Download or read book Environmental Assessment for Proposed Access Control and Traffic Improvements at Los Alamos National Laboratory Los Alamos New Mexico written by and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page 24 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) has assigned a continuing role to Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) in carrying out NNSA's national security mission. It is imperative that LANL continue this enduring responsibility and that NNSA adequately safeguard LANL capabilities. NNSA has identified the need to restrict vehicular access to certain areas within LANL for the purpose of permanently enhancing the physical security environment at LANL. It has also identified the need to change certain traffic flow patterns for the purpose of enhancing physical safety at LANL. The Proposed Action would include the construction of eastern and western bypass roads around the LANL Technical Area (TA) 3 area and the installation of vehicle access controls and related improvements to enhance security along Pajarito Road and in the LANL core area. This Proposed Action would modify the current roadway network and traffic patterns. It would also result in traversing Areas of Environmental Interest identified in the LANL Habitat Management Plan, demolition of part of an historic structure at Building 3-40, and traversing several potential release sites and part of the Los Alamos County landfill. The No Action Alternative was also considered. Under this alternative NNSA would not construct the eastern or western bypass roads, any access-control stations, or related improvements. Diamond Drive would continue to serve as the primary conduit for most vehicle traffic within the LANL core area regardless of actual trip destinations. The No Action Alternative does not meet NNSA's purpose and need for action. The proposed bypass road corridors traverse both developed and undeveloped areas. Several potential release sites are present. These would either be sampled and remediated in accordance with New Mexico Environment Department requirements before construction or avoided to allow for future remediation. In some cases, contaminant levels may fall below remediation thresholds and the Environmental Restoration Project would set requirements for workers. Structural bridges would be used to span canyons that are Areas of Environmental Interest because they include habitat for threatened and endangered species, or because they are 100-year floodplains or wetlands. Traffic congestion is not expected to increase once construction is completed. The Proposed Action would allow for a flexible approach to vehicle access controls in response to security conditions. Traffic safety within LANL would improve because access control would screen out drivers without a need to be in the LANL TA-3 area or along Pajarito Road. There would be adequate parking for University of California personnel and construction workers. Construction and demolition wastes would be transported to a licensed commercial landfill or recycled for other construction projects at LANL or offsite. Construction for the proposed bypass roads would be expected to produce only temporary and localized air and noise emissions. The Proposed Action would have no effects on visual resources, land use, socioeconomics, or environmental justice. The roadways would be designed to accommodate geologic and soil conditions. The demolition of part of Building 3-40 could have an adverse effect on historic structures since it is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places and, therefore, a treatment plan would be negotiated between NNSA and the State Historic Preservation Office.

Download or read book Predecisional Draft Environmental Assessment for Proposed Access Control and Traffic Improvements at Los Alamos National Laboratory Los Alamos New Mexico written by and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page 24 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) has assigned a continuing role to Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) in carrying out NNSA's national security mission. It is imperative that LANL continue this enduring responsibility and that NNSA adequately safeguard LANL capabilities. NNSA has identified the need to restrict vehicular access to certain areas within LANL for the purpose of permanently enhancing the physical security environment at LANL. It has also identified the need to change certain traffic flow patterns for the purpose of enhancing physical safety at LANL. The Proposed Action would include the construction of eastern and western bypass roads around the LANL Technical Area (TA) 3 area and the installation of vehicle access controls and related improvements to enhance security along Pajarito Road and in the LANL core area. This Proposed Action would modify the current roadway network and traffic patterns. It would also result in traversing Areas of Environmental Interest identified in the LANL Habitat Management Plan, demolition of part of an historic structure at Building 3-40, and traversing several potential release sites and part of the Los Alamos County landfill. The No Action Alternative was also considered. Under this alternative NNSA would not construct the eastern or western bypass roads, any access-control stations, or related improvements. Diamond Drive would continue to serve as the primary conduit for most vehicle traffic within the LANL core area regardless of actual trip destinations. The No Action Alternative does not meet NNSA's purpose and need for action. The proposed bypass road corridors traverse both developed and undeveloped areas. Several potential release sites are present. These would either be sampled and remediated in accordance with New Mexico Environment Department requirements before construction or avoided to allow for future remediation. In some cases, contaminant levels may fall below remediation thresholds and the Environmental Restoration Project would set requirements for workers. Structural bridges would be used to span canyons that are Areas of Environmental Interest because they include habitat for threatened and endangered species, or because they are 100-year floodplains or wetlands. Traffic congestion is not expected to increase once construction is completed. The Proposed Action would allow for a flexible approach to vehicle access controls in response to security conditions. Traffic safety within LANL would improve because access control would screen out drivers without a need to be in the LANL TA-3 area or along Pajarito Road. There would be adequate parking for University of California personnel and construction workers. Construction and demolition wastes would be transported to a licensed commercial landfill or recycled for other construction projects at LANL or offsite. Construction for the proposed bypass roads would be expected to produce only temporary and localized air and noise emissions. The Proposed Action would have no effects on visual resources, land use, socioeconomics, or environmental justice. The roadways would be designed to accommodate geologic and soil conditions. The demolition of part of Building 3-40 could have an adverse effect on historic structures since it is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places and, therefore, a treatment plan would be negotiated between NNSA and the State Historic Preservation Office.

