ML20237K281
| ML20237K281 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 08/06/1987 |
| From: | Matt Young NRC OFFICE OF NUCLEAR MATERIAL SAFETY & SAFEGUARDS (NMSS) |
| To: | Surmeier J NRC OFFICE OF NUCLEAR MATERIAL SAFETY & SAFEGUARDS (NMSS) |
| References | |
| REF-WM-39 NUDOCS 8709040284 | |
| Download: ML20237K281 (11) | |
Text
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E06W UMTRAP TRIP REPORT f l
W' Reard RM y;u p,g Occ w uc_ _ ___ n MEMORANDUM FOR: John Surmeier, Chief FDR /
Technical Branch Division of Low-Level Waste ManaiehidntA.. ___ __.
LP[ga [
and Decommissioning, NMSS j ~-
i
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FROM:
Michael Young, Hydrogeologist a u 4 523 57) ~]~~
gr Technical Branch
=I Division of Low-Level Wasta Management l
and Decommissioning, NMSS
SUBJECT:
TRIP REPORT: FALLS CITY, TX; GREEN RIVER, UT; SLICK ROCK, C0; RIFLE, CO (TITLE I) SITES AND THE CONQUISTA AND PANNA MARIA, TX (TITLE 11) SITES, JUNE 3 - 12, 1987 From the period of June 3 - 12, 1987, I participated in site visits to four Title I UMTRAP sites, and two Title II sites. The trip was divided into two Portions, each with different purposes. The first portion and purpose was to l
conduct an initial site visit at the Falls City, TX UMTRAP site in preparation for reviewing the draft Environmental Assessment and draft Remedial Action Plan, and to visit the Cnnquista (not operating) and Panna Maria (operating)
Title Il sites for information purposes only.
The second portion of the trip involved visiting the Green River, UT, Slick Rock, CO, and Rifle, 00, Title I sites. NRC staff are currently reviewing the disposal plans and environmental l
reports for these sites, and visiting these sites at this time with DOE and TAC l
technical personnel provided an opportunity to discuss grnund-water concerns on-site.
l Enclosed is a copy of my trip report describing what was noted and discussed during the visit to the different sites.
Several rolls of film were taken during the trip and have been processed.
I will be happy to discuss further the results of this trip at your convenience.
Original Signed W Michael H. Young, Hydrogeologist i
Technical Branch Division of low-Level Waste Management and Decommissioning, NMSS
Enclosures:
1.
Trip report 2.
Map of Falls City site 3.
Map of Green River site 4.
Map of Slick Rock site i
8709040284 870B06 i
PDR WnSTE i
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UMTRAP TRIP REPORT >
l 1.
SUBJECT:
Visit to the Falls City, Panna Maria and Conquista, TX sites 4
DATES:
June 4 - 5, 1987 LOCATION: Falls City, TX Area i
PARTICIPANTS:
1 Michael Young, NRC Susan Bilhorn, NRC Mike Fliegel NRC Jael Grimm, NRC (June 4 only) )
i Jon Forstrom, NRC (June 4 only FrankBosiljevac, DOE (June 4,a.m.only)
Bill Tabor, D0E/ TAC (June 4, a.m. only)
CarlandBrianBeam,StateofTexascontractors(June 4,a.m.only) l Warren Snell, Texas Dept. of Health (June 4, p.m. and June 5)
Kevin Raabe, Chevron Panna Maria (June 4, p.m. only)
Frank Baltick, Chevron Panna Maria (June 4, p.m. cnly) l Wayne Tiemann, Conoco Conquista (June 5)
Byron Chandler, Conoce Conquista (June 5)
The visit to the Falls City TX VMTRAP site began at Pile 7 (enclosure 2). The i
area surrounding Pile 7 is the proposed stabilization on site (SOS) location.
l l
Recent remedial work for the State of Texas involved stabilizing Pile 7 l
tailings below fill material, which concluded approxiniai.ely one month prior to our visit.
Since that time, heavy rainfall has eroded small rills and gulleys l
l into the sides of the pile. Also, a significant volume of water was ponded on top of Pile 7 due to poor surface drainage and low infiltration rates through the cover material. The abnormally high precipitation for this time of year explains the very wet condition of the piles and nearby lowlands.
During our traverse around Pile 7, Mr. Tabor mentioned that DOE had drilled 4
several ground-water monitoring wells (the exact number was not known), and 1
sampled them twice for water quality.
No additional sampling is planned prior to release of the DEA /dRAP. Mr. Tabor also mentioned that monitoring wells constructed by Solution' Engineering, Inc. were also sampled. The exact wells sampled and water quality results were not known at the time, and no information was provided to NRC during the site visit.
