NEW MEXICO ENVIRONMENT DEPARTMENT

2905 Rodeo Park Drive East, Building 1

BILL RICHARDSON

Governor
DIANE DEN ISH

Santa Fe, New Mexico 87505-6303 Phone (505) 476-6000 Fax (505) 476-6030

RON CURRY

Secretary
JON GOLDSTEIN

Lieutenant Governor

Deputy Secretary

David B. McCoy Executive Director Citizen Action New Mexico P. O. Box 4276 Albuquerque, NM 87196-4276

RE:

PUBLIC INFORMATION MARCH 25, 2008

REQUEST FOR SNL PUBLIC RECORDS,

I am in receipt of your March 25,2008, letter that contains several requests for public records pertaining to Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) groundwater monitoring wells. The New Mexico Environment Department (Department) first responded to your request on March 26, 2008, where you were informed that the Department would need more time to address your request because it was excessively burdensome or broad as cited in NMSA 14-2-10. The Department's response to those requests has now been prepared and follows, enumerated as in your letter. 1. The Department received a letter dated April 17, 2007, from the U. S. Department of Energy on behalf of Sandia National Laboratories (SNL). A copy of the letter can be found on the NMED web page under the link for Groundwater and Monitoring Well Documents, which, in turn, is found under Mixed Waste Landfill: http://www.nmenv.state.nm.us/hwb/snlpern1.html. Also, arrangements can be made with Ms. Pam Allen by phone at 505-476-6064, or bye-mail at pam.allen@state.nm.us, to review this document. The letter mentions well TAV -MW 1. Plug and abandonment, and replacement well installation plans for this well can be found under the web link mentioned above.

Mr. McCoy April 25, 2008

Page 2
2. A copy of the list is enclosed. Documents related to this list are the plug and abandonment and replacement well installation plans for the Mixed Waste Landfill (MWL) wells (BWl, MW1, MW2, and MW3), a well at Technical Area-V (TAV-MWl, mentioned above), and a plug and abandonment plan for various soil-vapor monitoring wells (dated September 19,2007). The plug and abandonment and replacement well installation plans regarding the MWL and Technical Area-V are found at the web link mentioned in item #1 above. Arrangements can also be made with Ms. Allen to review the plug and abandonment plan for the soil-vapor monitoring wells. The statement "Please provide the total number of active and inactive monitoring wells that exist at Sandia" is not a request for public records. Furthermore, the Department does not have this information in any document because many wells at SNL are not required by the Department to be routinely used to monitor groundwater. 3. Well-screen materials, the year of installation, and other information, are documented in a February 2004 report entitled Compilation o.fMonitoring Well Construction Diagrams Contained in the SNVER Well Database. Aside from the replacement wells that are to be installed at the MWL and Technical Area-V, and the corresponding plugging and abandonment of wells at these same areas, this report is believed to be complete and current. The Department can also provide a map of well locations for your inspection. This document can be found on the NMED webpage at: http://www.nmenv.state.nm.uslhwb/SNL/SNLCompMonWellData/.htm or arrangements can be made with Ms. Allen to review this document. 4. This request represents a request for water-level data for all SNL wells since such data were first reported for each well to the Department. The water-level data are found in perhaps hundreds of documents for SNL and Kirtland Air Force Base (KAFB) generated over the years. These documents are available at our office, and the Department will make available those of interest to you. Please make arrangements with Ms. Allen to review documents for this purpose.

6. To the Department's knowledge, documents sent to SNL concerning the corrosion of well screens would be limited to those pertaining to the Mixed Waste Landfill and the Chemical Waste Landfill. This request, again, represents a request to search through hundreds of documents looking for any mention of well-screen corrosion. You may review documents at our office for this information. As stated in #4 above, please make arrangements with Ms. Allen. Sincerely,

1e~'

Chief Hazardous Waste Bureau

Mr. McCoy April 25, 2008 Page 3

cc:

