Lab's second 'Record of Decision' undergoing final regulator review

The second Record of Decision (ROD) at Brookhaven National Laboratory is in the process of being reviewed by the three agencies overseeing the Lab's Superfund cleanup.

The ROD is a major step in the Superfund process, signifying that all three agencies (U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and N.Y.S. Department of Environmental Conservation) have agreed on a remediation strategy.

The ROD for Operable Unit VI addresses groundwater contamination in an undeveloped area of Manorville, just south of the Lab's southern boundary. The contamination is from a common pesticide known as ethylene dibromide (EDB), used around 1970 at the Lab's Biology Fields.

Remedy outlined

Following an extensive investigation, BNL and DOE identified a preferred remediation alternative for the contamination. The alternative, which is the basis of the ROD agreement, includes:

• Providing public water service for all developed properties in the vicinity of EDB contaminant migration;
• Allowing natural attenuation (dilution and degradation) of EDB in the aquifer;
• Implementation of a groundwater monitoring program to track the migration of the EDB; and,
• A provision for extending the hookup area if groundwater monitoring data indicates that new areas of the aquifer have been impacted.

A public comment period, including a series of poster sessions and a public meeting, was held last fall to provide the community with information and seek input on the remediation alternatives.

Concerns recognized

Following the comment period, a "Responsiveness Summary" is prepared to summarize DOE's responses to questions and concerns raised during the comment period.

As described in the Responsiveness Summary, which is part of the ROD, most residents supported public water hookups, natural attenuation of the EDB, and long-term monitoring. However, disagreement existed over the proposed extent of DOE's public water hookup area, and in response to concerns expressed by the Town of Brookhaven, elected officials, and citizens, DOE agreed in March 1997 to extend hookups to areas outside of the contaminant migration area.

Migration tracked

The EDB is expected to slowly migrate southward over the next 20 years, diluting and degrading until it reaches non-detectable levels. Many of the public water hookups, meanwhile, have already been completed, with the remainder expected to be done by the end of 1997. Installation of monitoring wells is expected to start this summer.

The ROD will be the second to be signed at BNL. The Operable Unit IV Record of Decision was reached in March 1996.

The Record of Decision, including the Responsiveness Summary, will be available for review later this year at the Lab's four information repositories (for locations, see page 11).

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