Hanford Site National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Characterization
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PNNL-6415 Rev. 13 Hanford Site National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Characterization D. A. Neitzel, Editor E. J. Antonio D. G. Horton T. O. Eschbach G. V. Last R. A. Fowler T. M. Poston S. M. Goodwin E. L. Prendergast D. W. Harvey A. C. Rohay P. L. Hendrickson P. D. Thorne D. J. Hoitink September 2001 Prepared for the U.S. Department of Energy under Contract DE-AC06-76RL01830 DISCLAIMER This report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States Government. Neither the United States Government nor any agency thereof, nor Battelle Memorial Institute, nor any of their employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof, or Battelle Memorial Institute. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or any agency thereof. PACIFIC NORTHWEST NATIONAL LABORATORY operated by BATTELLE for the UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY under Contract DE-AC06-76RL01830 Printed in the United States of America Available to DOE and DOE contractors from the Office of Scientific and Technical Information, P.O. Box 62, Oak Ridge, TN 37831; prices available from (615) 576-8401. Available to the public from the National Technical Information Service, U.S. Department of Commerce, 5285 Port Royal Rd., Springfield, VA 22161 PNNL-6415 Rev. 13 Hanford Site National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Characterization D. A. Neitzel, Editor E. J. Antonio T. O. Eschbach R. A. Fowler S. M. Goodwin D. W. Harvey P. L. Hendrickson D. J. Hoitink D. G. Horton G. V. Last T. M. Poston E. L. Prendergast A. C. Rohay P. D. Thorne September 2001 Prepared for the U.S. Department of Energy under Contract DE-AC06-76RL01830 Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Richland, Washington 99352 Preface This document describes the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Hanford Site environment. It is updated each year and is intended to provide a consistent description of the Hanford Site environment for the many National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) documents being prepared by DOE contractors. No statements of significance or environmental consequences are provided. This year’s report is the thirteenth revision of the original document published in 1988 and is (until replaced by the fourteenth revision) the only version that is relevant for use in the preparation of Hanford NEPA, State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA), and Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) documents. The two chapters included in this document (Chapters 4 and 6) are numbered to correspond to the chapters where such information is typically presented in environmental impact statements (EISs) and other Hanford Site NEPA or CERCLA documentation. Chapter 4.0 (Affected Environment) describes Hanford Site climate and meteorology, geology, hydrology, ecology, cultural, archaeological, and historical resources, socioeconomics, occupational safety, and noise. Sources for extensive tabular data related to these topics are provided in the chapter. Most subjects are divided into a general description of the characteristics of the Hanford Site, followed by site-specific information, where available, of the 100, 200, 300, and other areas. This division allows the reader to go directly to those sections of particular interest. When specific information on each of these separate areas is not complete or available, the general Hanford Site description should be used. Chapter 6.0 (Statutory and Regulatory Requirements) describes federal and state laws and regulations, DOE directives and permits, and presidential executive orders that are applicable to the NEPA documents prepared for Hanford Site activities. Information in Chapter 6 of this document can be adapted and supplemented with specific information for a chapter covering statutory and regulatory requirements in an environmental assessment or environmental impact statement. People preparing environmental assessments and EISs should also be cognizant of the document titled Recommendations for the Preparation of Environmental Assessments and Environmental Impact Statements published by the DOE Office of NEPA Oversight. (a) PNNL staff prepared individual sections of this document, with input from other Site contractors. More detailed data are available from reference sources cited or from the authors. Sections were updated with the best available information through June 2001. Any interested individual seeking baseline data on the Hanford Site and its past activities may also use this information by which to evaluate projected activities and their impacts. The following personnel are responsible for the various sections of this document and can be contacted with questions: Document Editor D. A. Neitzel (509) 376-0602 [email protected] Climate/Meteorology D. J. Hoitink (509) 372-6414 [email protected] Air Quality P. L. Hendrickson (509) 372-4294 [email protected] (a) U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). 