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Corrective Action Decision Document for Corrective Action Unit 342: Area 23 Mercury Fire Training Pit, Nevada Test Site, Nevada Controlled Copy No.: Approved for public release; further dissemination unlimited. U.S. Department of Energy
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Available to the public from - U.S. Department of Commerce National Technical Information Service 5285 Port Royal Road Available electronically at http://www. doe, eov/bridee Available to U.S. Department of Energy and s contractors in paper from ■ U.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, orfavoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof or its contractors or
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CORRECTIVE ACTION DECISION DOCUMENT FOR CORRECTIVE ACTION UNIT 342: AREA 23 MERCURY FIRE TRAINING PIT, NEVADA TEST SITE, NEVADA DOE Nevada Operations Office Las Vegas, Nevada Approved for public release; further dissemination unlimited.
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CORRECTIVE ACTION DECISION DOCUMENT FOR CORRECTIVE ACTION UNIT 342: AREA 23 MERCURY FIRE TRAINING PIT, NEVADA TEST SITE, NEVADA
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Page i of vii Table of Contents List of Acronyms and Abbreviations............................................................................................ vi 2.0 Corrective Action Investigation Summary.......................................................................... 6 2.3 Need for Corrective Action...................................................................................... 8 3.0 Evaluation of Alternatives.................................................................................................. 9 3.1 Corrective Action Objectives.................................................................................. 9 3.1.1 Contaminants of Concern........................................................................ 9 3.1.2 Potential Exposure Pathways.................................................................. 9 3.2.2 Remedy Selection Decision Factors...................................................... 12 3.3 Development of Corrective Action Alternatives.................................................. 13 3.3.1 Alternative 1 - No Further Action.......................................................... 16 3.3.2 Alternative 2 - Closure in Place with Partial Excavation, Disposal, and Administrative Controls.................................................. 16 3.3.3 Alternative 3 - Partial Excavation, Disposal, and 3.4 Evaluation and Comparison of Alternatives.......................................................... 18 Appendix A - Corrective Action Investigation Report for Corrective Action Unit 342: Area 23 Mercury Fire Training Pit, Nevada Test Site A.2.0 Field Investigation and Sampling Activities.................................................................. A-3
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Page ii of vii Table of Contents (Continued) A.3.2 Total Volatile Organic Compound Analytical Results..................................... A-29 A.3.4 Total Semivolatile Organic Compound Analytical Results............................. A-34 A.3.5 Total RCRA Metals and Zinc Analytical Results............................................. A-34 A.3.7 Dioxins and Furans Analytical Results............................................................ A-41
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Page iii of vii Table of Contents (Continued) A.4.6 Tier I and Tier II Data Evaluations....................................................................A-47 Appendix E - Nevada Environmental Restoration Project
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List of Figures Number Title Page 1-1 Nevada Test Site.......................................................................................................... 2 1-2 Area 23 Mercury Fire Training Pit, Nevada Test Site............................................... 3 3-1 Potential Areas of Excavation, Area 23 Mercury Fire Training Pit, Nevada Test Site.................................................................................................... 17 A.2-1 Aerial View of the Mercury Fire Training Pit........................................................A-4 A.2-2 Direct-Push and Manual Sample Collection Locations for Mercury Fire Training Pit.....................................................................................A-6 A.2-3 Borehole Locations for Mercury Fire Training Pit.............................................A-l 1 A.3-1 Lateral Extent of the TPH Plumes at the Mercury Fire Training Pit...................A-22 A.3-4 Cross Section of Bum Pit Plume......................................................................... A-27 Page iv of vii
