SAVANNAH RIVER SITE Environmental Report 2019
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SAVANNAH RIVER SITE Environmental Report 2019 SRNS-RP-2020-00064 Savannah River Site employees took the photographs featured on the cover of the 2019 SRS Environmental Report as part of the Site’s pilot run of Snap SRS. The employee-driven competition cost-effectively promotes Site pride of ownership, improves facility appearances, and boosts workplace morale through art. The 2019 contest drew 246 photographs. Three Snap photographs taken onsite and in the community have been incorporated into the cover design. Front Cover—Pollinators, taken by Karyn Bland, Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, LLC Back Cover—Sunset Over the River, Local Scenery winning selection, taken by Mark Amidon, Savannah River National Laboratory Front and Back Cover Background—Rushing Water, taken by Laura Russo, Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, LLC For more information about this report contact: Teresa Eddy Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, LLC Building 730-4B, Savannah River Site Aiken, SC 29808 Telephone: 803-952-8253 E-mail address: [email protected] or go to the SRS Environmental Report webpage at http://www.srs.gov/general/pubs/ERsum/index.html and under the SRS Environmental Report 2019, complete the electronic Customer Satisfaction Survey. This document was prepared in conjunction with work accomplished under Contract No. DE-AC09-08SR22470 with the U.S. Department of Energy. This work was conducted under an agreement with, and funded by, the U.S. Government. Neither the U.S. Government nor its employees, nor any of its contractors or subcontractors or their employees, makes any expressed or implied 1) warranty or assumes any legal liability for the accuracy or completeness—or for the use or results of such use—of any information, product, or process disclosed; or 2) representation that such use or results of such use would not infringe on privately owned rights; or 3) endorsement or recommendation of any specifically identified commercial product, process, or service. Any views and opinions of authors expressed in this document do not necessarily state or reflect those of the U.S. Government, or of its contractors or subcontractors. SRNS-RP-2020-00064 Savannah River Site Environmental Report 2019 Prepared by Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, LLC Savannah River Site Aiken, SC 29808 This page intentionally left blank Acknowledgements nvironmental Compliance and Area Completion Projects within the Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, LLC (SRNS), produces this document. Savannah River Site (SRS) acknowledges with deep E appreciation the efforts of the following individuals, who provided valuable resources, information, technical data, or management, administrative, field, or other support for the SRS Site Environmental Report 2019 (contributors are with SRNS unless otherwise noted): Jesse Baxley Natalia Johnson Kimberly Price Kane Bice Bill Lewis Shane Shull Jeri Buczek Michael Lott Daniel Silver Daryl Doman Lisa McCullough Mark Spires James Hall Grace Miller Rebecca Sturdivant Tim Hartley Winston Moore Jason Walker Jason Hyer Cap Nguyen Elizabeth Wooten Joyce Hopperton, Centerra-SRS Jesse Pierce Special thanks to Vicky Sutton-Jackson, University of Georgia’s Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, for her support in providing contributions from SREL. Special thanks to Catherine Thomas, North Wind, for providing technical editing of this report. Her talent and diligence bring clarity to technical and complicated topics. Thanks to Rachel Baker, Roy Blackwell, Jeff Bussey, and Robert Seremak for providing computer hardware and software support. Thanks to Daniel Campbell for reviewing and approving the release of this document and all supporting documents. Marvin Stewart is acknowledged with appreciation for providing Internet expertise and computer software support. Appreciation is extended to the SRS Annual Site Environmental Report Team, who, individually and as a group, dedicated a large portion of their time and attention to seeking out, collecting, and confirming the information that went into this report. A special thank you to Martha Thompson, whose attention to detail ensures thoroughness and accuracy; and Teresa Eddy, the SRNS Environmental Monitoring Program manager, led and supported the group, interfacing with DOE-SR and regulators to present the information in this year’s report. The ASER development team extends its sincere gratitude to Karen Vangelas for leading and managing the preparation of this report for the past five years. Karen retired in May after 30 years of service at SRS. Her hard work and dedication have improved the ASER for public use while also meeting DOE expectations. Karen's professionalism has been inspirational