As part of the U.S Department of Energy and Brookhaven National Laboratory's on-going outreach effort, four tritium informational workshops were conducted in the past month to answer community questions, address concerns, and get feedback on proposed treatment strategies.
The sessions were held at the Dowling NAT Center in East Yaphank, the Dayton Avenue School in Manorville, the Manorville Firehouse and the Longwood Library in Middle Island. Each was attended by approximately 75 residents.
At the sessions, held March 24 and April 1, 8 and 12, residents viewed posters outlining what is known about tritium and the on-site tritium plume and describing site hydrogeology and the planned pump-and-recharge option.
In an informal, one-on-one setting, Brookhaven National Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy and ERD representatives and engineers were on hand to answer questions and give residents an opportunity to express their concerns.
The issues raised were far-ranging in nature. Many attendees were strictly concerned with the quality of their drinking water and the potential health effects of tritium, while others wanted to discuss the purpose of the proposed pump-and- recharge option, or the reason it took so long for BNL to realize the reactor pool was leaking.
Other key community concerns included complaints about a reported decline in property values, requests to extend the areas currently designated for public water hookup, and questions about which agencies oversee the Lab's operation. Attendees were encouraged to submit written comments and sign up for the community relations mailing list.
To ensure an open exchange of information, a display area was provided for citizens with differing views of the Lab and its research programs.
As a follow-up to the informational sessions and other community presentations, a written summary has been compiled to respond to many of the questions and concerns raised. This summary has been mailed to all on the community relations mailing list, including those who signed up at workshops.