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List of Tables Number Title Page 3-1 Detailed Evaluation of Alternatives.................................................................................20 3-2 Comparative Evaluation of Alternatives............................................................................ 24 A.2-1 Direct-Push and Surface Sample Locations and Analyses for Mercury Fire Training Pit............................................................................ A-7 A.2-2 Samples Collected During Subsurface Investigation at the Mercury Fire Training Pit..............................................................................................A-14 A.3-1 Laboratory Analytical Methods Used for the Mercury Fire Training Pit A.3-2 Soil Sample Results for Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons Detected Above Minimum Reporting Limits, Mercury Fire Training Pit, Nevada Test Site................................ A-20 A.3-3 Soil Sample Results for Total Volatile Organic Compounds Detected Above the Minimum Reporting Limit, Mercury Fire Training Pit, Nevada Test Site............ A-30 A.3-4 Soil Sample Results for Total Semivolatile Organic Compounds Detected Above Minimum Reporting Limits, Mercury Fire Training Pit, Nevada Test Site................ A-35 A.3-5 Soil Sample Results for Total RCRA Metals and Zinc Detected Above Minimum Reporting Limits, Mercury Fire Training Pit, Nevada Test Site................................ A-36 A.3-6 Soil Sample Results for TCLP Metals Detected Above Minimum Reporting Limits, Mercury Fire Training Pit, Nevada Test Site...............................................................A-40 A.3-1 Soil Sample Results for Detected Radioactive Isotopes, Mercury Fire Training Pit, Nevada Test Site...............................................................A-42 Page v of vii
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Page vi of vii List of Acronyms and Abbreviations AST Aboveground storage tank(s) bgs Below ground surface CADD Corrective Action Decision Document CAIP Corrective Action Investigation Plan CAS Corrective Action Site(s) CAU Corrective Action Unit CLP Contract Laboratory Program cm/sec Centimeters) per second COC Contaminant(s) of concern COPC Contaminants) of potential concern DOE/NV U.S. Department of Energy, Nevada Operations Office DQO Data Quality Objective(s) EPA U.S. Environmental Protection Agency FFACO Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order FTP Mercury Fire Training Pit ICP Inductively coupled plasma MEK Methylethyl ketone (2-butanone) MIBK Methyl isobutyl ketone
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Page vii of vii List of Acronyms and Abbreviations (Continued) Matrix spike/Matrix spike duplicate Nevada Administrative Code Nevada Division of Environmental Protection National Institute of Standards and Technology Nevada Revised Statutes Nevada Test Site Personal protective equipment Quality assurance and quality control Quality Assurance Project Plan Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Relative percent difference Sample delivery group Toxicity characteristic leaching procedure
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This Corrective Action Decision Document has been prepared for the Nevada Test Site s Area 23 Mercury Fire Training Pit (Corrective Action Unit 342) in accordance with the Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order (FFACO, 1996). Corrective Action Unit 342 is comprised of Corrective Action Site 23-56-01. The purpose of this Corrective Action Decision Document is to identify and provide a rationale for the selection of a recommended corrective action alternative for Corrective Action Unit 342. The scope of this document consists of the following: • Develop corrective action objectives. • Identify corrective action alternative screening criteria. • Develop corrective action alternatives. • Perform detailed and comparative evaluations of corrective action alternatives in relation to corrective action objectives and screening criteria. • Recommend and justify a preferred corrective action alternative for the Corrective Action In May and June 1998, a corrective action investigation was performed as set forth in the Corrective Action Investigation Plan for Corrective Action Unit 342: Area 23 Mercury Fire Training Pit, Nevada Test Site, Nevada (DOE/NV, 1998). Unknown hydrocarbons were detected in the total petroleum hydrocarbon diesel analyses at concentrations ranging from nondetect to 10,000 milligrams per kilogram. These unknown hydrocarbons could be attributed to aromatic, halogenated and nonhalogenated volatile and semivolatile compounds and/or other petroleum hydrocarbons (i.e., nongasoline, nondiesel, and nonwaste oil) present in the samples. Total petroleum hydrocarbons were identified at concentrations above the 100 milligrams per kilogram action level specified in the Nevada Administrative Code (NAC, 1996a). These detections were primarily related to plumes associated with the aboveground storage tank storage area and the bum pit. The surface soil immediately down gradient of the bum pit and several stained areas also had concentrations exceeding the 100 milligrams per kilogram action level. The aboveground storage tank storage area subsurface plume is limited vertically to 50 feet. The