1993. Recommendations for the Preparation of Environmental Assessments and Environmental Impact Statements. U.S. Department of Energy, Office of NEPA Oversight, Washington, D.C. iii Geology S. M. Goodwin (509) 376-0915 [email protected] A. C. Rohay (509) 376-6925 [email protected] Hydrology P. D. Thorne (509) 372-4482 [email protected] D. G. Horton (509) 376-6868 [email protected] G. V. Last (509) 376-3961 [email protected] Ecology T. M. Poston (509) 376-5678 [email protected] Cultural, Archaeological, D. W. Harvey (509) 373-2945 [email protected] and Historical Resources E. L. Prendergast (509) 376-4626 [email protected] T. O. Eschbach (509) 375-6734 [email protected] Socioeconomics R. A. Fowler (509) 372-4332 [email protected] Noise T. M. Poston (509) 376-5678 [email protected] Occupational Safety E. J. Antonio (509) 375-3809 [email protected] Statutory and Regulatory P. L. Hendrickson (509) 372-4294 [email protected] Requirements The suggested citation for this document is Neitzel, D. A., ed. 2001. Hanford Site National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Characterization. PNL-6415, Rev. 13. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington. A copy of the document is available, upon request, from Duane A. Neitzel at (509) 376-0602. The document is also available electronically at http://www.pnl.gov/nepa iv Acknowledgments As the editor of Revision 13, I hope you find this document useful in preparing Hanford Site NEPA documents or as a useful source of information about the Hanford environment. Many people are responsible for the years of work that went into preparing this description of the Hanford Site. The authors of the individual sections took great care to accurately describe their work. As the editor I thank them. Most importantly, I thank J. P. Duncan and A. L. Bunn for all their work in making sure Revision 13 was completed on time and presented in a way that is useful to everyone needing an up-to-date description of the Hanford environment. J. P. Duncan also maintains the electronic copy of the document throughout the year. D. A. Neitzel v Acronyms, Abbreviations, and Symbols AAS Associate in applied science AEA Atomic Energy Act ALE Fitzner/Eberhardt Arid Lands Ecology Reserve ARPA Archaeological Resources Protection Act BCAA Benton Clean Air Authority BCRFD Benton County Rural Fire Department BHI Bechtel Hanford, Inc. BNI Bechtel National, Inc. BNSF Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad BPA Bonneville Power Administration BWIP Basalt Waste Isolation Project CAA Clean Air Act CBC Columbia Basin College CCP Comprehensive Conservation Plan CEQ Council on Environmental Quality CERCLA Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act CFR Code of Federal Regulations CHG CH2M Hill Hanford Group, Inc. Corps U.S. Army Corps of Engineers COS Characterization of systems CRBG Columbia River Basalt Group CWA Clean Water Act DART Data acquisition in real time dB Decibels dBA A-weighted sound level DOC U.S. Department of Commerce DOE U.S. Department of Energy DOE-RL U.S. Department of Energy, Richland Operations Office DOH Washington State Department of Health DOI U.S. Department of the Interior DOL U.S. Department of Labor DWS Drinking water standards E/Q Atmospheric dispersion estimates EA Environmental assessment EC Environmental concern Ecology Washington State Department of Ecology EDNA Environmental designation for noise abatement EIS Environmental Impact Statement EJ Environmental justice EMT Emergency medical technician EO Environmental Objections E.O. Executive Order EPA U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ESU Evolutionary significant units vii Acronyms, Abbreviations, and Symbols (contd.) ERDF Environmental Restoration Disposal Facility EU Environmentally unsatisfactory ExHPIF Expanded Historic Property Inventory Form FEMA Federal Emergency Management Agency FEP Features, events, and processes FFCA Federal Facilities Compliance Act FFTF Fast Flux Test Facility FR Federal Register FY Fiscal Year GENII Generation II Model For Environmental Dose Calculations HAMMER