Download or read book Continued Operation of Los Alamos National Laboratory written by and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page 800 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Chemistry and Metallurgy Research Building Replacement Project at Los Alamos National Laboratory written by and published by . This book was released on 2003 with total page 546 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Environmental Assessment for Proposed Construction and Operation of a New Office Building and Related Structures Within TA 3 at Los Alamos National Laboratory Los Alamos New Mexico written by United States. National Nuclear Security Administration and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page 58 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Construction and Operation of a New Interagency Emergency Operations Center at Los Alamos National Laboratory Los Alamos New Mexico written by United States. National Nuclear Security Administration and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page 46 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Draft Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Construction and Operation of the Nonproliferation and International Security Center written by and published by . This book was released on 1999 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Plans and Practices for Groundwater Protection at the Los Alamos National Laboratory written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2006-12-21 with total page 41 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Discharges of wastes from activities associated with the federal government's Los Alamos site in northern New Mexico began during the Manhattan Project in 1943. Now designated the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), the site is operated under contract by the Department of Energy (DOE). Through past and ongoing investigations, radioactive and chemical contaminants have been detected in parts of the complex system of groundwater beneath the site. Since effective protection of groundwater is important for LANL's continuing operations, DOE's Office of Environmental Management requested technical advice and recommendations regarding several aspects of LANL's groundwater protection program. This interim report summarizes the committee's information-gathering activities and identifies issues within the scope of its task that have risen to the committee's attention without offering any findings or recommendations. The final report is expected to be released in May 2007 and it is the hope that results of the final study will provide guidance and impetus for dialogue and agreement among DOE, LANL, and other stakeholders on a focused, cost-effective program for protecting the groundwater in and around the site.

Download or read book Environmental Assessment for the Proposed TA 16 Engineering Complex Refurbishment and Consolidation at Los Alamos National Laboratory Los Alamos New Mexico written by United States. National Nuclear Security Administration and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page 69 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Construction and Operation of the Nonproliferation and International Security Center written by and published by . This book was released on 1999 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Environmental Assessment for the Proposed CMR Building Upgrades at the Los Alamos National Laboratory Los Alamos New Mexico written by United States. Department of Energy. Los Alamos Area Office and published by . This book was released on 1997 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Programmatic EIS for Stockpile Stewardship and Management written by and published by . This book was released on 1996 with total page 774 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Construction and Operations of a Biosafety Level 3 Facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory Los Alamos New Mexico written by and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page 5 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The ''National Environmental Policy Act of 1969'' (NEPA) requires Federal agency officials to consider the environmental consequences of their proposed actions before decisions are made. In complying with NEPA, the United States (U.S.) Department of Energy (DOE), National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) follows the Council on Environmental Quality regulations (40 ''Code of Federal Regulations'' [CFR] 1500-1508) and DOE's own NEPA implementing procedures (10 CFR 1021). The purpose of an environmental assessment (EA) is to provide Federal decision-makers with sufficient evidence and analysis to determine whether to prepare an Environmental impact statement (EIS) or issue a Finding of No Significant Impact. This EA has been prepared to assess environmental consequences resulting from the construction and operation of a Biosafety Level 3 (BSL-3) laboratory facility within the boundaries of the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). LANL is one of the national security laboratories under the authority of the Under Secretary for Nuclear Security of the NNSA who serves as the Administrator for Nuclear Security and Head of the NNSA (50 USC Chapter 41, Section 2402(b)). The objectives of this EA are to (1) describe the underlying purpose and need for NNSA action; (2) describe the Proposed Action and identify and describe any reasonable alternatives that satisfy the purpose and need for NNSA action; (3) describe baseline environmental conditions at LANL; (4) analyze the potential indirect, direct, and cumulative effects to the existing environment from implementation of the Proposed Action and other reasonable alternatives; and (5) compare the effects of the Proposed Action with the No Action Alternative and other reasonable alternatives. For the purposes of compliance with NEPA, reasonable alternatives are identified as being those that meet NNSA's purpose and need for action by virtue of timeliness, appropriate technology, and applicability to LANL. The EA process also provides NNSA with environmental information that can be used in developing mitigative actions, if necessary, to minimize or avoid adverse effects to the quality of the human environment and natural ecosystems should NNSA decide to proceed with implementing the construction and operation of a BSL-3 facility at LANL. Ultimately, the goal of NEPA and this EA is to aid NNSA officials in making decisions based on an understanding of environmental consequences and taking actions that protect, restore, and enhance the environment.