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lateral extent does not exceed 130 by 80 feet. The bum pit plume is limited vertically to 30 feet and laterally to not more than a few feet beyond the dimensions of the surface berm (65 by 27 feet). The highest detected concentration of total petroleum hydrocarbon was 18,000 milligrams per kilogram as diesel in boring B-l4 in the aboveground storage tank storage area at the 24 to 25 feet below ground surface sampling interval. Xylene was detected in one sample at a concentration exceeding the preliminary action level. This xylene detection, as well as those less than the preliminary action levels, were associated with the hydrocarbon detections and should therefore be limited to the extent of the hydrocarbon plume. The lateral extent of the hydrocarbon contamination is shown on Figure A.3-1. Details of the investigation can be found in Appendix A of this document. Based on the potential exposure pathways, the following corrective action objectives have been identified for Corrective Action Unit 342: • Prevent or mitigate exposure to surface, near-surface, and subsurface soil containing contaminants of concern at concentrations exceeding preliminary action levels • Prevent adverse impacts to groundwater quality. Upon review of existing data, future use, and current operations at the Nevada Test Site, the following alternatives were developed for consideration at Corrective Action Unit 342: • Alternative 1 - No Further Action • Alternative 2 - Closure in Place with Partial Excavation, Disposal, and Administrative • Alternative 3 - Partial Excavation, Disposal, and In Situ Bioremediation The corrective action alternatives were evaluated based on four general corrective action standards and five remedy selection decision factors. Based on the results of this evaluation, the preferred alternative for Corrective Action Unit 342 is Alternative 2, Closure in Place with Partial Excavation, Disposal, and Administrative Controls. The preferred corrective action alternative was evaluated on technical merit, focusing on performance, reliability, feasibility, and safety. The alternative was judged to meet all requirements for the technical components evaluated, all applicable state and federal regulations for closure of the
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site, and will reduce potential future exposure pathways to the contaminated soil at the Mercury Fire This alternative will present minor risks to site workers during corrective action implementation. Therefore, appropriate health and safety procedures will be developed and implemented.
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This Corrective Action Decision Document (CADD) has been prepared for Corrective Action Unit (CAU) 342, Area 23 Mercury Fire Training Pit (FTP) in accordance with the Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order (FFACO) that was agreed to by the U.S. Department of Energy, Nevada Operations Office (DOE/NV); the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection (NDEP); and the U.S. Department of Defense (FFACO, 1996). The CADD provides or references the specific information necessary to recommend a preferred corrective action for the single Corrective Action Site (CAS), 23-56-01, within CAU 342. Corrective Action Unit 342 is located at the Nevada Test Site (NTS) in Area 23. The NTS is approximately 65 miles (mi) northwest of Las Vegas, Nevada (Figure 1-1). The FTP is an area approximately 350 by 450 feet (ft) located west of Mercury, Nevada, which was used between approximately 1965 and 1990 to train fire-fighting personnel (Figure 1-2) (REECo, 1991; This CADD identifies potential corrective action alternatives and provides a rationale for the selection of a recommended alternative for the CAU. The need for these alternatives is based on process knowledge and the results of the investigative activities conducted in accordance with the Corrective Action Investigation Planfor Corrective Action Unit 342: Area 23 Mercury Fire Training Pit, Nevada Test Site, Nevada (DOE/NV, 1998). The CAU is the same as described in the Corrective Action Investigation Plan (CAIP) except for surface features that were removed. The scope of this CADD consists of the following: Develop corrective action objectives. Identify corrective action alternative screening criteria. Develop corrective action alternatives.