and will have an impact on the ASER program and the SRS Environmental Monitoring Program long past the publication of this year’s annual report. Greta Fanning has taken over as project lead, expertly and diligently guiding the document into publication. Karen Vangelas Environmental Report 2019 (SRNS-RP-2020-00064) i Acknowledgements 2019 SRS Environmental Report Team ii Savannah River Site Acknowledgements Chapter Authors and Contributors Ch. 1 Introduction Ch.4 Nonradiological Environmental Martha Thompson, SRNS, Chapter Lead Monitoring Program LeighAnne Clifton, SRNS Lori Coward, SRNS, Chapter Lead Ch. 2 Environmental Management System Greta Fanning, SRNS Karen Vangelas, SRNS Ted Millings, SRNS, Chapter Lead Josh Yon, SRNS Lance Cramer, SRNS Earl Joyner, SRNS Ch. 5 Radiological Environmental Monitoring Program Ch. 3 Compliance Summary Eric Doman, SRNS, Chapter Lead LeighAnne Clifton, SRNS, Chapter Lead Lori Coward, SRNS Rob Backer, SRNS Teresa Eddy, SRNS Sarita Berry, SRNS Timothy Jannik, SRNL Susan Cornwell, SRNS Brian Price, SRNS Lance Cramer, SRNS Martha Thompson, SRNS Charlie Davis, USFS-SR Karen Vangelas, SRNS Katie Davis, SRNS Jason Walker, SRNS Keith Dyer, SRNS Ch. 6 Radiological Dose Assessment Greta Fanning, SRNS Jim Fudge, SRNS Timothy Jannik, SRNL, Chapter Lead Keith Liner, SRR Kenneth L. Dixon, SRNL Shelia McFalls, SRNS Brooke Stagich, SRNL Ted Millings, SRNS Ch. 7 Groundwater Management Program Donald Mosser, SREL Sadika O’Quinn, SRNS, Chapter Lead Angela Pizzino, SRNS Mark Amidon, SRNL Carlton Shealy, SRNS Kevin Boerstler, SRNS Jason Shirley, SRNS Ciera Burns, SRNS Daniel Skiff, SRR Bryce Garner, SRNS Keith Stephenson, SRARP Terry Killeen, SRNS Branden Kramer, SRNS Kim Wolfe, SRNS Ashley Shull, SRNS Jared Wicker, SRNS Justin Steadman, SRNS Josh Yon, SRNS Jeff Thibault, SRNS Don Zahaba, SRNS Jim Ullerly, North Wind Adam Willey, SRNS Environmental Report 2019 (SRNS-RP-2020-00064) iii0470) Acknowledgements Ch. 8 Quality Assurance Brian Price, SRNS, Chapter Lead Lori Coward, SRNS Dennis Knapp, SRNS Teresa Eddy, SRNS Ted Millings, SRNS Siobhan Kitchen, SRNS Richard A. Warren, SRNS Maatsi Ndingwan, in coordination with Amy Boyette, James DeMass, Angelia Holmes, and Jimmy McMillian, facilitated the DOE review and approval. Maatsi Ndingwan iv Savannah River Site To Our Readers Highlights The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Order 231.1B (Environment, Safety, and Health Reporting) requires Annual Site Environmental Reports (ASERs) to assess field environmental program performance, sitewide environmental monitoring and surveillance effectiveness, and to confirm sites are complying with environmental standards and requirements. ASERs are prepared in a manner that addresses likely public concerns and to solicit feedback from the public and other stakeholders. Savannah River Site (SRS) began publishing ASERs in 1959. Readers can find the SRS Environmental Report on the World Wide Web at the following address: http://www.srs.gov/general/pubs/ERsum/index.html he SRS Environmental Report for calendar year 2019 is an overview of environmental management activities conducted on and in the vicinity of SRS from January 1 through T December 31, 2019. This report includes the following: • A summary of implemented environmental management systems that facilitate sound stewardship practices and demonstrate compliance with applicable environmental regulations and laws intended to protect air, water, land, and other natural and cultural resources that SRS operations have impacted. • A summary of the results of nonradiological parameters. These results are compared to permit limits and applicable standards. • A summary of the results of effluent monitoring and environmental surveillance of air, water, soil, vegetation, biota, and agricultural products to determine radioactivity in these media. SRS compares the results with historical data and background measurements, and to applicable standards and requirements in order to verify that SRS does not adversely impact the environment or the health of humans or biota. • A discussion of the potential doses to members of the public from radioactive releases from SRS operations compared to applicable standards and regulations, and from special- case exposure scenarios. • An explanation of the quality assurance and quality control program, which ensures that samples and data SRS collects and analyzes are reported with utmost confidence. Environmental Report 2019 (SRNS-RP-2020-00064) v To Our Readers The report addresses three general levels of reader interest: 1) The first is a brief summary with a “take-home” conclusion. This is presented in the “Highlights” text box at the beginning of each chapter. There are no technical tables, figures, or graphs in the “Highlights.” 2) The second level is a more in-depth discussion with figures, summary tables, and summary graphs accompanying