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At least 703 records · Page 39

Panel Session 116: Waste Management from Remediation of Legacy Sites or Unplanned Releases

Past experiences have shown that there is often a disconnect between Indigenous societies and Western society. This disconnect can be attributed to different value systems between these two group and is not limited to the USA and Canada but also extends into Australia, New Zealand, and the Central Asia Republics (the 'five Stans'). The intent of this Panel Session to give voice to representatives from Indigenous communities, the challenges presented in remediation processes, and potential solutions. Standard risk assessment assumptions developed for Western societies often do not adequately address the cultural and spiritual values that may be unique to indigenous societies. This panel focused on the perspectives of Indigenous societies (e.g., Indian Tribes (US), First Nations (Canada)) related to risk assessment of environmental remediation challenges, including deep geological disposal of HLW and ILW, near-surface disposal of LLW and in-situ entombment of nuclear reactor components, and environmental remediation of abandoned uranium mines and historic wastes. Standard risk assessment assumptions often do not adequately address the cultural and spiritual values that may be unique to indigenous societies. Factoring those into a risk assessment that still meets regulatory requirements and policies such as reasonably anticipated land use at US EPA CERCLA sites can be challenging but has the potential to lead to a site or facility approach that is more accepted. Panelists with presentations: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Regulatory Process - A Path for Indigenous Knowledge? (Francis Cameron); Local Community Perceptions and Remediation Projects (Michelle Roberts); Indigenous Perspectives on Risk Assessment (Bob Watts); Navajo Superfund Program: Fundamental Law and Traditional Ecological Knowledge (Dariel Yazzie); Risk Assessment: Two Indigenous Approaches (Whitney Fraser)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Numerical modeling of Joule heated ceramic melter

Computational fluid dynamics and heat transfer models of waste glass melters are being developed to support the vitrification campaign at the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) as part of the United States nuclear waste stewardship and environmental protection programs. The WTP mission aims to achieve the stable and durable processing of vitrified waste in the safest, most efficient, and economical manner possible. Hanford’s tank waste is far more complex and varied than the waste treated by other vitrification facilities and both startup and long-term operational challenges are likely to be even greater than prior experience has shown. There are thousands of different waste compositions, which makes processing the waste a complex and challenging task. Models of test melters, pilot-scale, and full-scale melters have been developed to provide understanding and insight into the various physical and chemical phenomena occurring during vitrification. So the results of these modeling activities will be used to support the WTP operations to process legacy nuclear waste into a stable form for disposal.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Radon kinetics in a natural indoor radon chamber

An unusual 180 m 3 storage room in the basement of a two-story laboratory building is unventilated, and separated from occupiable rooms by double steel doors. The space completely borders on soil through the concrete floor and two of its concrete walls. The room also contains a separate inner chamber with 1 m thick concrete walls designed to damp vibrations in the room above it. The space boasts a relatively high radon level, 1083 Bq m –3 , which varies with local outdoor environmental conditions. Measurements were made of radon concentrations at various locations and heights within the facility. More than a year of continuous radon concentration data corresponding to a single location are also available, along with measurements of indoor and outdoor pressure, temperature, and humidity. Data were also collected with as many as five fans placed in different locations and cycled on for variable time periods. First order linear kinetic models were created to explain the observed approaches to steady state due to changing conditions and wash-out resulting from intentional ventilation. Results demonstrate a good fit between changes in the radon concentration level and the developed compartmental models. Furthermore, no significant differences were observed between radon concentration at different locations or heights in the chamber.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Performance Assessment of the Inactive Trenches in the 200 West Low-Level Burial Grounds at the Hanford Site

The purpose of this document is to provide a performance assessment (PA) of the 200 West Area Low‑Level Burial Grounds (LLBGs), under the requirements of DOE O 435.1, Radioactive Waste Management1. The objective is to ensure that the radioactive waste is managed in a manner that is protective of human health and the environment. Figure ES-1 shows the location of the LLBGs in the 200 West and 200 East Areas of the Hanford Site.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Removing the Cloak of Secrecy from Legacy Cleanup at Los Alamos national Laboratory - 20395