I inspected Solution Engineering's wells located just north of Pile 7, and found them to be in an extreme state of disrepair. Of the approximately five wells I encountered, none were capped or properly sealed / grouted.
I also noted bird droppings and spider webs on the inside of several well casings. The sole DOE well near Pile 7 was completed better than Solution Engineering's wells, but lacked surface casing and a tight seal in the borehole. The water level in these wells was very close to ground surface.
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UMTRAP TRIP REPORT I
l The participants then drove to the area near Piles 4, 5 and 6.
Pile 6 is actually a small pond.
I noted a number of wells in the vicinity of Piles 4 j
and 5.
No wells were observed near Pile 6, or south of Pile 4, although wells i
were stated to exist.
Property boundaries and extremely wet conditions precluded a complete reconnaissance of the southern-most tailings near Pile 4.
Property boundaries also ;recluded an on-site visit of Pile 3, located East of I
the proposed SOS disposal area. Mr. Bosiljevac mentioned that the property
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owner did not officially allow access to the property for conducting in-depth characterization activities.
i o
Warren Snell organized the afternoon tour of Chevron's Panna Maria Uranium Mill. The mill operates on a 10-day-on, 4-day-off schedule; our visit fell on the 'off' schedule. During the tour, we were shown the complete milling operation, from the grizzly and ore crusher, to the leaching tanks, solvent extraction units, and finally to the yellowcake drying house where the firal product is stored in 55-gallon drums, currently valued at $17,000 per drum. Of I
particular interest was the method of tailings disposal. As discussed by the Chevron representatives, the tailings are slurried into a 248-acre impoundment located NW of the mill, of which 50% is filled with tailings, abandor,ed drums j
and equipment. Mr. Baltick mentioned that the tailings pond rests upon the Conquista Clay, thus minimizing the release of tajiings leachate or fluids from l
the impoundment.
To comply with state water qual ty requirements, the mill is monitoring ground-water quality from wells constructed by Chevron contractors.
I The well I observed was located north of the impoundment and appeared to be w3ll constructed. Ground water is sampled quarterly by Panna Maria personnel, ar.d is tested in the on-site environmental laboratory for a number of inorganic constituents; organics are not analyzed in any sample.
I did not fully pursue the results of these analyses. Mr. Raabe and Mr. Baltich both expressed frustration at the recent EPA rulemaking on waste disposal, which mandates the use of a double-lined impoundment with a leachate detection / collection system.
l l
During the morning of Jur.e 5, we were provided with a tour of Conoco's l
Conquista Uranium Mill. Although the mill is no longer cperating, it is l
accepting rare earth processing wastes from a facility near Houston, TX. We l
discussed the history of the mill and some specific features of the tailings l
impoundment prior to touring the disposal area. According to Mr. Tiemann and i
Mr. Chandler, tailings material extends approximately 70 feet below ground i
surface. A french drain was constructed 35 feet below ground surface along the eastern edge of the impoundment to pump out tailings leachate which had migrated from the tailings disposal area. This water is returned to the impoundment, where currently a large volume of standing water exists.
Levels of l
chloride, sulfate and thorium in ground water sampled from nearby monitoring wells were stated tb be very high, but not higher than levels expected for naturally occurring ground water. Conoco has constructed an irrigation system in the impoundment to keep the tailings wet to reduce tailings dispersal by air, and radon exhalation rates.
d UMTRAP TRIP REPORT l II.
SUBJECT:
VMTRAP Title I site visit DATES:
June 8, 9, 10, 1987 LOCATIONS: Green River, UT, Slick Rock, C0 and Rifle, CO l
l PARTICIPANTS:
Michael Young, NRC R. John Starmer, NRC Kristin Westbrook, NRC Don Leske, DOE (Green River only)
Larry Coons, TAC (Green River only)
Karen Agogino, TAC (Green River only)
Carolyn Pearson-Reeves, TAC (Green River only)
MikeAbrahms, DOE (SlickRockonly)
Mark Jackson, TAC (Slick Rock only)
JohnDupuy, TAC (SlickRockonly)
Andrew Harvey'. TAC (Slick Rock only)
Jon Luellan, Colorado Dept. of Health (Slick Rock and Rifle)
Frank Bosiljevac, DOE (Rifle only)
Bill Tabor, DOE (Rifle only)
A. Green River, UT UMTRA site i
This visit to Green River was initially proposed by DOE / TAC to resolve-l hydrogeologic concerns outlined in NRC staff comments on the DEA and dRAP. DOE felt that several issues could be resolved if appropriate technical personell met on-site, rather than over the phone.
It was the objective of this trip, therefore, to address specific hydrogeologic concerns during the on-site visit.
A discussion of the items noted and discussed during the visit follows:
- 1. Ground water discharge into Brown's Wash A major concern of the NRC staff is that contaminated ground water in the Brown's Wash Alluvium would not drain via Brown's Wash but would continue to flow west towards Green River (enclosure 3).
