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Dear Community Member, I am excited to report that the environmental cleanup at Brookhaven National Laboratory is moving ahead rapidly. A schedule of many of the activities to date is in the center of this newsletter. Brookhaven has removed a number of sources of soil and groundwater contamination over the last several years. The most recent cleanup actions are discussed in an article beginning on page 3 on the progress of the Lab cleanup. In addition to these successes, we have reached a number of milestones in the Superfund process. Since the last issue of cleanupdate was mailed in December 1998, six reports have been issued detailing investigations of contaminated areas, cleanup options evaluated, and cleanup remedies proposed. The recent flurry of activity began with the release of a report on Brookhaven soil contamination on February 19. Two information sessions attended by 48 people were held to answer questions about the report. More recently, two additional reports about soil cleanup options and the proposed cleanup methods were published on April 1. Two information sessions and a public meeting were held in April, attended by a total of 75 people. Questions focused on the low-level cesium contamination of deer (see updates, page 2), dust control during the cleanup, and transportation of contaminated soils for off-site disposal. Three reports on groundwater contamination were issued on March 1. Three information sessions and a public meeting on groundwater were held in March, attended by a total of 112 people. Issues discussed included the duration of cleanup, cleanup costs, and the effectiveness and locations of treatment systems. All of the comments received are being considered during the selection of final cleanup remedies. Responses to public comments and the chosen cleanup remedies will be released to the public in documents known as Records of Decision. The final cleanup will begin after these documents have been approved by the regulators and published. We are glad to report this progress in the BNL cleanup program to you, and we will keep you informed as the program advances. In the meantime, please call Eloise Gmur at (516) 344-6336 if you have any questions or comments. Sincerely, John J. Meersman |