1. THE DECLARATION
- Site Name and Location
- Statement of Basis and Purpose
- Assessment of Site
- Description of the Selected Remedy
- Statutory Determinations
The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) Livermore site, located at
7000 East Avenue, Livermore, California, is a research and development facility
owned by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and operated by the University of
California. LLNL was placed on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's
(EPA) National Priorities List (NPL) in 1987. Currently, about 10,000 people
use ground water blended from several downtown Livermore municipal supply wells
as their primary drinking water supply. Contaminants from LLNL are currently
about 1.6 miles from these supply wells. U.S. EPA, in conjunction with the
California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) and the California
Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB), oversees LLNL's investigations
and cleanup activities in accordance with Section 120 of the Comprehensive
Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA), as
amended.
This decision document presents the selected remedial actions for the LLNL
Livermore site, in Livermore, California, which were chosen in accordance with
CERCLA, as amended by the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986
(SARA), and, to the extent practicable, the National Oil and Hazardous
Substances Pollution Contingency Plan (NCP). This decision document is based
on the administrative record for this site.
The U.S. EPA, the RWQCB, and the DTSC of the California Environmental
Protection Agency, formerly the California Department of Health Services (DHS),
concur with the selected remedies.
The identified compounds of concern, if not addressed by the selected remedies
or other considered measures, may present a potential risk to public health as
discussed in the Proposed Remedial Action Plan (PRAP) for the site.
The Feasibility Study (FS) evaluated many potential remedies for the LLNL site.
Those remedies were divided into two general groups, according to whether the
chemical contaminants are in ground water or in unsaturated sediment (i.e.,
sediment above the water table where pore spaces are only partially filled with
water). Three alternatives were evaluated for the ground water plume, and two
remedies were evaluated for the unsaturated zone (i.e., the interval above the
water table where pore spaces are only partially filled with water).
The selected remedy for ground water is Remedial Alternative No. 1 from the FS,
which includes:
- Pumping water at 18 initial locations to contain and remediate the ground
water plume. Water will be pumped from one or more wells at each of these
locations using existing monitor and extraction wells, along with new
extraction wells. The initial well locations will be chosen to prevent any
contaminants, primarily volatile organic compounds (VOCs), from escaping from
the current plume area in concentrations above their Maximum Contaminant Levels
(MCLs). To enable more rapid remediation, wells will also be placed in all
areas with higher concentrations [i.e., greater than about 100 parts per
billion (ppb) VOCs or fuel hydrocarbons (FHCs)]. The initial 18 locations
will be augmented when field data indicate that new pumping locations will
speed the cleanup.
- Constructing about seven onsite facilities (A to G) to treat the extracted
ground water. Each treatment system would be designed to treat the specific
combination of compounds in the associated extraction wells.
- Using ultraviolet (UV)/oxidation-based remediation technology to treat VOCs
at Treatment Facilities A, B, and E, and FHCs and VOCs at Treatment Facility F.
Treatment Facilities C, D, and G would use air-stripping-based technology,
which is more effective on the higher concentrations of specific compounds in
the area of those facilities (chloroform, carbon tetrachloride, Freon 113, and
1,1,1-trichloroethane). Treatment Facility D will employ ion exchange to
remove chromium, and Treatment Facility F will use granular activated carbon
(GAC) to remove lead, if necessary.
The selected remedy for treating the unsaturated zone is Remedial Alternative
No. 1 from the FS. This alternative includes using a process called
vacuum-induced venting to extract the contaminants in vapor form from the
unsaturated sediments, and treating the vapors by catalytic oxidation and
activated carbon.
The selected remedies address the principal concerns at the LLNL site by
removing contaminants in ground water and soil vapor and treating them at the
surface to levels protective of human health and the environment.
This Record of Decision (ROD) applies to all known contaminants in ground water
and unsaturated sediment originating from activities at the LLNL site. An
additional potential source of hazardous materials (i.e., the Trailer 5475/East
Taxi Strip Area) was identified after completion of the PRAP on the LLNL site.
If future investigations identify additional public health or environmental
risks from this or other potential sources, this ROD may be augmented through
CERCLA/SARA and the NCP to address any additional action.
The selected remedies are protective of human health and the environment,
comply with Federal and State requirements that are legally applicable or
relevant and appropriate to the remedial action, and are cost-effective. The
remedies utilize permanent solutions and alternative treatment technology, to
the maximum extent practicable, and satisfy the statutory preference for
remedies that employ treatment that reduces toxicity, mobility, or volume as a
principal element. Because these remedies may result in hazardous materials
remaining onsite above health-based levels until cleanup is complete, a review
will be conducted within 5 years after commencement of remediation to assure
that the remedies continue to provide adequate protection of human health and
the environment.
- Daniel W. McGovern
Regional Administrator, EPA Region IX
- James T. Davis
Acting Manager, DOE San Francisco Field Office
UCRL-AR-109105
