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At least 271 records · Page 15
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NASA NTRS2024

Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances Confirmatory Sampling Report, South Repeater Building (SWMU 121), Kennedy Space Center, Florida

This Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Confirmatory Sampling (CS) Report was prepared by AECOM Technical Services, Inc. (AECOM) for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) under Contract 80KSC019D0010, Task Order 80KSC021F0096. The purpose of this report is to document CS activities at the South Repeater Building, Solid Waste Management Unit (SWMU) 121, formerly known as the Area 3 Repeater Building (A3RB). A Phase I SWMU Assessment and Confirmatory Sampling Report (NASA 2019) and a Phase II and III SWMU Assessment and Confirmatory Sampling Report (NASA 2022b) were previously submitted detailing Center-Wide assessment activities performed at the John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida that identified 33 locations of concern and 19 areas of potential concern at KSC associated with the storage, use, or release of materials containing PFAS. A review of the analytical results from investigation derived waste samples collected in 2020 from the South Repeater Building area indicated concentrations of perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) were above Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) provisional Groundwater Cleanup Target Levels of 70 nanograms per liter (ng/L) at a concentration of 1,750 ng/L. Following this review, the KSC Fire Chief was contacted; the Chief recalled fighting a brush fire in 1998 in the area, during which an unknown volume of aqueous film-forming foam was used to extinguish the fire. The Phase II and Phase III SWMU Assessment Report recommended this area proceed to CS. Historical results in this area are provided in Appendix A . PFAS CS activities were contracted at the South Repeater Building. Initial CS activities were conducted in accordance with the PFAS Assessment and Mitigation Work Plan (AECOM 2022), which was submitted to the NASA Remediation Project Management team and accepted by the team on November 1 and 8, 2021. The objectives of the PFAS CS were to: - - Confirm and begin to assess the extent of PFAS affected media in the South Repeater Building area. - - Identify locations for groundwater, soil, surface water, and soil core sampling. - - Qualitatively characterize the migration potential of released PFAS to environmental media (soil, groundwater, and surface water). The following activities were completed to meet the PFAS CS objectives: - - Installation of monitoring wells via direct push technology (DPT) and rotosonic techniques - - Groundwater, soil, and surface water sampling - - Collection of soil cores to evaluate site lithology - - Development of initial PFAS plume characterization

PFAS↗
NASA NTRS2024

Former Central Heat Plant SWMU 045 Year 2 Air Sparge System Performance Monitoring Report

This Air Sparge (AS) Performance Monitoring (PM) Report (PMR) presents Year 2 operation, maintenance, and monitoring (OM&M) activities, PM results, and monitoring well installations supporting the AS Interim Measure (IM) at the Former Central Heat Plant (CHP) at Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Florida. CHP has been designated Solid Waste Management Unit 045 under the KSC Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Corrective Action Program. An AS IM was installed at CHP between 2019 and 2021, which included the installation of an AS system to treat a chlorinated solvent groundwater plume. Contaminants of concern (COCs) identified at CHP for the AS IM include tetrachloroethene (PCE), trichloroethene (TCE), cis-1,2-dichloroethene (cDCE), and vinyl chloride (VC). The completed AS system includes a network of 267 AS wells, which treat approximately 1.3 acres of contaminated groundwater. “Hot” compressor technology is used to treat the source zone, while a “cold” compressor is used to treat two hot spot (HS) areas (HS1 and HS2) and the high concentration plume (HCP). The AS system began operation in June-July 2021 and this document includes Year 2 of operation. The overall runtimes for the AS system for the Year 2 reporting period (October 2022 to September 2023) were approximately 69 percent for the cold trailer and 71 percent for the hot trailer. Air samples and vapor screening results collected during the reporting period showed concentrations less than applicable human health and air emissions permit criteria. Groundwater performance monitoring results show that AS treatment continues to be effective in reducing COC concentrations at CHP. At the shallow interval, COC concentrations were all non-detect, less than, or met their respective State of Florida Groundwater Cleanup Target Levels (GCTLs) at the end of Year 2 in September 2023. In the deep interval, 10 of the 15 PM wells detected COCs greater than their respective GCTLs, with two of these wells also exceeding the Natural Attenuation Default Concentration for VC. Based on Year 2 OM&M and PM results, continued operation of the AS system is required to meet the IM objective. It is therefore recommended to continue with AS IM operations at CHP with the following plan for Year 3.