With the establishment in 2018 of the Los Alamos Legacy Cleanup Contract, the Department of Energy's (DOE) Environmental Management Los Alamos Field Office (EM-LA) and its contractor Newport News Nuclear BWXT Los Alamos (N3B) embarked on an expansive program to engage a broad range of local and regional stakeholders in the decision-making process for cleanup of legacy wastes (pre-1999) at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). From the inception of LANL during the Manhattan Project until the issuance of the new cleanup contract, the site was managed by a single management and operations (M and O) contactor whose main focus was national security. Segmenting from laboratory operations a separate cleanup contract managed by DoE's Office of Environmental Management (EM) brought new opportunities for the cleanup of legacy waste. That change likewise has opened new opportunities for engaging the community on legacy cleanup decisions. The new legacy cleanup contract - an unclassified contract - emphasizes public outreach, marking a cultural shift in how stakeholders in Los Alamos and throughout northern New Mexico are engaged. Without the constraints of classified work, EM-LA and N3B have increased the level of transparency with the public regarding cleanup activities. EM-LA and N3B have crafted an approach that best meets the values, priorities and needs of the neighboring communities by adapting the model successfully employed at Rocky Flats. Through enhanced stakeholder involvement, EM-LA will implement decisions that have considered broad input and deliver a safe and efficient cleanup of the site. EM-LA and N3B began the expanded stakeholder outreach program in January 2019, leading up to four Environmental Management Cleanup Forums held in the summer of 2019. EM-LA and N3B are now in the process of initiating a series of meetings with various stakeholder groups to determine their 'values' as they relate to cleanup using a novel approach that elicits and records values. The entire process is documented, ensuring that should questions arise about how, when and why decisions were made, they can be easily addressed. In addition to other public meetings to present cleanup scenarios and solicit active public involvement in cleanup decisions, the EM-LA and N3B approach involves discussions with stakeholders who want to explore specific technical issues and cleanup discussions in depth. EM-LA and N3B are also evaluating and implementing a variety of communications tools to help ensure the engagement plan sets the gold standard for transparency in legacy cleanup and stakeholder involvement. (authors)

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Mobility of Radionuclides in Fractured Carbonate Rocks: Lessons from a Field-Scale Transport Experiment

Current research on radionuclide disposal is mostly conducted in granite, clay, saltstone, or volcanic tuff formations. These rock types are not always available to host a geological repository in every nuclear waste-generating country, but carbonate rocks may serve as a potential alternative. To assess their feasibility, a forced gradient cross-borehole tracer experiment was conducted in a saturated fractured chalk formation. The mobility of stable Sr and Cs (as analogs for their radioactive counterparts), Ce (an actinide analog), Re (a Tc analog), bentonite particles, and fluorescent dye tracers through the flow path was analyzed. The migration of each of these radionuclide analogs (RAs) was shown to be dependent upon their chemical speciation in solution, their interactions with bentonite, and their sorption potential to the chalk rock matrix. The brackish groundwater resulted in flocculation and immobilization of most particulate RAs. Nevertheless, the high permeability of the fracture system allowed for fast overall transport times of all aqueous RAs investigated. This study suggests that the geochemical properties of carbonate rocks may provide suitable conditions for certain types of radionuclide storage (in particular, brackish, high-porosity, and low-permeability chalks). Nevertheless, careful consideration should be given to high-permeability fracture networks that may result in high radionuclide mobility.

