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Course Title: Groundwater Program Job Specific Environmental Training (ER-DENV2)

Upon completion of reading the above information, please send your name, life number and course number (ER-DENV2) to Training@bnl.gov to notify them that you have completed the course.

Environmental Activity/Project: Groundwater Program

Environmental Aspect: Hazardous Waste, Radioactive Waste, Mixed Waste, Regulated Industrial Waste, Sensitive/Endangered Species and Sensitive Habitats, Pine Barrens, Buried Pipes/Ductwork, Atmospheric Discharges, Liquid Discharges, Storage/Use of Chemicals or Radioactive Materials, Groundwater Contamination

Contacts for the Information: GPG Project Manager

Course Objective: Because your work activities have been identified as having significant potential to impact the environment, this course has been designed to provide you with the job-specific information that you must know to protect the environment.

  1. What potential impacts to the environment are associated with your activities (i.e. types of contamination that could impact air or water, generation of excess waste)?
    • Generation of industrial, hazardous, radioactive, and/or mixed wastes during site preparation, well installation, piping and utility installation and operation/maintenance of mechanical units (blowers/strippers).
    • Hazardous or radioactive waste contamination of surrounding soil in area of drilling (cuttings), pumping, purging, sampling, or well development.
    • Atmospheric discharge from air stripper, ducts, controls systems, and/or Soil Vapor Extraction System.
    • Liquid discharge from pipes (buried and above ground) and treatment system contaminating new aquifer segment (e.g., treated system effluent routed to storm sewer which discharges to unlined swale, which, if system fails, could contaminate new aquifer segment).
    • Liquid discharge from moisture separator producing waste water that has to meet the SPDES for the BNL STP
    • Potential release of water treatment chemical from chemical storage tank & associated piping contaminating soil and groundwater.
    • Disturbing endangered species (Tiger Salamander) in recharge basin or sensitive habitats or pine barrens during construction.
    • Groundwater contamination to the shallow aquafilter from carbon filter failure, high contamination levels or system failure which produces a liquid discharge that does not meet the SPDES.
  2. What consequences may result if your operations were to impact the environment (i.e. disciplinary action, loss of permits, shutdown of facility)?
    • Regulatory non-compliance, fines, violations
    • Decreased Stakeholder support
    • Stop work issuances and schedule impacts
    • Personal accountability
    • Schedule Impacts
  3. What benefits or positive effects would you notice with improved environmental performance (i.e. reduced disposal costs, improved relationships with regulators and public)?
    • Avoid environmental releases and associated costs
    • Improved relationships with regulators
    • Reduced disposal costs
    • Accelerated completion of remedial action
    • Reduce waste and improve maintenance cost
  4. What role and responsibility do you have for these potential impacts and environmental performance?
    • Review analytical data and field screening data for managing purge water disposal, air stripper operations, carbon vessel air/liquid stream
    • Contain and characterize, and manage wastes per SOPs
    • Ensure operational controls are in place and working
    • Take specified action should controls fail
    • Conduct routine inspections, as required
    • Coordinate routine and non-routine maintenance
    • Review analytical data to gauge system performance, monitor system efficiency, report results, and monitor for system improvement
    • Make continual procedural control improvements
    • Collect field monitoring data
  5. What controls or procedures are implemented to reduce the potential for emergencyApplicable BNL SBMS Subject Areas and ESH Standards (See Operational Control form for specific subject areas/standards)
    • Follow Environmental Monitoring SOPs in the control of investigation derived wastes
    • Project Specific Work Plans?
    • Work Permits; rad work permit
    • Tracking non-conformance reports and taking corrective action as applicable
    • Secondary containment for rad waste, chemical storage tanks
    • Treat purge water prior to discharge
    • System monitoring/inspection, surveillance, Health & Safety Rep oversight
    • Fail safe control technology (high/low alarms/switches/relief valves on system components} as outlined in the O & M Manuals e.g.
    • Blower, extraction well pump failure alarm
    • High well water level
    • High chemical storage level
    • Well pump high/low amperage draw
    • Alarm will sound in BNL Chilled Water Plant
    • Well pump, Tower, blower low pressure and/or flow switches
    • Tower sump, well house, well vault sump high level float switch
    • Blower high vacuum switch, high discharge pressure switch, high temperature switch
    • High differential pressure across the carbon vessels
    • Heat tracing of above ground piping
    • System controls
    • Operation, Maintenance and Monitoring Plan
  6. How would you respond in an emergency to reduce the potential for environmental impact and what actions could be taken to mitigate? (Refer to existing procedures and documents (i.e. the Local Emergency Plan) where applicable).
    • Call x2222 in emergencies
    • Notify Project and Line Managers
    • Emergency instructions are posted on placard next to building door
    • Alarms will sound in BNL chilled water plant (Bldg. 600)
    • O&M manual describes system shut-down procedure
  7. What pollution prevention and waste minimization techniques have been or could be considered to reduce or eliminate the potential to impact the environment?
    • Utilize activated carbon treatment of purge water to reduce waste volume
    • Low flow (purge) sampling methodology
    • Implement system monitoring procedures to reduce/eliminate likelihood of liquid discharge
    • Treatment system is removing contamination from groundwater
    • Optimize supplier service agreement to minimize time spent-carbon must be stored on-site
    • Spent carbon is sent for regeneration and reuse
    • Extensive surface soil sampling for contamination prior to remediation (detailed characterization) to minimize volume of waste generated
    • Monitoring procedures to reduce/eliminate likelihood of air discharge
    • Contaminated water is pumped directly into tanker minimizing waste handling
  8. Are there any key Environmental-specific Competency Requirements (Experience, Education, Qualification) for this position?
    • See GPG JTA for Field Engineer. (Field Engineer Job Profile)
    • See Employee Training Assessment for personnel noted as contacts above
    • Complete this job specific environmental training form