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At least 901 records · Page 50

Wetland Delineation Report for Middle Mortandad Mesa Adjacent to Technical Area 55 at Los Alamos National Laboratory

This report provides the results of a wetland delineation conducted to support operational logistics for construction of a high-pressure water line that is planned to occur near a wetland at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). The wetland reach is on the mesa edge in Technical Area (TA)-55 above the Mortandad Canyon watershed. This area has not been previously delineated; however, it drains to a canyon bottom where LANL updated a delineation in 2017 for the wetland adjacent to Technical Areas (TAs) 25, 48, and 55.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Los Alamos Climatology 2021 Update

The Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL or the Laboratory) operates a Meteorological Monitoring (Met) Program to support LANL emergency response, engineering designs, environmental compliance, environmental assessments, safety evaluations, weather forecasting, environmental monitoring, research programs, and environmental restoration. Weather data has been collected in Los Alamos since 1910. A 30-year averaging period is termed by the National Weather Service (NWS) as a climatic normal, and these statistics are updated every 10 years to represent the current climatic normal conditions. Previous climate statistics are provided in Bowen (1990) for the 1961–1990 averaging period and Dewart et al. (2017) for the 1981–2010 averaging period. No climate statistics were developed for the 1971-2000 averaging period. This report provides climate statistics for the current 30-year 1991–2020 averaging period.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Planning is Key for Storm Water Regulatory Compliance [Slides]

Most construction projects at LANL are subject to a EPA regulated storm water discharge permit (NPDES Construction General Permit). Each identified non-compliance is a regulatory liability to both the subcontractor & Triad.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

LANL Meteorological Program Self-Assessment 2021 Update

This self-assessment, documented in Table 1, has shown that there has been continued significant progress achieved in meeting the intent of the 21 recommendations from the 2015 DMCC Assist Visit. Every year after the Assist Visit, the LANL Met Program has improved, mainly by addressing the recommendations in the Assist Visit report. The Met Program management should continue to strive to apply its limited resources and seek to acquire additional human capital and physical resources to meet the dynamic needs of its growing sitewide customer base. This includes additional upgrading of the hardware and software elements of the Met Program and implementation of its operational procedures and QAPP to ensure it will consistently meet important present program requirements, as well as anticipated future requirements. These improvements have been summarized in the “present improvements and future initiatives” column in Table 1.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Los Alamos National Laboratory Floodplain Assessment for the High Explosive Transfer Facility Blast Radius Fence Project at Technical Area 08

The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), a semi-autonomous agency within the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), is proposing to take action at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) within the upper Pajarito Canyon 100-year (yr.) floodplain at Technical Area (TA) 08. This action consists of installation of a 3-strand smooth wire fence to create an operational boundary in a radius of 1250 feet (ft.) from the TA-08 High Explosive (HE) Transfer Facility (Figure 1). The proposed fence is intended to provide a barrier between the public and direct access to the HE Transfer Facility.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

TA-60-2 Warehouse Asset Tree and Supporting Information

The purpose of the document is to show an example of a Multi-Sector General Permit environmental compliance program inspection structure to new software provider (new provider is under contract w/ LANL) to begin setting up new database.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

LANL Meteorological Program: 2020 Data Completeness/Quality Report

Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) operates four mesa-top meteorology towers: Technical Area (TA) 06, TA-49, TA-53, and TA-54. An additional tower is located in Mortandad Canyon (TA-5 MDCN), and a rain gauge at North Community (NCOM). A description of the meteorology monitoring network is found in Dewart and Boggs (2014). Mesa-top towers are instrumented at 1.2 meters (m), 11.5 m, 23 m, and 46 m. In addition, TA-06 is instrumented at 92 m. The TA-5 MDCN tower is 10 m in height and is instrumented at 1.2 m and 10 m. Data are collected every 15 minutes. Range checking is done on each measurement every 15 minutes; data that are beyond normal ranges are eliminated from the data set and replaced by a code for missing data. In addition, data are reviewed weekly by meteorologists to identify bad data not identified by range checking. The data steward eliminates these data from the data set and replaces them with a code for missing data. The instrument technicians also review that data and schedule instrument replacement as required. Data completeness is determined by the number of total 15-minute records available versus the total number of possible measurements for the entire year. As a rule, the meteorologists do not attempt to estimate data that are eliminated as bad data. Original datalogger records, containing bad data, can be recalled from program archival storage.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Los Alamos National Laboratory Floodplain Assessment for the West Road Post and Cable Fencing Project

The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), a semi-autonomous agency within the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), is proposing to take action at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) to install post and cable or in-kind barriers along West Road at selected locations near the Los Alamos County ice-skating rink in Los Alamos Canyon (Figure 1). The proposed project is intended to improve vehicular and pedestrian safety on West Road by reducing traffic hazards associated with unsafe roadside parking and reduce wildland fire hazards associated with vehicles driving and parking on vegetation. West Road crosses approximately 0.35 miles (mi.) (1,900 feet (ft.)) of the Los Alamos Canyon floodplain at the bottom of Los Alamos Canyon. Project activities within the floodplain include blocking access to the informal roadside parking along either side of West Road in Los Alamos Canyon.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Use Attainability Analysis Aquatic Life Uses for Perennial Reach of Sandia Canyon [Slides]

The following information will be presented during the February 23, 2022 Accord Pueblos Technical Meeting. The purpose of the study is to determine if natural thermal conditions are preventing the attainment of Coldwater Aquatic Life Use in the perennial reach of the upper Sandia Canyon Assessment Unit (Sandia AU). The New Mexico Water Quality Standards allow for a change in the designated use if a Use Attainability Analysis (UAA) demonstrates that the use is not attainable due to one or more of six factors listed in 40 CFR 131.10(g), including naturally occurring pollutant concentrations. The Sandia AU is located in a perennial reach of upper Sandia Canyon between Sigma Canyon and NPDES Outfall 001. The classified Segment 20.6.4.126 NMAC comprises perennial waters within Los Alamos National Laboratory boundaries and includes the Sandia AU. Persistent surface flows originate from NPDES permitted effluent releases. These releases have occurred since the early 1950’s and continue today. The UAA examines several lines of evidence. NMED’s Air-Water Temperature Correlation (AWTC) model is used for identifying appropriate stream classifications and attainable aquatic life use subcategories. The model correlates between July average air temperatures (ATEMP) and maximum weekly average stream temperatures. Air temperatures are obtained from PRISM and LANL Meteorological Towers and used to derive ATEMP. Thermographs were placed in the Sandia AU to obtain measured stream temperatures during summer months when stream temperatures are the highest. Measured data is used with AWTC modeled data to determine if the Sandia AU is meeting its natural air temperature driven thermal condition.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