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At least 19 records

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DOE OSTI2024

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↗

DOE OSTI2023

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↗

DOE OSTI2025

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↗

DOE OSTI2022

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↗

DOE OSTI2023

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↗

DOE OSTI2021

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↗

DOE OSTI2022

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↗

DOE OSTI2025

2024 Results for Avian Monitoring at the Technical Area 36 Minie Site, Technical Area 39 Point 6, Technical Area 16 Burn Ground, and DARHT at Los Alamos National Laboratory

Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) biological subject matter experts in the Environmental Protection and Compliance Division initiated a multi-year program in 2013 to monitor avifauna (birds) at two open detonation sites and one open burn site on LANL property. Additional monitoring began in 2017 at a third firing site, the Dual-Axis Radiographic Hydrodynamic Test (DARHT) Facility. In this annual report, we compare monitoring results from these efforts among years to identify and evaluate firing and open burn site impacts on the local bird community. The objectives of this study are • to determine whether LANL operations impact bird abundance, species richness, or diversity; • to examine occupancy and nest success of secondary-cavity nesting birds that use nest boxes; and • to examine chemical concentrations (such as radionuclides, inorganic elements, and/or organic compounds) in nonviable eggs and deceased nestlings that are collected opportunistically with the upper-level bounds of background concentrations, when available. During May through July 2024, LANL biologists completed multiple avian point count surveys at each of the following treatment sites: • Technical Area (TA) 36 Minie Site, • TA-39 Point 6, • TA-16 Burn Ground, and • DARHT. We recorded a total of 1,088 birds that represented 65 species at the four treatment sites and compared these results with data from their associated control sites. In 2024, abundance and species richness at treatment and control sites continued to trend similarly from year to year, with minor random deviations expected from bird communities. Species richness at firing sites differed little from the previous year’s values. Two new bird species were observed at the firing sites—cedar waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum) and pinyon jay (Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus). Shannon diversity values at TA-36 Minie Site, TA-39, and DARHT were statistically higher than one or more of their associated controls. Annual species diversity at treatment sites was high in 2024 across all firing sites relative to similar habitat control sites. We also monitored avian nest boxes to compare occupancy and nest success data from nest boxes at treatment sites with the overall avian nest box monitoring network and against a subset of relevant control sites. Nest box success has decreased at both treatment and control sites since monitoring began, suggesting that overlapping climatic factors are responsible for patterns of declining nest success. In 2024, nonviable avian eggs and one nestling were opportunistically collected at Bandelier National Monument, TA-16 Burn Ground, TA-36 Minie, TA-39 Point 6, and DARHT. All egg samples and the one nestling sample were evaluated for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, which were detected from all locations, including the control site at Bandelier National Monument. Overall results from 2024 continue to suggest that operations at the four treatment sites are not negatively impacting bird populations. This long-term project will continue to monitor for any changes over time.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2025

Status of Federally Listed Threatened and Endangered Species at Los Alamos National Laboratory

Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) contains suitable habitat for three species protected under the Endangered Species Act (ESA): Mexican spotted owl ( Strix occidentalis lucida ), Jemez Mountains salamander ( Plethodon neomexicanus ), and southwestern willow flycatcher ( Empidonax traillii extimus ). LANL biologists have documented two other species nearby and manage them for any potential impacts. These species are the western distinct population segment of the yellow-billed cuckoo ( Coccyzus americanus ) and the New Mexico meadow jumping mouse ( Zapus hudsonius luteus ).

