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At least 19 records

Addendum to Architectural Documentation and National Register of Historic Places Evaluations of Built-Environment Resources at Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos County, New Mexico

The Los Alamos National Laboratory contracted Statistical Research, Inc. (SRI), to document and evaluate 110 facilities for listing in the National Register of Historic Places (National Register). This effort was conducted in compliance with Section 110 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended; the Code of Federal Regulations (36 CFR 800); the Programmatic Agreement among the U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration, Los Alamos Field Office, the New Mexico State Historic Preservation Office and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation Concerning Management of the Historic Properties at Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos New Mexico; and A Plan for the Management of the Cultural Heritage at Los Alamos National Laboratory, New Mexico (LANL’s Cultural Resources Management Plan) (2017).

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗

Cliff Retreat Characterization at Technical Area 54, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM

Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL or the Laboratory) generates radioactive waste as a result of various activities. Operational waste is generated from a wide variety of Laboratory functions; environmental restoration and decontamination and decommissioned waste is generated as contaminated sites and facilities undergo cleanup or remediation. The majority of this waste is low-level radioactive waste and is disposed of at the Technical Area (TA) 54, Area G disposal facility. Area G includes Material Disposal Area (MDA) G, the portion of the facility that currently receives waste, and the Zone 4 expansion area located immediately west of MDAG. The Laboratory no longer plans to use the Zone 4 expansion area.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Inorganic Elements in Eggs of Two Cavity-Nesting Passerine Species at and around Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico

Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) was established in 1943 as part of the Manhattan Project to build nuclear weapons, and currently operates as a national research laboratory. As part of an ongoing assessment of site-related ecological risk at LANL, western bluebird (Sialia mexicana) and ash-throated flycatcher (Myiarchus cinerascens) eggs were collected from 1997 to 2012 and analyzed for 18 inorganic elements. Concentrations of many inorganic elements in eggs were below reporting limits. Between species comparisons revealed that western bluebird eggs had higher levels of barium while ash-throated flycatcher eggs had higher levels of mercury. No statistically significant differences were observed in concentrations of inorganic elements in western bluebird eggs collected from the study area (which consists of areas within the current and historic LANL boundary) and from a non-industrial reference site; nor were any statistically significant differences observed between two canyons of interest, known to have received effluents and storm water runoff from LANL facilities, and the non-industrial reference site. Inorganic element levels detected in western bluebirds were typically within the range measured in eggs of other passerine in the published literature. Furthermore, these data suggest that concentrations of inorganic elements in passerine eggs collected from the study area appear to be at levels causing negligible risks to local bird populations.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Floodplain statement of findings for corrective actions in Potrillo Canyon technical area-36, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico

In 2014, baseline storm water monitoring samples for Potrillo Canyon Sample Management Area at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) exceeded the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Individual Permit No. NM0030759 target action level (TAL) of 15 picocuries per liter (pCi/L) for gross-alpha radioactivity (393 pCi/L) and a TAL of 30 pCi/L for radium-226 and radium-228 (95.9 pCi/L). Consequently, erosion control measures within the management area are proposed to minimize sediment migration, a corrective action under the permit that is a requirement of the New Mexico Environment Department consent decree and a good management practice to limit off-site sediment migration. The area proposed for erosion controls consists of portions of Technical Area 36 that were used as firing sites primarily involving high explosives (HE) and metal (e.g., depleted uranium, lead, copper, aluminum, and steel), small-explosives experiments and burn pits (burn pits were used for burning and disposal of test debris). In addition, underground explosive tests at an approximate depth of 100 feet were also conducted. These watershed-based storm water controls will focus on addressing erosion occurring within the floodplain through mitigating and reducing both current and future channelization and head cutting.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Quantifying Holocene Cliff Retreat Rates at Technical Area 54, a Low- and Mixed-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Site, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico [Slides]

Cliff failure is occurring and threatens to expose pits and shafts. Steep slope angles = FoS < 1 = high probability of failure and retreat. EQ magnitude > 5.5 could initiate failure where FoS > 1. Fracture characterization (location, orientation, etc.) is essential for predictive analysis of at-risk cliff failure locations. Additional surface exposure dating would be helpful and further constrain the effect of fracture characteristics. Continued monitoring is essential for change detection and identification of areas with higher cliff retreat rates.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Long-Term Chemical Analyses in Biota Collected Upstream of the Pajarito Canyon Flood Retention Structure and Los Alamos Canyon Weir at Los Alamos National Laboratory

The Cerro Grande wildfire was a major disaster that burned during the summer of 2000 in the Jemez Mountains and parts of Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL or Laboratory). As an immediate response to the fire, the United States Department of Energy generated a list of post-fire actions needed to mitigate the impacts of this disaster, including flooding and the potential for erosion. Two structures built post-fire include the Pajarito Canyon flood retention structure (FRS) and the Los Alamos Canyon weir. Environmental monitoring at these two structures has occurred since the early 2000s as part of ongoing efforts to evaluate impacts of the fire.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Wetland Re-Evaluation and Delineation Report for the Los Alamos National Laboratories Wetlands Project, Los Alamos County, New Mexico

In March of 2005, the Department of Energy (DOE), National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Los Alamos Site office (LASO) requested the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Albuquerque District (USACE) to identify and delineate wetlands at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). The results of this study were intended to support the preparation of the Supplemental Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and various mitigative measures that would become part of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) compliance process for LANL. The term “wetland” will be used throughout the report to refer to the potential wetlands listed in Table 1. Many of these potential "wetlands” were not determined to be wetlands based on 2025 data.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