J. Kie1ing, NMED HWB W. Moats, NMED HWB T. Skibitski, NMED DOE OB T. Fox, NMED OGC File: Reading and SNL 2008

SNL has developed a list of wells for plugging and abandonment that is periodically revised based on changing priorities. The most current list of wells proposed for eventual plugging and abandonment (June 2007) is provided in the tables below. Current Wells that Require Plug and Abandonment th the Installation of a Reolacement Well Groundwater Well Reason for Replacing Area of Concern Identification Has stainless-steel screen; MWL MWL-BWI
Water level has fallen to near the bottom of the screened interval (within ~l ft); Not sampled in April 2007; NMED has requested that we replace this well. Water level has fallen to near the bottom of the screened interval (within ~ 1.3 ft), projected well life of - I year; Purges dry, recovers to 80% on same day; Crucial to the investigation (within the TCE plume). Has stainless-steel screen; Water level has fallen to near the bottom of the screened interval (within -3.5 ft), projected well life of ~5 years; Purges dry, recovers to 80% in 8 days. Has stainless steel screen with high concentrations of chromium/nickel and high turbidity; Water level is at the midpoint of the screened interval (at -lOft above the bottom), projected well life of -18 years; Purges dry, recovers to 80% in 1 day. Has stainless steel screen with high concentrations of chromium/nickel and high turbidity; Water level is near the midpoint of the screened interval (at -9.5 ft above the bottom), projected well life of -18 years; Purges dry, recovers to 80% in 4 days. Water level has fallen to below the bottom of the screened interval. Identified as a PCCP monitoring well; Water level has fallen to near the bottom of the screened interval (within ~5 ft), projected well life of -5.8 years; Purges dry, recovers to 80% in I day. Water level is near the midpoint of the screened interval (at ~ 12 ft above the bottom), projected well life of -6 years; Purges dry, recovers to 80% in 1 day; Completed in a perched aquifer of limited thickness, which appears to be contracting (drying out)-a deeper perched well capable of producing water may not be possible at this location. Has a stainless-steel screen; Identified as a PCCP monitoring well;

Priority

TAV

TAV-MWI

MWL

MWL-MW3

MWL

MWL-MWI

MWL

MWL-MW2

6 7

SWHCP/GWPP CWL

PL-3 CWL-BW4A

TAG

WYO-4

CWL

CWL-MW4

10

TAG

TA2-SWI-320

11

CWL

CWL-MW5U

12

CWL

CWL-MW6U

13

TAV

LWDS-MWI

14

TAG

TJA-7

15

TAG

TA2-NWI-595

16

TAG

PGS-2

Water level has fallen to near the bottom of the screened interval (within -5 ft), projected well life of -8.6 years; Does q.ot purge dry, but is expected to purge dry in the near future. Water level is below the midpoint of the screened interval (at ~6 ft above the bottom), projected well life of -11 years; Poor construction issues (sharp bends in casing) prevent sampling prevents use of Bennett system, currently use QED system; Completed in a perched aquifer of limited thickness, which appears to be contracting (drying out}-a deeper perched well capable of producing water may not be possible at this location. Identified as a PCCP monitoring well; Water level is near midpoint of the screened interval (-10 ft above the bottom), projected well life of -14 years; Purges dry, recovers to 80% in 1 day. Identified as a PCCP monitoring well; Water level is near midpoint of the screened interval (-10 ft above the bottom), projected well life of -15 years; Purges dry, recovers to 80% in 1 day. Water level is near top of the screened interval (-18 ft above the bottom), projected well life of ~ 15 years; Purges dry, recovers to 80% in 1 day. Water level is near midpoint of the screened interval (-11.5 ft above the bottom); Occasionally purges dry (not last two events), recovers to 80% within 1 day; Completed in a perched aquifer of limited thickness, which appears to be contracting (drying out}-a deeper perched well capable of producing water may not be possible at this location. Has two screened intervals, currently the upper zone is sampled with Bennett system; Samples not representative of upper-most groundwater because no inflatable packer is used to separate two intervals. Has two screened intervals, due to well construction issues, upper zone sampled with QED system; Samples may not be representative of the upper-most groundwater because no inflatable packer is used to separate the screened intervals.

Notes: GWPP-Groundwater Protection Program. MWL-Mixed Waste Landfill. PCCP-Post Closure Care Plan. SWHCP-Site-Wide Hydrogeologic Characterization T AG- Tijeras Arroyo Groundwater. TAV- Technical Area V.

Project.