38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEA↗

RH-TRU Waste Streams: HFDA Crucibles Create New Complex Waste Stream

This project focuses on the removal of the Hot Fuel Dissolution Apparatus (HFDA) crucibles from the Hot Fuel Examination Facility’s (HFEF) hot cells to create space for upcoming projects. The project team has created a crucible and pyro-salt non-debris waste stream that can be disposed of at Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). Chemical Compatibility Examinations (CCEs) must be performed on candidate waste by reviewing the types of chemicals used in the experiments, information found in INL Process Knowledge Summary Reports (PKSRs), and Environmental Protection Agency guides on chemical compatibility. The CCEs identify which chemicals can be safely combined to ensure adverse reactions do not occur in the waste packages. The CCEs are then used to update the PKSR, Basis of Knowledge, and Acceptable Knowledge documents and demonstrate compliance with the WIPP Waste Acceptance Criteria. Once documents are finalized, they are reviewed and approved by the WIPP Central Characterization Project (CCP) to ensure proper waste stream characterization. After the documents are approved, the crucibles can be packaged and shipped to the Idaho Nuclear Technical and Engineering Center for storage awaiting certification. CCP will certify the waste using the approved documents and a series of confirmatory testing before being shipped and disposed in WIPP’s deep geological repository. Currently, the CCE is in progress and the PKSRs are being updated.

Basis of Knowledge↗

Session 097A - Panel: Accomplishments and Update of the East Tennessee Technology Park in Oak Ridge, TN (1/4) (R1.16a)

This panel was deferred until 2021. The session was designed to highlight and celebrate the accomplishment of Vision 2020 at US DoE's East Tennessee Technology Park (ETTP) in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Vision 2020 is the overarching strategy and guidance that have formed the foundation of success in closing one of the largest cleanup site in the DOE Complex. The session was supposed to feature representatives from the DOE Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management (OREM) and its contractor, UCOR, in exploring the partnerships and performance excellence that have made the difference in achieving success. OREM's Vision 2020 is a collaboration with entities that have made a difference in its success: economic developers, workforce developers, the University of Tennessee, and community partners. The vigorous Oak Ridge small business contracting community has also been instrumental in helping achieve success. This session plans to celebrate the entire process, its numerous players, and the spirit of accomplishment as the Oak Ridge community comes to realize the promise of 30 years of continuous cleanup excellence. This session integrated with panel sessions 97B, 97C and 97D. Panelists with presentations: Beyond Cleanup: Achieving Risk Reduction through Partnerships and Performance Excellence (Kenneth Rueter); Strategic Approach to Achieve End States at the East Tennessee Technology Park (Jay Mullis)

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗

Product Consistency Test Results for the Environmental Management Headquarters (EMHQ) Low-Activity Waste (LAW) Glasses

This report provides the results of the Product Consistency Test leachates from the Environmental Management Headquarters Low-Activity Waste glasses, a series of simulated nuclear waste glasses designed and fabricated at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. The series included quenched versions of the glasses. These data will be used in the development, validation, and implementation of enhanced property/composition models for waste glass vitrification at Hanford. The measured concentrations of the analytes in the test blank samples were below detection limits. The measured concentrations of B, Li, Na, and Si in the Approved Reference Material-1 samples included with the Product Consistency Tests fell within control chart values indicating proper test performance. The measured glass compositions for the study glasses were close to target values: therefore, little difference was seen when evaluating the normalized values using the targeted or measured glass compositions. The $NC_B$, $NC_{Na}$, and $NC_{Si}$ values were less than the Hanford Tank Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant low-activity waste constraint of 4 g/L for all glasses.

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Appropriateness and Readiness of Cold Crucible Vitrification of Calcine Solids at the Idaho Site and H-Canyon Effluent at the Savannah River Site

This report summarizes the results from an assessment of the technology readiness and deployment of cold crucible induction melter (CCIM) technology to vitrify high level waste (HLW) calcine solids at the Idaho Site and H-Canyon liquid effluent at the Savannah River Site (SRS). The assessment was requested by the Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management (DOE-EM), but is not a DOE 413-3-4a assessment for technology deployment. A joint Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) and Fluor Idaho Cleanup Project (ICP) team with subject matter experts evaluated the existent literature and experience both within the DOE as well as relevant external experience. The technology assessment focused on the site-specific technology readiness and appropriateness based on a number of system factors including feasibility and appropriateness of the technology for the specific site application, the potential extent of the regulatory and design challenges, and evaluation of the ability to deploy within the treatment needs of each site. This initial assessment provides information to support DOE-EM in making a go/no-go decision to carry out additional work on the technology maturation for critical decisions and planning.

