1.  ESER PROGRAM DESCRIPTION 

Operations at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) are conducted under requirements imposed by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) under authority of the Atomic Energy Act, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under a number of acts (e.g. the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act).  The requirements imposed by DOE are specified in DOE Orders.  These requirements include those to monitor the effects, of DOE activities onsite and offsite of the INEEL (DOE Order 5400.1).  During calendar year 2001, environmental monitoring within the INEEL boundaries was primarily the responsibility of the INEEL Management and Operating (M&O) contractor, while monitoring outside the INEEL boundaries was conducted under the Environmental Surveillance, Education, and Research (ESER) Program.  The ESER Program is led by the S.M. Stoller Corporation in cooperation with its team members, including: the University of Idaho (UI) and Washington State University (WSU) for research, Montgomery Watson Harza and North Wind Environmental for technical support.  This report contains  monitoring results from the ESER Program for samples collected during the third quarter of 2001 (July 1 – September 30, 2001). 

The surveillance portion of the ESER Program is designed to satisfy the following program objectives:

  • Verify compliance with applicable environmental laws, regulations, and DOE Orders;

  • Characterize and define trends in the physical, chemical, and biological condition of environmental media on and around the INEEL;
  • Assess the potential radiation dose to members of the public from INEEL effluents, and;
  • Present program results clearly and concisely through the use of reports, presentations, newsletter articles, and press releases.

The goal of the surveillance program is to monitor several different media points within potential pathways, including air, water, agricultural products and wildlife, and soil, that could potentially contribute to the dose received by the public. 

Air samples are taken at 16 locations on and around the INEEL; surface water at 5 locations on the Snake River; drinking water at 14 locations around the INEEL; agricultural and wildlife products, which includes milk at 10 dairies around the INEEL, potatoes from at least 5 local producers, wheat from approximately 10 local producers, lettuce from approximately 9 home-owned gardens around the INEEL, soil from 13 locations biennially, sheep from 2 operators which graze their sheep on the INEEL, environmental dosimeters from 15 locations semi-annually, and various numbers of wildlife including big game (pronghorn, mule deer, and elk), waterfowl, doves, and marmots sampled on and near the INEEL.  Fish are also sampled as available (i.e., when there is flow in the Big Lost River).  Table A-1 in Appendix A lists samples, sampling locations and collection frequency for the ESER Program.

Once samples have been collected and analyzed, the ESER Program has the responsibility for quality control of the data and preparing quarterly reports on results from the environmental surveillance program.  The quarterly reports are then combined into the INEEL Annual Site Environmental Report for each calendar year.  Annual reports also include data collected by other INEEL contractors. 

The ESER Program used two laboratories to perform analyses on environmental samples for the quarter reported here.  The Idaho State University (ISU) Environmental Assessment Laboratory (EAL) performed routine gross alpha, gross beta, tritium, and gamma spectrometry analyses.  Analyses requiring radiochemistry, including 90Sr, 238Pu, 239/240Pu, and 241Am were performed by Severn-Trent, Inc.  Samples collected by the ESER Program on behalf of the EPA (detailed in the next paragraph) are sent to the EPA’s Eastern Environmental Radiation Facility.

In the event of non-routine occurrences, such as suspected releases of radioactive material, the ESER Program may increase the frequency of sampling and/or the number of sampling locations based on the nature of the release and wind distribution patterns.  In the event of any suspected worldwide nuclear incidents, like the Chernobyl accident, the EPA may request additional sampling be performed through the Environmental Radiation Ambient Monitoring System (ERAMS) network of which the ESER Program operates air and precipitation sampling equipment in Idaho Falls.  The EPA established the ERAMS network in 1973 with an emphasis on identifying trends in the accumulation of long-lived radionuclides in the environment.  ERAMS is comprised of a nationwide network of sampling stations that provide air, precipitation, surface water, drinking water, and milk samples.  Any data found to be outside historical norms in the ESER Program are thoroughly investigated to determine if an INEEL origin is likely.  Investigation may include re-sampling and/or re-analysis of prior samples.  

For more information concerning the ESER Program, contact the S.M. Stoller Corporation at (208) 525-9358, or visit the Program’s web page (http://www.stoller-eser.com).

 

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