Preparing the FUSRAP Colonie Interim Storage Site for Transfer Back to the US Department of Energy Office of Legacy Management - 19215
The Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP) Colonie Interim Storage Site was transferred from the US Department of Energy (US DOE) to the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) in 1997. The USACE initiated remediation efforts at the Site under FUSRAP. The Site was separated into three distinct operable units (OU) to more efficiently manage the remedial process: 1) Groundwater OU, 2) Main Site Soils OU, and 3) Vicinity Property OU. The USACE has completed remedial actions at each of these three OUs and has advanced the OU remedies at the Site to the long-term stewardship stage to be executed by the US DOE Office of Legacy Management (LM). The US DOE LM is the current real property owner of record of the Colonie Main Site. A summary of each OU and the activities needed to prepare for site transfer follows: OU 1 - USACE issued the Colonie Groundwater OU Record of Decision (ROD) (USACE 2010a) on April 9, 2010. The Groundwater ROD remedy is monitored natural attenuation (MNA) and long-term monitoring (LTM) of groundwater after source removal completion. Results of groundwater monitoring indicate reductions in concentrations of contaminants of concern (COC). Based on the marked progress to date, USACE has optimized the groundwater LTM program (USACE, 2014) by reducing the well network, sampling frequency, and analytical parameters, and by abandoning wells that are no longer needed. A Groundwater ROD Five-Year Review report was submitted to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) for review in 2018. NYSDEC agreed that MNA is still an appropriate remedial method although it is progressing at a slower rate than predicted. OU 2 - From 1999 to 2007, USACE completed the large-scale removal of soil at the Main Site, which included the adjacent Town of Colonie Vicinity Property. Radioactively contaminated soil along with accessible metals-contaminated soil and soil containing volatile organic compounds (VOC) were removed during this effort. A total of 103,402 cubic meters (m{sup 3}) of soil was excavated and disposed offsite. On March 26, 2015, USACE signed the Main Site Soils OU ROD (USACE, 2015a). The ROD remedy included provisions for Land Use Controls (LUC) consisting of institutional controls (IC) through an Environmental Easement for management of three small and discrete inaccessible locations within three of the 27 Final Status Survey units of the Main Site. The Environmental Easement provides a means of protection based on both current and future land use by placing restrictions on soil excavation and reuse. The easement and a supporting Site Management Plan (SMP) will be finalized by LM in coordination with NYSDEC. OU 3 - the Vicinity Property OU ROD was signed on 20 September 2017. This ROD declared No Action (NA) for dust and No Further Action (NFA) for soil and other media for the Vicinity Properties. Prior to the ROD, USACE performed dust sampling and other characterization activities at representative commercial and residential Vicinity Property locations. These efforts were reported in the Colonie FUSRAP Site Vicinity Property Operable Unit Remedial Investigation Summary Report (USACE, 2016). A Site Closeout Report (SCOR) was issued to NYSDEC and approved in 2018. The approval of this report starts the transfer process back to the LM. Ongoing and future transfer activities include records retention and management, preparation and filing of real estate records, physical site management (fencing, landscape maintenance, well abandonment) and coordination with state regulators and LM staff. This presentation is intended to make all stakeholders aware of the necessary steps for site transfer from the USACE back to the LM. (authors)