Kevin Alex Murphy↗
NASA NTRS2024

Launch Complex 34 SWMU CC054 Hot Spot Area 6 Expansion - Phase Three Implementation Work Plan

This Hot Spot (HS) Area 6 Air Sparge Expansion – Phase Three Implementation Work Plan (IWP) was prepared by Tetra Tech, Inc., for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) under the Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity Contract 80KSC019D0011-80KSC019F0067, for the implementation of an Air Sparging (AS) Interim Measure (IM) at Launch Complex 34 (LC34), located at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS), Florida. LC34 has been designated as Solid Waste Management Unit (SWMU) CC054 under the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) operating permit. Expansion of the HS 6 IM will include installation of an additional 192 AS wells to depths of approximately 40 feet below land surface (bls) to remediate contaminated groundwater within two areas located west and northeast of the existing HS 6 AS treatment area. These areas were delineated via direct push technology investigations in September and October 2023. The expansion will target “hot spot” concentrations of cis-1,2-dichloroethene (cDCE) and vinyl chloride (VC), which are the contaminants of concern in these areas with concentrations greater than 10-times Florida Department of Environmental Protection Natural Attenuation Default Concentrations. The highest cDCE and VC concentrations detected in the proposed phase three expansion area were 58,000 micrograms per liter (μg/L) (32 to 36 feet bls) and 12,000 μg/L (23 to 27 feet bls), respectively. The objective for this expansion is to remediate contaminated groundwater within the treatment zone to support transition to long-term monitoring. This phase three expansion will add an additional 9.4 acres of treatment area to the HS 6 IM, which currently covers approximately 26.9 acres.

Launch Complex 34↗
NASA NTRS2024

Long-Term Groundwater Monitoring Report Industrial Area Kennedy Space Center, Florida

This report presents the 2023 groundwater sampling results from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Industrial Area (IA) Long-Term Monitoring (LTM) activities. Due to the project contract ending in 2023, this report presents one year of LTM activities instead of the two-year timeframe presented in previous reports. The NASA IA LTM Program includes the following 12 sites: - Ransom Road Landfill (RRLF) – Solid Waste Management Unit (SWMU) 003 - Building M7-0505 Treatment Tank Area (M505) – SWMU 039 - Operations and Checkout Building (O&C) – SWMU 076 - Vertical Processing Facility (VPF) – SWMU 077 - Environmental Health Facility (EHF) – SWMU 079 - Kennedy Athletic, Recreation, and Social Park 1 (KARS Park 1) – SWMU 084 - Engineering Development Laboratory (EDL) – SWMU 085 - Launch Equipment Test Facility (LETF) – SWMU 091 - Mobil Service Station (MOBIL) – SWMU 093 - General Services Administration Seized Property (GSSP) – SWMU 095 - Space Station Processing Facility (SSPF) – SWMU 098 - Fuel Storage Area #1 Underground Storage Tank [Building 1044] (FSA1) – Potential Release Location (PRL) 157 Sampling events for the IA LTM Program are conducted seasonally during the dry and wet seasons, which occur in May and November, respectively. The sites in the NASA IA LTM Program are sampled on annual, biennial, or 5-year sampling frequencies based on historical trends. The current sampling frequencies for the NASA IA LTM sites are as follows: - FSA1 is sampled annually, alternating between wet and dry seasons. - GSSP is sampled annually during the wet season. - Seven sites are sampled biennially, alternating between the wet and dry seasons (RRLF, M505, O&C, VPF, LETF, MOBIL, and SSPF). - EHF and EDL are sampled biennially during the wet season. - KARS Park 1 is sampled once every 5 years.

remediation↗
NASA NTRS2024

Area South of K7-516, SWMU 100 Performance Monitoring Report Kennedy Space Center, Florida

This Performance Monitoring Report (PMR) presents operations, maintenance, and monitoring information and performance monitoring results for the air sparging (AS) groundwater Interim Measure at the Area South of K7-516 (516S) located at Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Florida. AS expansion activities are also included in this PMR. The 516S site has been designated Solid Waste Management Unit 100 under the KSC Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Corrective Action Program. The timeframe for activities included in this report extends from January 1, 2023, through December 31, 2023.