A NEW GENERATION OF LOS ALAMOS OPACITY TABLES

We present a new, publicly available set of Los Alamos OPLIB opacity tables for the elements hydrogen through zinc. Our tables are computed using the Los Alamos ATOMIC opacity and plasma modeling code, and make use of atomic structure calculations that use fine-structure detail for all the elements considered. Our equation of state model, known as ChemEOS, is based on the minimization of free energy in a chemical picture and appears to be a reasonable and robust approach to determining atomic state populations over a wide range of temperatures and densities. In this paper we discuss in detail the calculations that we have performed for the 30 elements considered, and present some comparisons of our monochromatic opacities with measurements and other opacity codes. We also use our new opacity tables in solar modeling calculations and compare and contrast such modeling with previous work.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Amendment to Programmatic Agreement among the U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration, Los Alamos Field Office, the New Mexico State Historic Preservation Office and the Advisory Council on History Preservation Concerning Management of the Historic Properties of Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico (AGREEMENT)

The Field Office has a cultural resources program manager. The LANL Management and Operating Contractor has a staff of cultural resource specialists who meet the qualifications set forth in the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and Guidelines for Professional Qualifications (36 CFR Part 61), or work under the supervision of individuals who meet these qualifications. Any future Management and Operating Contractor will have a staff of Secretary of the Interior-qualified cultural resource specialists.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗

Radon Survey of Los Alamos National Laboratory Buildings and Los Alamos County Residential Buildings

A radon survey of office spaces was of interest to LANL for several reasons. First, exposure to natural radon in LANL office spaces has been considered to be outside the regulatory reach of the federal regulations and the U.S. Department of Energy (U.S. DOE) orders, and thus has not been studied as extensively as occupational exposure to other radionuclides and is not subject to the same rigorous radiological controls. Second, a general survey of radon concentrations in LANL workspaces was of interest to management to ensure safe environments for workers and is in keeping with the intent of OSHA requirements. Though radon in LANL offices would not be derived from enhanced radioactive sources, radon exposure in general office spaces has the potential to significantly impact worker risk. The purpose of the 2009 radon survey was to measure and document indoor radon levels across a broad spectrum of office-type workspaces and neighboring homes. The measured concentrations were compared against those measured across the United States and across the world. The results were also compared against a wide variety of radiation protection thresholds such as (1) the action levels of 148 Bq m -3 (the U.S. EPA action level for public housing), (2) ≈1,200 Bq m -3 OSHA threshold for office spaces, (3) effective dose threshold of 1 mSv threshold for defining a radiological worker, (4) 50 mSv occupational effective dose limit, and (5) 0.1 mSv and 1 mSv limits for public exposures from the air pathway and all pathways, respectively.

07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES↗

College-bound cowboys: The Los Alamos Ranch School Before the wartime lab, Los Alamos was home to a boarding school

Summer’s over and the school year’s soon to start. What’s a kid to do? Go West, young man! Escape the city that is “making you soft” and learn self-reliance from the western U.S. of A. – or so advertised the ranch school movement in America from roughly 1900-1960. This educational movement included Los Alamos. Before being developed into a wartime lab to create atomic weapons, the mesa was home to one of the most prominent and pricey ranch schools in America.

96 KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT AND PRESERVATION↗

Photos of Lansmont PDT 80 drop test machine at Los Alamos

The Los Alamos RP-SVS Radiation Protection Services group designed and constructed a drop tower facility for TA- 55 support work. The drop mechanism was supplied by the Lansmont company in Monterey CA. Los Alamos staffers Murray Moore and Yong Tao have noticed that the system is not dropping loads correctly, and they have photographed aspects of the PDT- 80 model system. The first 10 photos show the platen loaded with a cylindrical steel bar. The next 10 photos are of the roller-cam mechanism in the drop tower, and the last 2 photos indicate the amount of looseness in the platen when it is being pulled by a person.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Floodplain Assessment for the Middle Los Alamos Canyon Aggregate Area Investigations in Technical Area 02 at Los Alamos National Laboratory

The proposed action being assessed in this document occurs in TA-02 in the bottom of Los Alamos Canyon. The DOE proposes to conduct soil sampling at AOC 02-011 (d), AOC 02- 011(a)(ii), and SWMU 02-005, and excavate soils in AOC 02-011(a)(ii) as part of a corrective actions effort. Additional shallow surface soil samples (soil grab samples) will be collected throughout the TA-02 area, including within the floodplain, to perform ecotoxicology studies (Figures 1 and 2). The excavation boundaries in AOC 02-011(a)(ii) are slightly within the delineated 100-year floodplain. The project will use a variety of techniques for soil sampling and remediation efforts to include hand/digging, standard hand auger/sampling, excavation using machinery such as backhoe and front end loader and small drill rig. Heavy equipment will traverse the floodplain and spoils piles will be staged in the floodplain within developed or previously disturbed areas (e.g., existing paved roads and parking areas). The project will utilize and maintain appropriate best management practices (BMPs) to contain excavated materials, and all pollutants, including oil from machinery/vehicles. The project will stabilize disturbed areas as appropriate at the end of the project.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

3D Printing at Los Alamos

At Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), their additive manufacturing division is seeking to answer the question whether it is possible to 3D print on a 5th axis. The end goal is to achieve true continuous fiber 3D printing. My goal on this project was to learn about additive manufacturing, and to learn how to operate the experimental 3D printer. Each print that was done demonstrated a different pattern that would change the strength and integrity of the print. Overall prints with minimal strand separation and featured weave-like patterns proved to have the best integrity.

42 ENGINEERING↗