In one of the Lab's largest cleanup projects to date, the U.S. Department of Energy and Brookhaven National Laboratory began the excavation and remediation of 51 former waste pits last month.
The Chemical/Animal Pits were used from the late 1950s to 1966 for the disposal of chemical containers, glassware and animal carcasses, while the Glass Holes were used from 1966 to 1981 for the disposal of laboratory glassware and containers. The contents of the pits have been determined to represent a source of contamination for area soils and groundwater.
Containers, pits vary
Located in the Lab's southeast quadrant, the pits contain bottles, drums and other small chemical containers that once held or may now hold various laboratory chemicals, including acids and bases, solvents and metals. The pits excavated so far range in size from about 10 to 20 feet wide and 12 to 30 feet deep.
The remediation of these holes is being done as a "fast-track" removal action under the Lab's Superfund program, and is expected to be completed by this fall.
Excavation selected
After considering several cleanup options, the Department of Energy, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and N.Y.S. Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) agreed on bulk excavation of the pit contents as the alternative that would be most protective of public health and the environment.
By excavating the waste, BNL and DOE will eliminate the source of contamination, remove contaminated soil, and eliminate the threat of additional groundwater contamination.
Safety concerns
Contractors and Lab personnel are currently in the process of excavating the pits one-by-one. Since the pits contain unknown chemicals and other contaminants, a rigorous safety protocol has been implemented to protect workers and Lab employees.
As a significant amount of the wastes disposed of in the pits is contained in glass bottles, care is being taken to prevent liquid escaping from bottles broken during excavation from reaching underlying soils.
Excavated material is taken to a processing area, where any intact bottles and other containers are separated from the debris and soil. The bottles and containers are sorted, characterized, drummed and disposed of in accordance with waste disposal regulations.
Goals followed
Soils found to exceed radioactive cleanup goals (established by BNL and DOE and concurred upon by EPA and NYSDEC) are being temporarily stored at the Hazardous Waste Management Facility on-site, and will eventually be remediated along with other site-wide contaminated soils. Excavation materials that are determined to be hazardous or mixed waste would be disposed of off-site at a permitted facility.
Once excavation is complete and sampling shows that soil cleanup levels have been met, the pits will be filled with clean soil.
For more information, see the Chemical/Animal Pits and Glass Holes Final Evaluation of Alternatives Report, available for review at the Lab's four information repositories (for locations, see page11).