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Junctioi Air Force; :> • Test Site Area Road or Highway Nevada Test Site
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Bum tank Bum pit Access road ........ Study Area Boundary AST Above Ground Storage Tank Surface Features Removed in March 1998. Area 23 Mercury Fire Training Pit, Nevada Test Site
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• Perform detailed and comparative evaluations of corrective action alternatives in relation to corrective action objectives and screening criteria. • Recommend and justify a preferred corrective action alternative for the CAU. This CADD is divided into the following sections: Section 1.0 - Introduction: summarizes the purpose, scope, and contents of this CADD. Section 2.0 - Corrective Action Investigation Summary: summarizes the investigation field activities, the results of the investigation, and the need for corrective action. Section 3.0 - Evaluation of Alternatives: documents steps taken to determine a preferred corrective Section 4.0 - Recommended Alternative: presents the preferred corrective action alternative and the rationale for its selection based on the corrective action objectives and alternative screening criteria. Section 5.0 - References: provides a list of all referenced documents. Appendix A: Corrective Action Investigation Reportfor Corrective Action Unit 342: Area 23 Mercury Fire Training Pit, Nevada Test Site Appendix B: Soil Boring Logs Appendix C: Geotechnical Sample Results Appendix D: Cost Estimates Appendix E: Nevada Environmental Restoration Project Documentation Review Sheet
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All work was performed in accordance with the following documents: • Corrective Action Investigation Plan for Corrective Action Unit 342: Area 23 Mercury Fire Training Pit, Nevada Test Site, Nevada (DOE/NV, 1998)
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2.0 Corrective Action investigation Summary The following sections describe and summarize the results of the investigation activities conducted at CAU 342. Detailed investigation results and minor deviations from the CAIP are presented in In May and June 1998, corrective action investigation activities were performed as set forth in the CAIP (DOE/NV, 1998). The purpose of the investigation was to: • Identify the presence and nature of contaminants of potential concern (COPCs) at the FTP. • Determine the vertical and lateral extent of COPCs at the FTP. • Provide sufficient information and data to develop and evaluate appropriate corrective action for the CAU. The investigation activities are summarized below: • Conducted a biological resources survey prior to sample collection. No endangered species were identified on the site. • Collected surface/near-surface soil samples for laboratory analysis from 31 random and biased locations using a direct-push sampling method and from three biased locations using hand tools (Figure A.2-2 shows these locations). • Drilled 17 soil borings in and around each of the point source areas using a rotary sonic drilling method. The borings ranged in depth from 15 to 70 ft. • Collected subsurface soil samples from each of the borings for field screening and laboratory • Field-screened soil samples for volatile organic compounds (VOCs), total petroleum • Analyzed environmental samples (soil and quality control [QC] samples) from the investigation for one or all of the following: total and leachable VOCs; total semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs); total and leachable Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
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radionuclides using gamma spectroscopy. The results of these analyses were compared to preliminary action levels (PALs) as established in Section 3.3 of the CAIP (DOE/NV, 1998). • Performed tests on bioassessment samples to ascertain pH levels, moisture content, background nutrient concentrations, microbial enumerations, and microbial stimulation • Analyzed geotechnical samples from investigation borings for initial moisture content, dry bulk density, calculated porosity, saturated/unsaturated hydraulic conductivity, particle size distribution, and water-release curve. The corrective action investigation results indicated the following: • Total petroleum hydrocarbons were identified at concentrations above the 100 milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg) action level specified in the Nevada Administrative Code (NAC) (NAC, 1996a). Unknown hydrocarbons were detected in the TPH diesel analyses at concentrations ranging from nondetect to 10,000 mg/kg. These unknown hydrocarbons could be attributed to aromatic, halogenated and nonhalogenated volatile and semivolatile compounds and/or other petroleum hydrocarbons (i.e., nongasoline, nondiesel, and nonwaste oil) present in the samples. These detections were primarily related to plumes associated with the aboveground storage tank (AST) storage area and the bum pit. The surface soil immediately down gradient of the bum pit and several stained areas also had concentrations exceeding the 100 mg/kg action level. The AST area subsurface plume lobes appear to have had three different point sources. The northernmost and largest of the three lobes is limited vertically to 50 ft. The smaller two lobes are limited vertically to 30 ft and 20 ft. Their combined lateral extent does not exceed 130 by 80 ft. The bum pit plume is limited vertically to 30 ft and laterally to not more than a few feet beyond the dimensions of the surface berm (65 by 27 ft) (Figures A.3-1 through A.3-4 show plume …
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