Mark J. Jonnet↗
NASA NTRS2024

Launch Complex 39A, SWMU 008 2023 Long-Term Monitoring Report Kennedy Space Center, Florida

The 2023 Long-Term Monitoring (LTM) Report (LTMR) presents the annual and semi-annual groundwater monitoring results for Launch Complex 39A (LC39A), Solid Waste Management Unit (SWMU) 008, at Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Florida. The reporting period covered under this LTMR is from January to December 2023, and represents the first year of site-wide monitoring following Air Sparge (AS) system shutdown at the end of 2022. AS system operation at LC39A began operation in 2015. The AS system consisted of a total of 173 AS wells ranging in depth from 11 to 37 feet below land surface. The overall remedial objective for the AS Interim Measure was to actively decrease concentrations of COCs to less than their respective Florida Department of Environmental Protection Natural Attenuation Default Concentrations, so that LC39A can transition into an LTM program. This objective was achieved in 2022, with 2023 marking Year 1 of the LTM program to monitor the residual groundwater plume. VOC results indicate that COC concentrations have continued to decrease or stabilize, with no rebound observed since AS system shutdown. Vinyl chloride was the only COC detected above its GCTL, with the highest concentration detected at 8.0 μg/L. PFAS results detected 15 different PFAS compounds (out of 32 analyzed) between the six monitoring wells sampled. Two PFAS compounds, perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), currently have FDEP Provisional GCTLs of 70 nanograms per liter (ng/L). PFOS was detected in one of the six samples above the FDEP Provisional GCTL at a concentration of 200 ng/L. PFOA was not detected above the FDEP Provisional GCTL in any of the six samples. PFOS and PFOA also currently have United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) of 4 ng/L. PFOS was detected in all six samples above the USEPA MCL. PFOA was detected in three of the six samples above the USEPA MCL. Three other PFAS compounds, perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS), perfluoro-n-nonanoic acid (PFNA), and hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (GenX), currently have USEPA MCLs of 10 ng/L. PFHxS, PFNA, and GenX were not detected at concentrations greater than their respective USEPA MCLs in any of the six wells. Additional PFAS sampling will occur as part of a PFAS Site Assessment to be conducted in the future. Based on Year 1 LC39A LTM results, recommendations for 2024 are to continue with the second year of LTM in 2024 with the same monitoring well network as Year 1 (18 wells). The three wells that were on a semi-annual schedule will transition to an annual schedule to align with the remaining wells. The next annual event is scheduled for May 2024. The three wells that were found to be inadvertently destroyed will be properly abandoned and a replacement well in the vicinity of former monitoring well 21ST-MW0030I will be installed. This new well will be added to the LTM sampling plan upon installation.

Deborah M. Wilson↗
NASA NTRS2024

Launch Complex 39B, SWMU 009, 2023 Performance Monitoring and Air Sparge Expansion Construction Completion Report, Kennedy Space Center, Florida