Priority
1

Current Wells that Require Plug and Abandonment 'hout Installation of a ReDlacement Well Groundwater Well Reason for Abandonment Identification Area of Concern
CWL CWLMW2BU12BL
MW2BU is 2 inch well only suitable for low-flow sampling equipment, and water level has fallen to near the bottom of the screened interval; MW2BL screen interval is too deep for monitoring of upper aquifer; Represents potential Volatile Organic ComDound soil-l!as conduit to l!roundwater. Has stainless-steel screen; Not suited for monitoring due to sediment in well screen and is currently dry; Represents a potential Volatile Organic Compound soil-gas conduit to l!roundwater. Has stainless-steel screen; Not suited for monitoring due to sediment in well screen and is currently dry; Represents a potential Volatile Organic ComDound soil-l!as conduit to groundwater. Vapor extraction well no longer required. No longer required; Has stainless-steel screen; Projected well life of -5 years; PUfQ:esdrv, recovers to 80% in I day. Installed for chromium evaluation, no longer required; Screen interval too deep for monitoring of upper aquifer. Installed for chromium evaluation, no longer required; Screen interval too deep for monitoring of UDDeraauifer. 2 inch well and is only suitable for lowflow sampling equipment; Never properly designed or developed for groundwater monitoring. 2 inch well and is only suitable for lowflow sampling equipment; Never properly designed or developed for groundwater monitoring. Water level has fallen to near the bottom of the screened interval. No longer required.

CWL

CWL-MWIA

CWL

CWL-MW3A

4 5

CWL CWL

CWL-UI3 CWL-BW3

CWL

CWL-MW7

CWL

CWL-MW8

CWL

CWL-MW5L

CWL

CWL-MW6L

10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

TAV/SWHCP
SWHCP/GWPP SWHCP/GWPP SWHCP/GWPP SWHCP/GWPP SWHCP/GWPP SWHCP/GWPP SWHCP/GWPP

AVN-2 PL-l SFR-IS SFR-3D SFR-3S TRS-l TRS-2 TRN-l CWL-VMW-l TAG-SVOl

No longer required. No longer required. No longer required. No longer required. No longer required. No longer required. Vapor extraction no longer required. Soil vapor investigation has been completed;

CWL TAG

20

TAG

TAG-SV02

21

TAG

TAG-SV04

22

TAG

TA2-VW-20

23

TAG

TA2-VW-21

24

TAG

46-VW-02

25

TAG

227-VW-01

26

TAG

TAG-SV05

27

TAG

46-VW-01

28

DSS

1004-VW-01

29

DSS

1052-VW-01

30

DSS

1081-VW-01

31

DSS

1092-VW-01

32

DSS

137-VW-01

33

DSS

159-VW-01

., Soil vapor concentrations are negligible (less than 1 part per million). Soil vapor investigation has been completed; Soil vapor concentrations are negligible (less than 1 part per million). Soil vapor investigation has been completed; Soil vapor concentrations are negligible (less than 1 part per million). Soil vapor investigation has been completed; Soil vapor concentrations are negligible (less than I part per million). Soil vapor investigation has been completed; Soil vapor concentrations are negligible (less than 1 part per million). Soil vapor investigation has been completed; Soil vapor concentrations are negligible (less than 1 part per million). Soil vapor investigation has been completed; Soil vapor concentrations are moderate (less than 10 parts per million). Soil vapor investigation has been completed; Soil vapor concentrations are high (greater than 10 parts per million). Soil vapor investigation has been completed; Soil vapor concentrations are high (greater than 10 parts per million) . Soil vapor investigation has been completed; DSS accepted for No Further Action/Corrective Action Complete. Soil vapor investigation has been completed; DSS accepted for No Further Action/Corrective Action Complete. Soil vapor investigation has been completed; DSS accepted for No Further Action/Corrective Action Complete. Soil vapor investigation has been completed; DSS accepted for No Further Action/Corrective Action Complete. Soil vapor investigation has been completed; DSS accepted for No Further Action/Corrective Action Complete. Soil Vapor Investigation has been completed; DSS accepted for No Further Action/Corrective Action Complete.

34

DSS

165-VW-Ol

35

DSS

227-VW-Ol

Soil Vapor Investigation has been completed; DSS accepted for No Further Action/Corrective Action Complete. Soil Vapor Investigation has been completed; DSS accepted for No Further Action/Corrective Action Complete.

Notes: CWL-Chemical Waste Landfill DSS-Drain and Septic Systems GWPP-Groundwater Protection Program. MWL-Mixed Waste Landfill. SWHCP-Site-Wide Hydrogeologic Characterization Project. TAG- Tijeras Arroyo Groundwater TAV-Technical Area V.