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MACCS Theory Manual

This report describes the models of the MACCS computer code as presented in MACCS Version 3.10.0. The purpose of MACCS is to simulate the impact of severe accidents at nuclear power plants on the surrounding environment. MACCS has been developed by Sandia National Laboratories for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. From a given release of radioactive material into the atmosphere, MACCS estimates the extent and magnitude of radiological contamination, offsite doses, protective actions, socioeconomic impacts and costs, and health effects. Since the weather at the time of an accident is not predictable, MACCS supports various sampling options to run a representative set of simulations to evaluate weather variability. MACCS simulates atmospheric transport with a straight-line Gaussian plume segment model. From the estimated air and ground concentrations, MACCS models dose projections through several dose exposure pathways. These exposures can be offset by protective actions during the emergency response and long-term recovery of the accident. MACCS users directly specify the evacuation and sheltering area, while other protective actions (e.g., relocation, farmland restrictions, decontamination) are based on user-specified dose or concentration limits. While protective actions help reduce dose accumulation, they also cause social and economic impacts. MACCS models the extent of displaced individuals and land contamination, and the cost of offsite property damage, economic disruptions, and various accident expenditures caused by protective actions. Finally, from the dose accumulation, MACCS estimates early and stochastic health effects according to dose-response models. The purpose of consequence analyses is to be able to understand and estimate the impact of nuclear accidents. Consequence analysis is an essential tool to inform determinations of adequate protection of the public, to understand nuclear power hazards, to measure the value of regulations, and to help us appreciate the importance of nuclear safety. As such, MACCS has a variety of regulatory uses including environmental analyses (10 CFR 51.53, 52.47), regulatory cost-benefit analyses, backfit analyses (10 CFR 50.109), consequence analysis studies such as SOARCA (NUREG-1935), Level 3 PRA studies, and risk-informing of emergency planning (10 CFR 50 App. E and 50.47). This report updates the previous MACCS theory manual (NUREG/CR-4691 Vol. 2; Chanin, Sprung, Ritchie, & Jow, 1990) and accompanies the MACCS User's Guide (SAND-2021-1588) that describes the use and input requirements of the graphical user interface of MACCS known as WinMACCS. The MACCS User's Guide is also a reference guide that describes data input file formats, describes various software components in the MACCS code suite, and provides a set of example tutorials for running WinMACCS. Also, soon to be published is a MACCS input parameter guidance report (NUREG/CR-7270) that provides technical bases for commonly used MACCS input values. This page left blank

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Development of a Convolutional Neural Network Classifier for Data Starved Spectra - 20199

The Institute for Clean Energy Technology (ICET) at Mississippi State University is exploring the utility of machine learning in augmenting its mobile radiation surveying platforms, which are currently being developed as means to survey depleted uranium contaminated areas in support of remediation and decommissioning efforts. Mobile survey platforms provide a means to efficiently scan large areas of interest while reducing human exposure to radiation and other hazards. The survey platforms can also be used for scanning for any gamma emitting isotope in addition to depleted uranium. The spectral data that the platforms collect may be data starved with relatively low counts and poorly defined spectral features depending on the speed of the platforms and scintillation detector selection. Such data-starved spectra are difficult to use for isotope identification, requiring advanced knowledge of the possible radionuclides that could be present and environmental factors that could attenuate signals or introduce background noise. These factors in combination with the volume of survey data increases the time it takes to perform analysis of survey data when the source type is unknown. There are a number of algorithms in the field of machine learning that can be used to classify data that would be challenging and time-consuming for a human to identify. Supervised machine learning algorithms train models based on extensive amounts of human-labeled training data. Once sufficiently trained, these models can be used to quickly make high-fidelity predictions on new data. Convolutional neural networks are machine learning algorithms that excel in learning representations of 'shapes'. They do this by taking numerical input data and convolving them with spatial feature detectors referred to as filters. These filters are incrementally adjusted to reduce the prediction error on the data during the backpropagation step of training. Discussed in this paper is the development of a convolutional neural network classifier (CNNC) that can utilize spectral survey data for source discrimination and isotope identification. Bench-top laboratory experiments data using LaBr{sub 3}(Ce) scintillation detectors were used to train and evaluate the performance of the developed CNNC. The CNNC is capable of discriminating a variety of gamma emitting source types, differentiating different forms of uranium (depleted vs. natural), and estimating the amount of uranium for a known geometry. The discussed CNNC may be useful in scenarios where survey systems are deployed in situations where hazardous radioactive material maybe present, but the type is unknown. When used in remediation applications the CNNC can be used to screen-out false positives, helping reduce remediation costs. (authors)