The 2023 Performance Monitoring and Construction Completion Report (PM-CCR) presents the findings, observations, and results for Air Sparging (AS) operations and expansion activities, as well as sitewide groundwater monitoring for Launch Complex 39B (LC39B), Solid Waste Management Unit (SWMU) 009, at Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Florida. The reporting period for activities covered under this PM-CCR is from January 1, 2023, to December 31, 2023. At LC39B, AS operations began in 2017 in the area west of the launch pad, in the liquid oxygen (LOX) tank area located northwest of the launch pad, and in an area outside of the perimeter fence to protect nearby Outstanding Florida Waters (OFW). The LC39B AS system was installed with 279 AS wells to depths ranging from 23 to 60 feet below land surface (bls), including the sump, correlating to top of screen depths ranging from 20 to 57 feet bls. In December 2022, a total of 22 AS wells were abandoned to support launch pad crane operations, and in November 2023, the system was expanded with five additional AS wells installed to 13 or 17 feet bls near the LOX tank. The remedial objective of the LC39B AS Interim Measure (IM) is to actively decrease concentrations of contaminants of concern (COCs) in groundwater, specifically trichloroethene (TCE), cis-1,2-Dichloroethene (cDCE), and vinyl chloride (VC), to less than their respective Natural Attenuation Default Concentrations (NADCs), so LC39B can transition into a Long-Term Monitoring (LTM) program. This PM-CCR presents the following information for LC39B: • AS system operations and maintenance (O&M) (Year 7 of operation) from January 2023 to December 2023, to include AS trailer relocation in March 2023 and subsequent replacement and re-start in June 2023. • Construction completion details for AS system expansion, which included installation of five new AS wells and one new monitoring well in November 2023. As part of expansion activities, soil samples were also collected for petroleum analysis; no exceedances were identified, and no further investigation for petroleum is warranted. • Performance monitoring results for groundwater sampling events conducted in May/June 2023 (30 wells) and November 2023 (31 wells) in the AS IM area and in the Low Concentration Plume (LCP) areas located north and east of the launch pad for volatile organic compound (VOC) analysis. • Sampling results for one monitoring well, LOX-IW0012S, which is sampled for aluminum on an annual basis (May/June 2023). This well was resampled in November 2023 for both total and dissolved aluminum. Due to a communication error with the laboratory, the May/June 2023 sample was analyzed for total aluminum only. • Groundwater sampling results for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) collected from seven monitoring wells during the May/June 2023 event to further investigate the Former Sewage Treatment Plant #6 and Percolation Pond area, west of the launch pad. O&M and performance monitoring results show that the AS system at LC39B is operating as designed and meeting performance criteria. Overall runtime was 45 percent (%) during the reporting period (January to December), but the operational runtime was 78% during the timeframe when the system could run (June to December). The most significant downtime contributor was post-launch crane operations following the Artemis launch on November 16, 2022, which lasted until June 2023. During that timeframe, the AS trailer at LC39B was relocated to another KSC remediation site (Wilson Corners) and was subsequently replaced with the AS trailer from the Paint & Oil Locker (POL) remediation site at KSC to resume AS system operations. Performance monitoring results in the AS IM and LCP areas continue to show reduction in COC concentrations over time when compared to baseline levels. In 2023, only one monitoring well (MW0048) detected a COC exceeding its NADC (VC at 740 micrograms per liter [µg/L]), which marks the baseline result for this new well installed during system expansion. Across the rest of the site, VC concentrations have declined or remained stable during the 2023 sampling events. Excluding MW0048, the highest VC result in 2023 was during the May/June sampling event with a concentration of 63 µg/L at MW0032, which is located near MW0048 and the AS expansion area by the LOX tank. TCE was detected in select monitoring wells in the IM area in 2023, but only two locations exceeded the State of Florida Groundwater Cleanup Target Level (GCTL): MW0032 (21 µg/L in May/June 2023 and 9.1 µg/L in November 2023) and MW0036 (5.0 µg/L in November 2023). MW0036 is also located near the LOX tank, on the north side, where the AS system is still operational (Zone Z4). cDCE and trans-1,2-dichloroethene concentrations were less than laboratory method detection limits or their respective GCTLs in all wells sampled in 2023. Near the OFW located northwest of the launch complex, all COC concentrations were less than laboratory method detection limits from monitoring wells (MW0039, MW0040, and LOXTA0002S) sampled in 2023. Aluminum results from LOX-IW0012S, which has been sampled routinely since 2006, detected a total aluminum concentration of 3,900 µg/L during the May/June 2023 sampling event. Results from the November 2023 event detected 5,700 µg/L for total aluminum and 5,500 µg/L for dissolved aluminum. These concentrations slightly decreased from the previous year but remain relatively consistent with historical detections. Aluminum will continue to be sampled on an annual basis at this well as results still exceed the GCTL of 200 µg/L and the Upper Limit of the KSC Background Concentration of 280 µg/L. PFAS results detected nine different PFAS compounds (out of 32 analyzed) from seven wells sampled. Two PFAS compounds, perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), currently have FDEP Provisional GCTLs of 70 nanograms per liter (ng/L). All seven samples collected resulted in concentrations less than the FDEP Provisional GCTLs for both PFAS compounds; no exceedances were observed. PFOS and PFOA also have assigned United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) of 4 nanograms per liter (ng/L). None of the PFOS results exceeded the USEPA MCLs. PFOA was detected in two samples above the USEPA MCL at concentrations of 5.8 ng/L (ECS-IW0009I) and 5.5 ng/L (ECS-IW0009S). Three other PFAS compounds, perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS), perfluoro-n-nonanoic acid (PFNA), and hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (GenX), currently have USEPA MCLs of 10 ng/L. PFHxS, PFNA, and GenX were not detected at concentrations greater than their respective USEPA MCLs in any of the seven wells. PFAS compounds without FDEP Provisional GCTLs or USEPA MCLs were screened against USEPA RSLs. No other detections exceeded their respective USEPA RSLs. Additional PFAS sampling will be conducted as part of a future PFAS Site Assessment. Based on O&M activities and performance monitoring, the following is recommended for LC39B: • Continue with Year 8 AS system operation within Zone Z4, which includes the AS expansion area. Zone Z3, which has been off since 2018, should remain off as no rebound has been observed. Zones Z1 and Z2, which were turned off at the end of 2022, will remain shut down as monitoring well results have consistently been below GCTLs or have low-level detections with stable or decreasing trends (Meeting Minute 2402-M10, Decision 2402-D30). • Continue with performance monitoring in 2024 with the same monitoring well network as 2023, except with the addition of MW0048 in both semi-annual events. Baseline concentrations for this well were collected during the November 2023 performance monitoring event. Semi-annual sampling should be planned for the May 2024 and November 2024 timeframes (Meeting Minute 2402-M10, Decision 2402-D31). • Continue sampling monitoring well, LOX-IW0012S, for aluminum (total and dissolved) on an annual basis in May 2024. It is also recommended to re-develop this well prior to the next sampling event (Meeting Minute 2402-M10, Decision 2402-D32). The above recommendations for LC39B were presented at the February 2024 KSCRT Meeting, with Team consensus reached on the path forward. The contents of this PM-CCR were also presented at this meeting.

