2.3. Highlights of Community Participation
- Background
- Community Involvement
- Commmunity Meetings
- Ground Water Update and PRAP Fact Sheet
- Information Repositories
- Support to Offsite Well Monitoring Program
- Tours and General Information Requests
- Contact with Technical Assistance Grant Advisors
- Future Community Involvement
The LLNL ground water problem was brought to the attention of the local
community in December 1983, when perchloroethylene (PCE) was first discovered
in the domestic supply well of a former rental property northeast of the
intersection of Vasco Road and East Avenue. LLNL's immediate action was to
sample private wells and deliver bottled water to nearby residents whose wells
had been affected. LLNL periodically surveyed these households, located south,
southwest and west of LLNL, to ensure that residents were receiving bottled
water to meet their water needs, and that the water was arriving in a timely
manner. Subsequently, LLNL provided free municipal (City of Livermore) water
hookups to the affected households. LLNL also began a regular private well
sampling program. In all cases, testing results were (and continue to be)
shared with the residents either through telephone calls, personal visits, or
follow-up letters that include written sampling results.
In May 1988, LLNL and DOE held a general information meeting for the community
on the ground water investigation with key Ground Water Project staff. In
addition, LLNL and DOE have responded and continue to respond to requests from
the public for information.
LLNL staff conducted interviews between April and July of 1988 with
approximately 45 individuals, groups, and agencies to investigate their
concerns and information needs regarding the Livermore site cleanup. The
results of these interviews formed the basis for the Community Relations Plan
that LLNL issued in May 1989. Copies of this plan were made available to the
public, and placed in the information repositories located at the Livermore
Public Library and at the LLNL Visitors Center.
The specific objectives of the LLNL Livermore Site Community Relations Program
are to:
- Continue providing interested members of the community with timely
information about technical activities and findings.
- Provide ongoing opportunities for two-way communication between the LLNL Ground Water Project and the community.
- Establish effective communication with local elected and administrative officials.
- Remain alert to the community's needs and concerns about the Ground Water Project and other LLNL activities.
The LLNL Community Relations Program communicates with the public through six
primary methods:
- Meetings with a Community Work Group (CWG).
- Distribution of a quarterly newsletter called the Ground Water Project Update and fact sheets.
- Maintenance of the two information repositories.
- Support to those responsible for offsite water samples and water level
surveys.
- Setting up tours and responding to general information requests.
- Meeting with members of the public, including the Technical Advisors hired
by a local community group as part of the EPA Technical Assistance Grant (TAG) Program.
Each of these activities is described below.
LLNL established the CWG in 1988 to provide an ongoing forum to advance
understanding of technical issues and project decisions, community interests,
and the Superfund process throughout the course of the LLNL Ground Water
Project. The group is composed of private individuals, representatives of a
local community group, and representatives of U.S. EPA, RWQCB, and DTSC. The
CWG meets quarterly, and sometimes more often, depending on the status of the
technical and regulatory aspects of the Ground Water Project. LLNL has worked
to distribute and explain technical information to the CWG and identify key
issues of concern. LLNL has taken steps to respond to those concerns by
providing additional information, making changes to certain aspects of the
project or, when changes are not possible, by providing the reasons for not
taking the proposed action. CWG meetings are open to the public.
A public meeting on the PRAP was held on November 6, 1991, as required by the
CERCLA process. About 80 people attended the meeting. The Notice of
Availability for the PRAP was published in three local newspapers on October
18, 1991. The public comment period on the PRAP extended from October 18 to
December 18, 1991. All comments on the PRAP are addressed in Attachment A, the
Responsiveness Summary, to this ROD.
Distributed on a quarterly basis, the Ground Water Project Update reflects
LLNL's desire to regularly inform the community about the Ground Water Project.
This multipage fact sheet is distributed to more than 1,800 individuals and
organizations. The first edition was published in June 1989.
A fact sheet on the PRAP was distributed in October 1991 prior to the opening
of the public comment period on the PRAP. The fact sheet was written
specifically to facilitate community understanding of the PRAP.
LLNL established two information repositories in 1989 to provide locations for
interested members of the public to review project-related reports. One
repository is located at the Livermore Public Library, 1000 South Livermore
Avenue, the other is at the LLNL Visitors Center on Greenville Road. The
Visitors Center also contains the Administrative Record, which is comprised of
all the documents that form the basis for LLNL's final cleanup plan.
The Ground Water Project arranges sampling times and locations that are
convenient to those residents and businesses affected by the offsite well
monitoring program. Followup includes mailing a letter that explains the
significance of the results.
Tours have been conducted on request for interested members of the public and
for the press. In 1991, tours were conducted of the pilot study treatment
units for CWG members and the press. On LLNL Family Day of 1990, special
sitewide tours for a number of interested groups were conducted. Requests for
general information are handled by community relations staff or appropriate
LLNL staff.
A local citizens group hired two technical advisors under a grant approved by
U.S. EPA and funded by the DOE as part of the TAG program. The technical
advisors have attended CWG meetings and have submitted comments to LLNL
regarding project reports. LLNL provided copies of project documents,
conducted tours, responded to the advisors' queries, and held an all-day
meeting with these advisors in July 1991. LLNL also provided one of the
advisors with work space and resources for a week to review project-related
documents.
DOE and LLNL are committed to maintaining community involvement throughout the
cleanup. If desired by the local community, DOE/LLNL will continue to support
a CWG. CWG meetings may be used to brief TAG advisors, if desired. Progress
of the cleanup will also be reported to the regulatory agencies and the
community in Monthly Progress Reports. As required by CERCLA, the Community
Relations Plan will be updated after the ROD is signed.
2.4. Scope and Role of Response Actions
UCRL-AR-109105