DOE contends that Dakota Sandstone (in the form of a well-cemented conglomerate) forces ground water to the surface in the wash. During the site visit, the attendees walked in the wash to discern where Dakota Sandstone cropped out. At the point where Brown's Wash turns west towards Green River (marked in enclosure 3), we noted the presence of a well cemented conglomerate, known to be the Dakota Sandstone.
Underlying this unit was the Cedar Mountain Formation consisting of interbedded-i siltstones, fissile shales and-a basal conglomerate. The basal conglomerate I
appeared to form the sed of Brown's Wash,, NRC staff acknowledged that Dakota l
Sandstone did crop out in Brown's Wash. The staff also agreed that if the r
is
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UMTRAP TRIP REPORT l Dakota Sandstone extends laterally west from the tailings pile, then ground water would likely be forced to the wash as stated in the DEA /dRAP and would not continue to flow towards Green River in alluvial material.
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- 2. Surface feature west of the mill yard
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NRC staff noted, during the DEA /dRAP review, a surface feature west of the mill
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yard that resembled either an ore storage area or impoundment.
DOE did not I
characterize this area, and the staff was concerned that additional I
l contaminated material could be present, but not accounted for.
During the site l
visit, the attendees traversed the surface feature and vicinity in an attempt I
to ascertain its function. Downstream of the feature, the staff noted no salt l
deposition or other material which would have indicated that the impoundment was used for rafinnate. As noted during the site visit, two gulleys drain the proposed disposal area towards this surface feature. Also, a small culvert l
constructed beneath the road appears to convey water from these gulleys to the area immediately east of the surface feature. Based on these observations, NRC staff concluded that the impoundments may have been used to hold fresh water for use in the milling circuit and not raffinate. NRC staff suggested that additional radiological surveying be conducted in the area to substantiate this possibility. The staff suggested that the survey extend several meters below l
l ground level so that interference with clean fill would not occur.
I 3.
Possible contamination within the mill yard According to aerial photographs taken in the late 1950's and brought on-site by i
NRC staff, it appears that liquid storage impoundments were constructed
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immediately west of the mill buildings, within the confines of the mill yard.
This area was surveyed previously for presence of contaminated material; the EA indicated that little to no material was present. However, results of the survey did reveal an area with contamination extending 6 feet below ground surface. The attendees walked through the area, and agreed that evidence of the impoundments was covered over by past activities and that additional contaminated material could be present at deeper depths beneath the fill material. 00E/ TAC representatives indicated that another radiological survey would be necessary to fully evaluate whether additional contaminated material exists.
During the drive back to Grand Junction, Mr. Coons and I were able to discuss almost all the NRC comments and draft DOE responses to the DEA /dRAP. Although all comments were not fully resolved during this drive, we were able tc gain an understanding of the different perspectives involved in the project.
i 1
B. Slick Rock, C0 UMTRA site l
The visit to the Slick Rock site occurred during NRC review of the dRAP and DEA.
NRC staff concluded that providing DOE / TAC personell with draft comments before walking the site could resolve some hydrogeologic concerns prior to finalizing and transmitting the comments to D0E.
A meeting was also held in my hotel room on June 9 from 8:00 - 11:30 p.m. to discuss the items noted in the
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UMTRAP TRIP REPORT field. The discussion that follows outlines the items noted during the site visit and the issues discussed during the evening meeting:
1.
Possible impact to ground-water users at Slick Rock, A major concern to the staff during review of the RAP /EA was the possibility that a ground-water supply well, currently used by the on-site gas sweetener plant and residents near the site, could become impacted by contaminated. ground water migrating in the direction of the water well (enclosure 4).. Currently, the contaminant plumes are located hydraulically up-gradient of the well, but future migration of the' plumes could place the well in jeopardy. Well logs obtained from the State of Colorado indicate that the well is screened in the Navajo Sandstone and the alluvial material, although DOE claims that only Navajo ground water is drawn into the well.
Because of the lack of monitoring devices in the area, it was not possible to resolve this concern on-site.
2.
Condition of well 510 A previous site visit and review of field permeability testing indicated that well 510 no longer had adequate integrity due to a possible separation of the riser pipe with the casing.
This potential problem was first noted in July 1986, when the permeability test for this well was terminated. Although the i
ground-water samples were taken from this well prior to July 1986, the staff i
was unsure of the well integrity and thus commented that water quality results from this well could be severely in error. The attendees inspected the well casing during the site visit and noted that the riser pipe was completely detached from the casing. Upon further inspection, it was discovered that the casing joints were joined with ABS solvent welding, and not with internal threads, a method not currently used by DOE during well constrtPtion.
j 3.
