phase), the CEMRC ID lab had counted 366 public citizens thereby establishing a baseline from which future public measurements could be compared. Between March 27, 1999 and February 14, 2014 (a period referred to as the “operational” phase), the CEMRC ID lab had counted 615 public citizens. Comparisons of radiological activities measured between the pre-operational and operational groups revealed no significant differences; thereby indicating that waste disposal activities at the WIPP showed no measureable radiological impact on local residents’ health.

Following the February 14, 2014 underground radiation event at the WIPP, the CEMRC ID lab counted 41 public citizens (between February 15, 2014 and June 30, 2014, a period referred to as the “event” phase), to determine if the radioactive contamination released from the repository could be detected in public citizen volunteers. The CEMRC ID lab is pleased to announce that none of the 41 public citizens counted after the February 14, 2014 event showed positive detections of Americium or Plutonium, the two main isotopes released during the underground event. Further, the detectable activities of other radioactive but non-WIPP-event-based isotopes were either similar to or below the activities measured in the pre-operational and operational phases. Therefore, it is the professional opinion of the scientific staff at the CEMRC ID lab that the February 14, 2014 underground radiation event at the WIPP did not pose any measureable negative health impacts on the local populace.

Additionally, shortly after the underground radiation event occurred, a number of concerned parents inquired whether the CEMRC ID lab could include children as part of the LDBC program – a request that received wide support from the U.S. Department of Energy, Carlsbad Field Office. Although the CEMRC ID lab was unable to accommodate this request immediately following the event, approval was received from the New Mexico State University (NMSU) Institutional Review Board (IRB) to allow the inclusion of minors into the LDBC program. Consequently, the CEMRC ID lab has recently performed several preliminary counts on children to ensure that the system is capable of detecting radiation in children below the age of 18. As a result of these efforts, the CEMRC is pleased to announce that children between the ages of 12 and 18, living within a 100-mile radius of the WIPP, are now included as part of the LDBC program and are eligible to receive free lung and whole body counting services.

Two local teenagers who recently participated in the preliminary counts at the CEMRC (see photo below) are Audra Barney (left, age 14) and Raegan Hardy (right, age 15). When asked what they thought of the counting process, Audra stated “it was very relaxing and not scary at all” and Raegan stated “it was a great opportunity to listen to some music and take a nap!”

The staff at the CEMRC ID lab hope that area residents will continue to sign up for free lung and whole body counting services and will take advantage of this exciting opportunity to call and make an appointment to bring their children (ages 12-18) in for a free lung and whole body count as well. For more information on the CEMRC Lie Down and Be Counted program please call (575) 234-5530 or visit our webpage www.cemrc.org

02/19/2014

I've just been informed that our activity measurement for Americium (241Am) was incorrect. The revised activity measured at this sampler during this period is 0.64 for 241Am. Also, I've been asked how these measurements compare to historical measurements at this sampling station. Historically, we've seen Pu and Am on four separate occasions. Once in each year (2003, 2008, 2009, and 2010). In each of those years, we determined that the Pu and Am came from outside the WIPP facility and was kicked up by high winds. The highest activity in all four years was measured at .004Bq Pu and .0005Bq Am. That's quite a bit lower than what was measured this past week (0.046Bq Pu and 0.64Bq Am).

02/18/2014

CEMRC just received our air filter samples from the exhaust shaft at the WIPP site. Our process for analysis is very tedious so it will take a day to prepare the samples, a day to separate out the isotopes, and then five days to count the activity. Will let you know what, if anything, we find once that process is done.

02/18/2014

CEMRC is currently processing and analyzing ambient air filters from our air samplers located near the WIPP facility. We should have results by the end of the week which will give some indication as to whether any radiation was released into the environment. Hopefully CEMRC will get its filters from the exhaust air shaft at the WIPP site soon so we can analyze those for radionuclides as well. Lastly, remember that adults living within a 100-mile radius of the WIPP site can receive a free whole body count to see what types and levels of radiation are in their lungs and/or whole body - call (575) 234-5530 to make an appointment.

Stay tuned, more information as we know it.

02/11/2014

CEMRC has just finished analyzing WIPP air filters following last week's fire incident in the underground repository. As expected, there was no radioactivity detected above normal background levels. An article has been submitted to all local newspapers in the area.

02/04/2014

Click on the link below to see an article about CEMRC in the Environmental Monitor on-line journal. This article provides an overview of CEMRC and WIPP!

http://www.fondriest.com/news/waste-isolation-pilot-plant-monitoring.htm

Environmental monitoring around the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, a radioactive waste repository, makes sure “what goes down there stays down there.”

01/22/2014

Did you have a New Year's resolution to be more active in community events and services?

If so, you can accomplish that goal by participating in our "Lie Down and Be Counted" program by calling 234-5530 to schedule a whole body count.

This service is free to adult residents living within a 100-mile radius of the WIPP site and informs you of the presence of any radiation in your lungs and whole body.