Deborah M Wilson↗
NASA NTRS2024

Launch Complex 34, SWMU CC054 2023 DNAPL Source Zone Operations, Maintenance, and Monitoring, Site-Wide Long-Term Monitoring, and Hot Spot 6 Air Sparge System Annual Performance Monitoring and Phase Two Expansion Construction Completion Report Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida

This Annual Performance Monitoring Report (PMR) for the Dense Non-Aqueous Phase Liquid (DNAPL) Source Zone (DSZ), Site-Wide Long-Term Monitoring (LTM), and Hot Spot 6 (HS 6) Air Sparge (AS) System presents the results of Year 14 operations and performance monitoring of the hydraulic containment (HC) Interim Measure (IM), details associated with construction and implementation of the HS 6 AS system expansion (Phase Two), and the results of operations and performance sampling of the HS 6 AS IM at Launch Complex 34 (LC34), located at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS), Florida. The timeframe for activities documented in this PMR extends from April 1, 2023 to March 31, 2024. LC34 has been designated Solid Waste Management Unit CC054 under the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Corrective Action Program. The objective of the HC IM at LC34 is to contain the shallow and deep DSZ and surrounding dissolved-phase trichloroethene (TCE) high concentration plume via operation of a hydraulic containment system (HCS). The pre-IM design 300 micrograms per liter (μg/L) TCE groundwater contour was used to establish the deep zone capture area for deep recovery wells, and the shallow zone capture area was defined by the DSZ. The system began operating in 2010, and in 2015, the system was expanded to provide HC for areas within the 300 μg/L TCE groundwater isocontours of HS 3 and 4. In 2018 and 2019, an investigation was conducted to recharacterize the DSZ, which included investigating TCE mass in Layer 7. This data was subsequently used to optimize the pumping rates of the HCS and install additional recovery wells in Layer 7 to more adequately capture residual contaminant mass. The operational period for Year 14 of the HCS was from April 1, 2023 to March 31, 2024. Operational runtime for the system was 94 percent during Year 14, with downtime events attributed to planned maintenance, system repairs, and power outages. As of March 31, 2024, a total of 344,849,634 cumulative gallons of groundwater containing 94,656 pounds of chlorinated volatile organic compounds (CVOCs) have been removed by the HCS. During the reporting period covered under this report, the HCS recovered 31,176,393 gallons and approximately 6,319 pounds of CVOC mass. Total combined influent concentrations of TCE have decreased since startup from approximately 280,000 µg/L (January 2010) to 25,000 µg/L (March 2024). During the reporting period, all effluent concentrations from the HCS (aqueous and vapor) were below regulatory reporting limits, indicating the system continues to operate as intended. Performance monitoring was conducted in January 2024 within the DSZ to evaluate TCE contamination. Groundwater samples were collected via DPT at nine locations, consistent with previous events between 2017 and 2022. Full vertical profile sampling was completed at each DPT from 8 to 98 feet below land surface (bls), at 5-foot intervals. The DPT performance monitoring results are summarized in this PMR. The results revealed TCE remains at concentrations greater than 11,000 µg/L in the DSZ (1-percent solubility, indicative of DNAPL) at eight of the nine DPT locations and at depths ranging from 28 to 98 feet bls. An overall decreasing trend of TCE concentrations was observed in DPT samples during this reporting period, which is a reduction from the previous event (December 2022) and the peak event in December 2021, where TCE percentages appeared to increase in all depth zones because several recovery wells were turned off during the AS pilot study in the DSZ. The maximum TCE concentration in January 2024 was 1,600,000 µg/L in the 53 feet bls depth interval at DPT594 (previous maximum result in 2022 was 1,800,000 µg/L in the 48 feet bls depth interval at DPT599). This maximum concentration in the 53 feet bls depth interval is in the deep capture zone. During the January 2024 DPT event, the largest portion of TCE mass was observed in the 48 feet bls interval above/within Layer 4. This trend remains consistent with previous years and appears to indicate continued mass discharge from Layer 4 (fine-grained unit). In addition to DPT sampling, annual groundwater samples were collected from 11 deep monitoring wells in the DSZ area (Layers 7 and 8) in December 2023 to verify vertical and horizontal delineation. Three of the wells were also sampled biweekly to evaluate operations of recovery well RW21D (screened 86 to 106 feet bls), which was installed in January 2023. Of the Layer 7/8 monitoring sampled only annually, results were non-detect or less than groundwater cleanup target levels GCTLs in December 2023, with the exception of one well, IW45D2, which had a cis-1,2-dichloroethene (cDCE), detection greater than the GCTL. Of the three wells sampled biweekly during the operational period, the well located closest to Layer 7 recovery well RW21D (IW44D2, screened 105 to 115 feet bls) had concentrations of TCE, cDCE and vinyl chloride (VC) greater than GCTLs throughout the operational period, but displayed a decreasing trend since the peak concentrations in September 2023. The maximum TCE concentration during this operational period was 190,000 µg/L at IW44D2 in September 2023, but reduced to 700 µg/L in March 2024, indicating the HCS is still effectively removing mass from the source area. Expansion of the HCS and addition of new recovery wells is ongoing and will continue to be evaluated as the groundwater recovery scheme is optimized. Details of the expansion and optimization will be provided in a future PMR. The HS 6 AS IM was initiated in 2018 with 160 AS wells and expanded in 2019 with another 140 AS wells. An additional expansion of the HS 6 AS IM was completed during the reporting period covered under this report and details of the construction implementation and startup of the expansion are detailed in Section III of this report. The new expansion, referred to as Phase Two, was implemented between August 17, 2022 and August 28, 2023, and included the installation of 190 air sparge wells to treat an additional 11.2 acres. The original configuration (referred to as Phase One) operated until Phase Two came online, then all but 52 AS wells were turned off so the components could be moved and utilized in the Phase Two area. The 52 AS wells that remain on are in a barrier configuration preventing contaminated groundwater from impacting the treated area. The HS 6 AS system (both Phase One and Two) operated normally during the reporting period covered under this report. Semi-annual performance monitoring of the Phase One configuration was conducted in April and November 2023, consistent with previous years. For the Phase Two configuration, 21 new monitoring wells were installed and sampled quarterly, with a baseline event in July 2023, and quarterly events in November 2023 and February 2024 summarized in this report. Semi-annual monitoring results collected in April and October 2023 show concentrations of contaminants of concern (cDCE, trans-1,2-dichloroethene, and VC) have decreased to less than GCTLs in nearly all wells and not impacting the surface water drainage canal, indicating the HS 6 IM continues to meet objectives. The baseline and quarterly sampling for the Phase Two configuration indicate generally decreasing concentrations in wells within and around the perimeter of the treatment area. At least two more quarters of monitoring will be conducted and once those results are evaluated a reduced the sampling frequency may be considered. Overall, the tasks associated with Year 14 operation of the HC IM and operation of the HS 6 AS IM were performed in accordance with recommendations included in the previous 2022 LC34 (Year 13) PMR. Evaluation of results from the HC IM and HS 6 IM show that these systems are operating as designed and meeting performance objectives.

