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 on and off of DOE facilities (DOE 1988). During calendar year 2002, 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, and MWH Global, Inc., and North Wind Environmental, Inc. for technical support. This report contains monitoring results from the ESER Program for samples collected during the second quarter of 2002 (April 1 – June 30,  2002).

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 different media at a number of potential exposure points within the various exposure pathways, including air, water, agricultural products, wildlife, and soil, that could possibly contribute to the radiation dose received by the public.

Environmental samples collected include:

• air at 16 locations on and around the INEEL;

• moisture in air at four locations around the INEEL;

• surface water at five locations on the Snake River;

• drinking water at 14 locations around the INEEL;

• agricultural products, including milk at 10 dairies around the INEEL, potatoes from at least five local producers, wheat from approximately 10 local producers, lettuce from approximately nine home-owned gardens around the INEEL, and sheep from two operators which graze their sheep on the INEEL;

• soil from 13 locations around the INEEL biennially;

• 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.

The ESER Program used two laboratories to perform analyses on routine environmental samples collected during 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 strontium-90 (⁹⁰Sr), plutonium-238 (²³⁸Pu), plutonium-239/240 (^239/240Pu), and americium-241 (²⁴¹Am) were performed by Severn-Trent, Inc.

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. Any data found to be outside historical norms in the ESER Program is thoroughly investigated to determine if an INEEL origin is likely. Investigation may include re-sampling and/or re-analysis of prior samples.

In the event of any suspected worldwide nuclear incidents, like the 1986 Chernobyl accident, the EPA may request additional sampling be performed through the Environmental Radiation Ambient Monitoring System (ERAMS) network (EPA 2002). 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. The ESER Program currently operates a high-volume air sampler and precipitation sampling equipment in Idaho Falls for this national program and routinely sends samples to EPA’s Eastern Environmental Radiation Facility for analyses. The ERAMS data collected at Idaho Falls are not reported by the ESER Program but are available through the EPA ERAMS website (http://www.epa.gov/enviro/html/erams/).

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

The results reported in the quarterly and annual reports are assessed in terms of data quality and statistical significance with respect to laboratory analytical uncertainties, sample locations, reported INEEL releases, meteorological data, and worldwide events that might conceivably have an effect on the INEEL environment. First, field collection and laboratory information are reviewed to determine identifiable errors that would invalidate or limit use of the data. Examples of these include insufficient sample volume, torn filters, evidence of laboratory cross-contamination or quality control issues. Data that pass initial screening are further evaluated using statistical methods. Statistical tools are necessary for data evaluation particularly since environmental measurements typically involve the determination of minute concentrations, which are difficult to detect and even more difficult to distinguish from other measurements.

It is the goal of the ESER program to minimize the error of saying something is not present when it actually is, to the extent that is reasonable practicable. The term "measurable" as used for the discussion of results in this report does not imply any degree of risk to the public or environment but rather indicates that the radionuclide was detected at a concentration sufficient for the analytical instrument to record a value. The minimum detectable concentration (MDC) is used to assess measurement process capabilities. The MDC indicates the ability of the laboratory to detect an analyte in a sample at desired concentration levels. The ESER requires that the laboratory be able to detect radionuclides at levels normally expected in environmental samples, as observed historically in the region. These levels are typically well below regulatory limits. The MDC is instrument and analysis specific, and is established by the analytical laboratory at the beginning of each analytical run.

Results are presented in this report with an analytical uncertainty term, 2s, where “s” is an estimate of the population standard deviation (s), assuming a Guassian distribution. The result plus or minus (±) the uncertainty term represents the 95 confidence interval. That is, there is 95 percent confidence that the real concentration in the sample lies somewhere between the measured concentration minus the uncertainty term and the measured concentration plus the uncertainty term. Results less than or equal to 2s are not considered to be detected. If a result exceeds three times its estimated uncertainty (3s), there is confidence that the radionuclide is present in the sample. If the result lies in the range of two to three times its estimated analytical uncertatinty (2s to 3s), detection of the radionuclide may be questionable because of statistical variations with the groups of samples. Analyses with results in the questionable range (2s to 3s) are presented in this report with the understanding that there is some doubt as to whether the material was actually present. However, to reduce the risk of making a false negative error (i.e., reporting a result as not detected even though a radionuclide is present), results that are greater than 2s are reported as detected. A more detailed discussion about determining detections may be found in Confidence in Detections under Helpful Information.

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).