Published: October 1999

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announces the availability of a document titled the Record of Decision: Operable Unit I and Radiologically Contaminated Soils. The document is available at the libraries listed below.

The Record of Decision (ROD) presents the selected remedial actions for contaminated soils and sediments found in several areas of the Brookhaven National Laboratory site in Upton, New York. It also documents the final remedy for removal actions that either have been completed or are ongoing. These remedial actions have been jointly agreed to by DOE, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. The ROD also contains a Responsiveness Summary, which documents public comments on the proposed remedial actions and DOE responses to those comments. The Operable Unit I ROD does not address the Brookhaven Graphite Research Reactor, which is now a separate project.

The major components of the selected remedies include the following.

• Large-scale excavation and off-site disposal of radiologically and chemically contaminated soils and sediments above the selected cleanup goals. In total, approximately 39,000 cubic yards of soil will be excavated. Wetlands at the Lab's Former Hazardous Waste Management Facility will be reconstructed.
• Excavation and off-site disposal of chemically contaminated sediments from the two on-site basins at the Upland Recharge/Meadow Marsh Area. The excavated wetlands will be reconstructed and ecological monitoring will be performed.
• Continued operation and monitoring of two other on-site recharge basins. A Tiger Salamander Habitat Management Plan has been developed detailing the routine maintenance required to protect the tiger salamander, a state endangered species.
• Removal of out-of-service facilities, tanks, piping and equipment from the Former Hazardous Waste Management Facility and the Waste Concentration Facility.
• Installation of a soil cap in accordance with EPA guidance to address soil contamination at the on-site Ash Pit.
• Institutional controls and monitoring will continue to ensure the protection of public health.

In addition, several removal actions are being selected as final remedies.

• Three on-site landfills were capped. Institutional controls, inspections, monitoring and maintenance are underway.
• Buried chemical and radiological wastes and soils with contamination levels above cleanup goals were excavated from the on-site Chemical/Animal Pits and Glass Holes. Off-site disposal of the excavated materials is underway.
• A pump-and-treat system is operating at BNL's southern boundary to treat volatile organic compounds in the groundwater.

The next step in the soil cleanup is the detailed planning and design of the remedy, including the exact locations and volumes of soils to be removed and excavation procedures. The soil cleanup will then proceed according to the design.

Located in Upton, N.Y., BNL is classified as an Inactive Hazardous Waste Site by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. BNL is on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's National Priorities List.

For more information, contact:

Gail Penny
U.S. Department of Energy
(516) 344-3429

Eloise Gmur
Brookhaven National Laboratory
(516) 344-6336

Mary Logan
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(212) 637-4321

Jim Lister
N.Y. State Dept. of Environmental Conservation
(518) 457-3976

Copies of the Record of Decision: Operable Unit I and Radiologically Contaminated Soils are available for review at:

Longwood Public Library
800 Middle Country Rd
Middle Island, NY
(516) 924-6400

Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Public Library
301 William Floyd Parkway
Shirley, NY
(516) 399-1511

BNL Research Library
Building 477A
Upton, NY
(516) 344-3483

U.S. EPA, Region II Library
290 Broadway
New York, NY
(212) 637-4296