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Los Alamos National Laboratory Groundwater Protection Program |
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Thursday, 24 April 2008 17:12 |
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Los Alamos, NM
Project Description:The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), owner of the internationally recognized and historic Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) in New Mexico, entrusts its National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) to manage the nuclear laboratory's resources in support of mission critical operational quality improvements, regulatory compliance and public and environmental risk protection programs, including its Groundwater Protection Program.
A recurring challenge for the NNSA is developing and implementing a cost- and schedule-effective field program to provide hydrogeology and groundwater quality data from regional and intermediate characterization and monitoring wells installed in deep, complex geologic formations under the facility. The DOE needs these data to achieve regulatory-specific quality objectives consistent with the program.
In response to this need, Kleinfelder developed a drilling program that would employ innovative methodologies to respond to technical and logistical issues and difficult site conditions while remaining responsive to operational and security protocols at the nuclear facility.
Methodologies include application of mechanical instrumentation and chemical tracers to identify perched water zones to prevent potential cross contamination into regional saturation zones, alternative drilling technologies and methodologies not previously employed at LANL in order to meet fast-track schedules and obtain data from 2,000 feet below surface within complex volcanic geology, and development of technical procedures that combine industry standards with DOE and LANL protocols and quality requirements for obtaining defensible data while being responsive to water quality objectives.
Issues include difficult site conditions with complex lithologies, remote locations, rugged terrain, inhospitable weather, high explosive areas, potential of radionuclide contamination, limited access/secure areas, and regulatory and physical constraints imposed by sensitivities to archaeological, cultural and threatened and endangered species.
Kleinfelder also was tasked to resolve other issues associated with geophysical testing given LANL's stratigraphic and hydrologic conditions, and other issues related to management and tracking of waste disposition, profiling, and shipping support for radioactive, mixed, or hazardous waste disposal.
Kleinfelder's response to the various issues yielded the best core recovery of any drilling program at LANL, further earning DOE's trust of Kleinfelder's approaches and applications.
Since 2002, the DOE has awarded more than $34 million to Kleinfelder through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as DOE's consultant for the continued development, management and technical performance of LANL's deep well installation program. No other drilling operation for the Groundwater Protection Program has been as effective.
The DOE further showed its trust by granting Kleinfelder “approved contractor” status recently within the nationwide complex, and approving Kleinfelder for top-level “Q” security clearance. According to a DOE assessment report: “Kleinfelder has made significant strides in the development and implementation of its quality assurance infrastructure and implementation of quality assurance program requirements.”
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