07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES↗

Brine Availability Test in Salt (BATS) (FY25 Final Closeout)

This fiscal year 2025 (FY25) closeout report summarizes the final experiments conducted and data collected in phase 2 of the Brine Availability Test in Salt (BATS 2). The design and interpretation of the test was previously funded by the US Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy (DOE-NE) Spent Fuel and Waste Disposition Program, under the Disposal Research and Development (R&D) program of the Office of Spent Fuel & Waste Science and Technology (SFWST) but they are not funding it anymore (since May 2025). The experiment was located underground at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), southeastern New Mexico, which is a DOE Office of Environmental Management (DOE-EM) site managed by the Carlsbad Field Office (CBFO). DOE-EM funds the WIPP Test Coordination Office (TCO), which provided critical implementation support for the continued execution of BATS. A high-level summary of processes expected in a salt repository are given in Kuhlman & Mills (2025).

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Closure Report for the Project Shoal Area: Subsurface Corrective Action Unit 447 Shoal,Nevada, Site

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Legacy Management (LM) has prepared this Closure Report for subsurface Corrective Action Unit (CAU) 447 at the Shoal, Nevada, Site, which was formerly called the Project Shoal Area. The Shoal site was the location of an underground nuclear test in 1963 that resulted in residual radionuclide contamination at the detonation depth of 1211 feet (ft) (DOE 2015a). The environmental restoration process and Corrective Action strategy are conducted in accordance with the Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order (FFACO) (FFACO 1996, as amended) and all applicable Nevada Division of Environmental Protection (NDEP) statues and regulations. Responsibility for the environmental site restoration was transferred from the DOE, National Nuclear Security Administration, Nevada Field Office, to LM on October 1, 2006. The Shoal site is south of U.S. Highway 50, approximately 30 miles southeast of Fallon, in Churchill County, Nevada (Figure 1). The site was selected for underground nuclear testing in 1961, as part of the Vela Uniform Program. Vela was a research and development program directed toward locating, detecting, and identifying underground and high-altitude nuclear detonations. The Vela Uniform program was specific to underground detonations (AEC 1964). The objective of Project Shoal was to detonate a nuclear device underground in an active seismic area to improve the United States’ ability to detect, identify, and locate underground nuclear detonations. The underground nuclear test at Shoal was a joint effort between the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) and the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), which was the predecessor agency to DOE. Figure 1 is a map showing the site location.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Update to the Finite Cloud Dose Correction Factors in MACCS

In WASH - 1400, external exposure from the finite radioactive cloud (cloudshine) is calculated by assuming that the cloud is semi-infinite, the concentration of radioactive material is uniform, and by using a correction factor to account for these approximations. This correction factor is originally based upon formulations by Healy and depends on the effective size of the plume and the distance from the plume center to the receptor. The range of the finite cloud dose correction factor table from WASH - 1400 developed using Healy formulations can be exceeded in certain situations. When the range of the table is exceeded, no extrapolation is performed; rather interpolation at the edge of the table is performed per WASH - 1400. The tabulated values of these finite cloud dose correction factors from WASH - 1400 and the interpolation at the edge of the table have been used in MACCS since its creation. An expanded table of finite cloud dose correction factors is one way to reduce the need of using interpolation at the edge of the table. The generation of an expanded finite cloud dose correction factor table for future use in MACCS is documented in this report.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Integrating Electrical Resistivity Tomography with Vadose Zone Characterization - 20246