groundwater remediation↗
NASA NTRS2024

Hypergol Maintenance Facility North, SWMU 090, Year 3 Air Sparge System Performance Monitoring Report, Kennedy Space Center, Florida

This Performance Monitoring Report (PMR) presents Year 3 Air Sparge (AS) System operation, maintenance, and monitoring (OM&M) activities and performance monitoring results for the AS Interim Measure (IM) at the Hypergol Maintenance Facility North (HMFN) at Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Florida. HMFN has been designated Solid Waste Management Unit (SWMU) 090 under the KSC Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Corrective Action Program. The timeframe for activities included in this report extends from September 2022 to August 2023. The HMFN AS IM was implemented in 2019-2020 to treat a chlorinated solvent groundwater plume that resulted from historical operations supporting the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Space Program. The system includes 213 AS wells, with screen depths ranging from 25 feet to 45 feet below land surface (bls) and treats approximately 1.62 acres of contaminated groundwater. The objective of the AS IM is to actively reduce groundwater concentrations exceeding Florida Department of Environmental Protection Natural Attenuation Default Concentrations (NADCs) (identified as the High Concentration Plume [HCP]) to levels that facilitate transition into a Long-Term Monitoring program. The AS IM targets all of the HCP, except for a source zone area within the HCP where trichloroethene (TCE) concentrations exceed 11,000 micrograms per liter (μg/L) at depths greater than 45 feet bls. This is because site lithology was found to not be conducive to the AS treatment technology at these deeper depths. NASA will re-visit plans for potentially utilizing another remedial technology for residual deeper contamination following completion of the AS IM. OM&M activities and results from Year 3 indicate that the AS system at HMFN is operating as designed and is meeting performance criteria. Groundwater performance monitoring results indicate that following the third year of AS system operation, TCE concentrations in wells across all treated depth intervals have been reduced by an average of more than 99 percent. Overall, the areal extent of the plume showed a reduction following Year 3 of AS operations; however, continued operation of the AS system is required to meet the IM objective.