Download or read book Proposed Relocation of Technical Area 18 Capabilities and Materials at the Los Alamos National Laboratory written by and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page 470 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Plans and Practices for Groundwater Protection at the Los Alamos National Laboratory written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2007-10-18 with total page 104 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The world's first nuclear bomb was a developed in 1954 at a site near the town of Los Alamos, New Mexico. Designated as the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) in 1981, the 40-square-mile site is today operated by Log Alamos National Security LLC under contract to the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Like other sites in the nation's nuclear weapons complex, the LANL site harbors a legacy of radioactive waste and environmental contamination. Radioactive materials and chemical contaminants have been detected in some portions of the groundwater beneath the site. Under authority of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the State of New Mexico regulates protection of its water resources through the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED). In 1995 NMED found LANL's groundwater monitoring program to be inadequate. Consequently LANL conducted a detailed workplan to characterize the site's hydrogeology in order to develop an effective monitoring program. The study described in Plans and Practices for Groundwater Protection at the Los Alamos National Laboratory: Final Report was initially requested by NNSA, which turned to the National Academies for technical advice and recommendations regarding several aspects of LANL's groundwater protection program. The DOE Office of Environmental Management funded the study. The study came approximately at the juncture between completion of LANL's hydrogeologic workplan and initial development of a sitewide monitoring plan.

Download or read book Environmental Assessment of the Proposed Disposition of the Omega West Facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory Los Alamos New Mexico written by United States. National Nuclear Security Administration and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Issuance of an Easement to Public Service Company of New Mexico for the Construction and Operation of a 12 inch Natural Gas Pipeline Within Los Alamos National Laboratory Los Alamos New Mexico written by and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page 21 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) has assigned a continuing role to Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) in carrying out NNSAs national security mission. To enable LANL to continue this enduring responsibility requires that NNSA maintain the capabilities and capacities required in support of its national mission assignments at LANL. To carry out its Congressionally assigned mission requirements, NNSA must maintain a safe and reliable infrastructure at LANL. Upgrades to the various utility services at LANL have been ongoing together with routine maintenance activities over the years. However, the replacement of a certain portion of natural gas service transmission pipeline is now necessary as this delivery system element has been operating well beyond its original design life for the past 20 to 30 years and components of the line are suffering from normal stresses, strains, and general failures. The Proposed Action is to grant an easement to the Public Service Company of New Mexico (PNM) to construct, operate, and maintain approximately 15,000 feet (4,500 meters) of 12-inch (in.) (30-centimeter [cm]) coated steel natural gas transmission mainline on NNSA-administered land within LANL along Los Alamos Canyon. The new gas line would begin at the existing valve setting located at the bottom of Los Alamos Canyon near the Los Alamos County water well pump house and adjacent to the existing 12-in. (30-cm) PNM gas transmission mainline. The new gas line (owned by PNM) would then cross the streambed and continue east in a new easement obtained by PNM from the NNSA, paralleling the existing electrical power line along the bottom of the canyon. The gas line would then turn northeast near State Road (SR) 4 and be connected to the existing 12-in. (30-cm) coated steel gas transmission mainline, located within the right-of-way (ROW) of SR 502. The Proposed Action would also involve crossing a streambed twice. PNM would bore under the streambed for pipe installation. PNM would also construct and maintain a service road along the pipeline easement. In addition, when construction is complete, the easement would be reseeded. Portions of the Proposed Action are located within potential roosting and nesting habitat for the Mexican spotted owl (Strix occidentalis lucida), a Federally protected threatened species. Surveys over the last seven years have identified no owls within this area. The Proposed Action would be conducted according to the provisions of the LANL Threatened and Endangered Species Habitat Management Plan. Effects would not be adverse to either individuals or potential critical habitat for protected species. Cultural resources within the vicinity of the proposed easement would be avoided with the exception of an historic trail. However, the original trail has been affected by previous activities and no longer has sufficient historical value to be eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. Minimal undisturbed areas would be involved in the Proposed Action. Most of the proposed easement follows an established ROW for the existing electrical power line. There are several potentially contaminated areas within Los Alamos Canyon; however, these areas would be avoided, where possible, or, if avoidance isn't possible or practicable under the Proposed Action, the contaminated areas would be sampled and remediated in accordance with New Mexico Environment Department requirements before construction.