Identification of possible drainage channel Immediately south of the tailings pile and north of the mill buildings, the staff observed a possible diversion channel, approximately 3 to 4 feet across, leading towcrds the flood plain west of the tailings. The purpose and uses of this feature were unknown. We discussed the possibility that this channel was used to drain milling fluids, but no resolution was achieved.
4.
Evening meeting A meeting was held from 8:00 to 11:30 in my hotel room to discuss items noted during the site visit. The attendees included myself, J. Dupuy (TAC), M.
Jackson (TAC), J. Luellen (State of Colorado) and M. Abrahms (D0E). The items discussed are described briefly:
1.
We discussed the current and future status of the water supply well located west of the tailings pile.
I stated that because the only
UMTRAP TRIP REPORT monitoring device in the area, other than the well itself, is a COE well completed in the Navajo Sandstone, the presence of water in the alluvial material was unknown. After considerable discussion on whether ground water is present in the alluvium, and whether contaminated ground water could migrate west and impact the water supply well, the attendees generally agreed that these questions could not be answered without additional information. DOE / TAC representatives suggested several approaches that could be used to assess the presence and quality of alluvial ground water.
Both approaches involved drilling additional monitor wells. NRC staff suggested that a less expensive and equally acceptable approach would be to install well points rather than wells.
Well points could be useful for establishing the presence of ground water, and for preliminary assessments of water quality. This suggestion was taken into consideration.
2.
We discussed the presence of the surface drainage feature and the possibility that it was used to conveyed contaminated water from the mill facility to the Dolores River. The attendees were unsure of the purpose of the diversion channel.. We discussed the benefits of using aerial photographs to study past practices at the mill, and DOE / TAC agreed that they would try to obtain photographs to ascertain the purpose of the diversion channel.
I 3.
We discussed future ground-water sampling at the Slick Rock site.
I indicated that the two samples collected from the wells probably were not adequate to define seasonal fluctuations of flow direction, flow velocity or water quality because cf the transient behavior of the alluvial ground-water system. Mr. Abrahms indicated that obtaining additional funds for future sampling would be relatively easy.
1 4.
We discussed the lack of quantitative estimates of infiltration and future ground-water quality conditions in the EA/ RAP.
Related to this issue is the lack of parameter characterization of the Entrada Sandstone beneath the proposed disposal area.
I stated that without the estimates of infiltration or knowledge of parameter values for the Entrada Sandstone, it would not be possible to evaluate or assess environmental impacts associated with disposal of the tailings. DOE / TAC stated that quantitative estimates of water quality would be included in the final EA or RAP and that additional field work to characterize the physical properties of the Entrada Sandstone would be considered.
5.
We discussed the current condition of well 510 and agreed that the well was no longer serviceable. DOE stated that they would re-evaluate the water quality data from samples taken from this well prior to July 1986. The attendees also agreed to study the impact of using ABS plastic and ABS solvent welding on water quality results.
s i
UMTRAP TRIP REPORT L C. Rifle, C0 UMTRA site The attendees were given a brief tour of the mill facilities by Charlie Si:nonson, who is currently the site caretaker. The facility, which produced yellowcake (uranium oxide) and redcake (vanadium oxide), utilized several milling i
circuits. The evidence of these processes was seen from the presence of sev'eral vanadium ponds and leaching tanks in various states of disrepair. The sides of several leaching tanks, all cf which were wooden, were no longer l
present. Chemical residues were abundant. Tanks which held kerosene, ammonia, j
and propane were still on-site.
l During the tour, the top and sides of the tailings pile were being irrigated at a rate of about 700 gallons per minute as stated by Charlie Simonson.
I walked around the northern end of the pile and noted several unused ponds.
Several ground-water monitorins wells were present in the area. We were also given a tour of the tailings pile from the back of Mr. Simonson pick-up truck.
Vegetative cover appeared fairly well established on both the top and sides of the pile, although areas of the pile were eroding. While driving along the i
west end of the tailings pile, I saw a small bulldozer partially buried in fine-grained material.
It was nct clear whether the material was slimes.
l tailings or clean fill. The bulldozer was being used to stabilize the side of-l the pile when it sank in the soft material.
The staff were also taken to the Estes Gulch proposed disposal site. During the tour, the staff walked the highlands north of the disposal area which was stated by DOE to be an area of recert slope failure.
I noted during the visit l
the presence of several deeply incised gullies, none of which were saturated or i
flowing.
I also walked the site and noted several monitor wells which were l
l locked and appeared to be well protected.
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LEGEND f__f e ALLUVlAL WELL E NAVAJO SANDSTONE WELL SCALE IN FEET MONITOR WELL LOCATIONS SLICK ROCK, COLORADO TAILINGS SITES 8-V/
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