VOCs↗
NASA NTRS2024

Base Support Building and Kennedy Athletic, Recreation, and Social Park II, SWMU 014 and SWMU 118 PFAS 2023 Site Assessment Progress Report, Kennedy Space Center, Florida

This Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) 2023 Site Assessment Progress Report presents the findings from the 2023 investigation activities, completed between October 12, 2022, and January 24, 2024, at the Base Support Building, Solid Waste Management Unit (SWMU) 014 and at the Kennedy Athletic, Recreation, and Social (KARS) Park II SWMU 118 located within Kennedy Space Center, Florida.

Richard G Smith↗
NASA NTRS2024

2023 Annual Long-Term Monitoring Report Vehicle Assembly Building Area

This report presents a summary of the groundwater monitoring activities that occurred in February 2024 at two sites in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) Area Long-Term Monitoring (LTM) program at the John F. Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The two sites are Fire Station 3 (formerly Fire Station 6) (FS3) – Solid Waste Management Unit (SWMU) 106 and Launch Complex 39 Observation Gantry Area (LC39OGA) – SWMU 107.

VAB Long-Term Groundwater Monitoring↗
NASA NTRS2024

KSC Child Development Center (PRL 149) Confirmatory Sampling Report and Interim Measures Work Plan

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) permit requires identification and evaluation of known Solid Waste Management Units (SWMU) located at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC). The KSC Child Development Center (KCDC), the “site,” is designated as potential release location (PRL) 149 under the NASA RCRA permit. This report summarizes the results of the Confirmatory Sampling (CS) activities carried out on March 19, 2022, and May 16, 2023, at KCDC, PRL 149, KSC, Florida. This report additionally presents the results of an assessment conducted between July 7 and July 27, 2023, to determine whether construction activities in 2023 to replace certain playground equipment and the rubberized play surface released arsenic (As) contaminated soil.

CDC↗
NASA NTRS2024

Base Support Building and Kennedy Athletic, Recreation, and Social Park II SWMU 014 and SWMU 118 PFAS 2023 Site Assessment Progress Report Kennedy Space Center, Florida

This Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Site Assessment Progress Report (SAPR) presents the findings of the 2023 PFAS investigation conducted between October 12, 2022, and January 24, 2024, at the Base Support Building (previously known as the Maintenance and Operation Building), Solid Waste Management Unit (SWMU) 014, and at the Kennedy Athletic, Recreation, and Social (KARS) Park II, (SWMU 118) located within Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Florida. SWMUs 014 and 118 were initially investigated independently; however, the results of the previous investigations indicated a single PFAS groundwater plume covering both SWMUs, so the two sites are being reported together.

PFAS↗
NASA NTRS2025

Converter Compressor Building, SWMU 089 Monitoring Well 21 Area Implementation Work Plan Kennedy Space Center, Florida

This Implementation Work Plan (IWP) was prepared by Tetra Tech, Inc., for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) under Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) Contract 80KSC019D0011/80KSC019F0070, for the implementation of a bioremediation Interim Measure (IM) at the Converter Compressor Building (CCB) site located at Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Florida. The location of CCB within KSC is shown on Figure A-1. CCB has been designated as Solid Waste Management Unit (SWMU) 089 under KSC’s Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Corrective Action Program. The overall Corrective Action Objective (CAO) for CCB is to reduce concentrations of trichloroethene (TCE), cis-1,2-dichloroethene (cDCE), trans-1,2-dichloroethene (tDCE), and vinyl chloride (VC) to less than State of Florida Groundwater Cleanup Target Levels (GCTLs). The objective for the IM associated with this IM is to reduce groundwater concentrations for the contaminants of concern (COCs) to less than their Natural Default Attenuation Concentrations (NADCs) within the Monitoring Well 21 Area (herein referred to as MW21 Area) via bioremediation injections to support transition to long term monitoring (LTM). This IWP describes the activities that will be performed for the treatment of the MW21 Area. The Revision 1 CCB MW21 Area Interim Measure Work Plan (IMWP; NASA, 2024), which was approved by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) on December 26, 2024, was used as the design basis for this IWP.