The environmental management mission at the U.S. Department of Energy Hanford Site includes addressing subsurface contaminants that are present in the vadose zone because of historical waste discharges. Characterization is needed to support evaluation of whether contaminants at specific disposal sites will migrate to and contaminate the groundwater in the future. Drilling of boreholes and analysis of retrieved sediment samples is a standard approach to evaluating contaminant distribution in the vadose zone for the types of inorganic and radionuclide contaminants at the Hanford Site. However, borehole sampling has limitations for understanding the volumetric distribution of contaminants. The Hanford Site is now applying electrical resistivity tomography to characterize the path and volumetric extent of contaminant migration in the vadose zone. This information aids selection of appropriate locations for obtaining borehole samples and provides three-dimensional contaminant distribution information for incorporation into conceptual site models and to help configure fate and transport models. (authors)

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Hazardous Waste Management Progress Report [SB14]

The Department of Energy (DOE) is the owner and part operator of multiple facilities in Northern California. The facilities include those located at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Sandia National Laboratories/California (SNL/CA) and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC) among other sites. Through their operations, the facilities generate hazardous waste and, thereby, are subject to the requirements of Chapter 31 of the Title 22 California Code of Regulations, Waste Minimization. The Northern California sites are primarily research and development facilities in the areas relating to national security, high-energy physics, engineering, bioscience and environmental health and safety disciplines. As mentioned above these DOE facilities are primarily research and development facilities. The hazardous wastes generated may be associated with operations that range in size from small, bench scale R&D to major maintenance and operations waste streams. Therefore, even though this document breaks down the waste streams based on California Waste Codes (CWC), the quantities of waste within one waste code category could be from many different locations and dissimilar processes. Because of the nature of the work at the sites, it is not economically feasible to try to implement source reduction measures for every process that generates a portion of the waste stream. This document identifies the processes that generate the major portion of the waste within an identified major waste stream and reports on progress made toward source reduction. In accomplishing the mission, it is DOE’s goal to eliminate waste generation and emissions giving priority to those that may present the greatest risk to human health and the environment.

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Report Series: Finding of Effect, and Mitigation Documentation for Building 23-702, Mercury, Area 23, Nevada National Security Site, Nye County, Nevada

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Field Office (NNSA/NFO) plans to demolish Building 23-702 in the town of Mercury (Nevada State Historic Preservation Office [SHPO] Resource No. B15278), which is on the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS) in Nye County, Nevada (see Figure 1). The purpose of the undertaking is related to the modernization of Mercury for future mission needs. The NNSA/NFO will implement this undertaking in accordance with the Programmatic Agreement between the National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Field Office and the Nevada State Historic Preservation Officer Regarding Modernization and Operational Maintenance of the Nevada National Security Site, at Mercury in Nye County, Nevada, hereafter referred to as the Mercury PA. Building 23-702 was built in 1965 as a foil handling building for the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory (LASL), who worked on the design and engineering of nuclear weapons and other nuclear experiments. The building appeared to have secondarily functioned as a storage for radioactive sources in the 1980s and 1990s. The building was operational until 2004, then deactivated sometime between 2005 and 2014. The town of Mercury and the immediate surrounding area have been formally determined eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places (National Register, NRHP) as the Mercury Historic District (MHD, SHPO Resource No. D230) under Criteria A and C for its importance in supporting nuclear testing and scientific research from 1951 through 1992. Building 23-702 was identified as a contributing element to the MHD in a 2018 architectural survey of the district (Reno et al.) and recorded on a Nevada Architectural Resource Assessment (ARA) form (Reno et al. 2017). Building 23-702 was also identified in Appendix C of the Mercury PA as a Category I contributing element, indicating that it might be individually eligible for the NRHP. It is a historic property for the purposes of compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) and subject to the stipulations of the Mercury PA.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