Mark Jonnet↗
NASA NTRS2026

Improvement of Odor Control for the UWMS Hard-Sided Fecal Canister and the Alternate Fecal Canister

On longer range exploration missions, the mass and volume of critical hardware and consumables required to support crew will pose a big stowage challenge. This includes the hardware for the collection and storage of human metabolic solid waste. The amount of stowage needed for this hardware both before (empty) and after (full) use will be a significant burden on the overall spacecraft habitable volume, layout, and design. To help with this challenge, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Mars Campaign Office (MCO) Logistics Reduction (LR) Portfolio has developed a collapsible canister for the collection and containment of fecal deposits. The Alternate Fecal Canister (AFC) is a collapsible alternative to the exploration toilet Hard-sided Fecal Canister (HFC). The AFC in its empty state has a volumetric benefit to smaller vehicles on longer missions. The current designs for HFC and AFC were tested with human fecal material for odor containment at White Sands Test Facility (WSTF) where the tests on both were unsuccessful. The source of the lack of containment was isolated to a gasket used on both HFC and AFC. The gasket used was found to be open cell in design. This paper provides a summary of the materials selection and testing process to identify a replacement gasket material with the intention to replace the gaskets on both existing units as well as incorporate it into the designs going forward for future builds for exploration. Details will be provided on the design of the canisters interface with the odor bacteria lid which led to the selection of the thickness of the desired replacement. Finally, the paper will provide an update on the testing in advance of a return to WSTF for final testing and detail plans to complete testing and perform a demonstration on ISS with UWMS.

ECLSS↗
NASA NTRS2026

Improvement of Odor Control for the UWMS Hard-Sided Fecal Canister and the Alternate Fecal Canister

On longer range exploration missions, the mass and volume of critical hardware and consumables required to support crew will pose a big stowage challenge. This includes the hardware for the collection and storage of human metabolic solid waste. The amount of stowage needed for this hardware both before (empty) and after (full) use will be a significant burden on the overall spacecraft habitable volume, layout, and design. To help with this challenge, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Mars Campaign Office (MCO) Logistics Reduction (LR) Portfolio has developed a collapsible canister for the collection and containment of fecal deposits. The Alternate Fecal Canister (AFC) is a collapsible alternative to the exploration toilet Hard-sided Fecal Canister (HFC). The AFC in its empty state has a volumetric benefit to smaller vehicles on longer missions. The current designs for HFC and AFC were tested with human fecal material for odor containment at White Sands Test Facility (WSTF) where the tests on both were unsuccessful. The source of the lack of containment was isolated to a gasket used on both HFC and AFC. The gasket used was found to be open cell in design. This paper provides a summary of the materials selection and testing process to identify a replacement gasket material with the intention to replace the gaskets on both existing units as well as incorporate it into the designs going forward for future builds for exploration. Details will be provided on the design of the canisters interface with the odor bacteria lid which led to the selection of the thickness of the desired replacement. Finally, the paper will provide an update on the testing in advance of a return to WSTF for final testing and detail plans to complete testing and perform a demonstration on ISS with UWMS.

Toilet↗
NASA NTRS1976

Solid rocket propellant waste disposal/ingredient recovery study

A comparison of facility and operating costs of alternate methods shows open burning to be the lowest cost incineration method of waste propellant disposal. The selection, development, and implementation of an acceptable alternate is recommended. The recovery of ingredients from waste propellant has the probability of being able to pay its way, and even show a profit, when large consistent quantities of composite propellant are available. Ingredients recovered from space shuttle waste propellant would be worth over $1.5 million. Open and controlled burning are both energy wasteful.

Mcintosh, M. J.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Recycling paper-pulp waste liquors

Papermills in U.S. annually produce 3 million tons of sulfite waste liquor solids; other fractions of waste liquor are monomeric sugars and lignosulfonates in solution. Recovery of lignosulfonates involves precipitation and cross-linking of sulfonates to form useful solid ion-exchange resin. Contamination of sugars recovered from liquor is avoided by first converting them to ethanol, then removing ethanol by distillation.

Sarbolouki, M. N.↗