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2024

2023 Results for Avian Monitoring at the Technical Area 36 Minie Site, Technical Area 39 Point 6, Technical Area 16 Burn Ground, and DARHT at Los Alamos National Laboratory

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2021

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↗

DOE OSTI2024

Los Alamos National Laboratory Transit Service Implementation Plan

In 2021, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) partnered with Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates to conduct the LANL Transit Options Study in preparation for Laboratory expansion plans. When the study started, LANL was expected to grow by 3,000 employees over the next several years. Most of that growth has already taken place. Sixty percent of employees commute from outside of Los Alamos County, and with limited housing capacity in Los Alamos, most of the new employees are expected to live outside of Los Alamos County as well.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

DOE OSTI2025

Los Alamos National Laboratory 2024 Annual Site Environmental Report

Los Alamos National Laboratory (Laboratory) annual site environmental reports are prepared each year by the Laboratory’s environmental organizations as required by U.S. Department of Energy Order 231.1B, Administrative Change 1, Environment, Safety, and Health Reporting, and Order 458.1, Administrative Change 4, Radiation Protection of the Public and the Environment.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2021

Los Alamos National Laboratory [Slides]

Los Alamos National Laboratory's mission is to solve national security challenges through scientific excellence.

45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEF↗

DOE OSTI2022

How We Do Our Work Is as Important as What We Do: A History of Los Alamos National Laboratory Operations

Los Alamos National Laboratory is known for its world-renowned research and Nobel Prize–winning scientists. Few know about the support required to keep the Laboratory running. This book takes you behind the scenes for a closer look at Laboratory operations and the individuals, programs, and facilities of yesteryear and today. From infrastructure, security, staffing, and many other facets, Laboratory operations is what makes the science happen.

96 KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT AND PRESERVATION↗

DOE OSTI2022

Transportation Plan Los Alamos National Laboratory FY2023

Los Alamos National Laboratory’s (LANL’s) mission expansion is expected to increase the workforce population (badge holders) to more than 18,000 by 2028. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, traffic congestion was notable and was impeding commuting workers in the forms of traffic congestion, travel delay, inconvenience, frustration, and time lost hunting for parking near an office location or programmatic operation. The Laboratory transportation strategy is moving toward transit-based commuting and not status quo expansion of onsite parking and roadways to serve this growing workforce. This plan addresses a multi-faceted transit and transportation solution. The body of the plan describes each aspect of this solution and concludes with a recommended set of Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23) investments planned as next steps toward implementation. The broad strategy is to offer agility and program depth for services and systems that can enable LANL to confidently invest, monitor performance, seek participant feedback, and make necessary adjustments.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

DOE OSTI2025

A profile monitor for proton radiography experiments at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center

The Proton Radiography (pRad) facility at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center utilizes pulses of protons delivered by the 800 MeV linear accelerator to produce a series of radiographic images to study the dynamic behavior of materials under extreme conditions. Radiographs taken with an empty field of view, or beam pictures, are used to normalize transmission. However, because the center of the proton beam shifts between pulses, an in situ method for measuring beam position is required to normalize images for beam movement to perform absolute radiography. The beam profile monitor described here uses an array of scintillating fibers positioned in the beam path to produce light proportional to beam intensity across the beam cross section. This light is detected using fast photodiodes and a digital oscilloscope, providing a response time of several nanoseconds—suitable for measuring the 50-ns proton pulses used in pRad. The profile monitor achieves a measured position precision of 40 μm and an intensity precision of 0.7%, allowing for beam movement corrections to be applied to images, thereby improving data accuracy and image quality.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

DOE OSTI2022

Independent Review of Groundwater Remediation Strategy for Hexavalent Chromium and RDX Groundwater Plumes at Los Alamos National Laboratory (Rev. 1)

Site operations at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) resulted in the release of oxidized chromium, Cr(VI), into Sandia Canyon from cooling tower effluent from 1956 until 1972. The chromium traveled with the surface water approximately 3 miles downstream before migrating below ground surface. Chromium concentrations exceed 50 μg/L in the upper portion of the aquifer. Another LANL groundwater plume of concern is associated with RDX (Royal Demolition Explosives, 1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine). Between 1951 and 1996, RDX was released to the mesa-top facilities' process water outfall, adjacent and underlying soils, and alluvial sediments, along with surface water in Cañon de Valle. Between 2000 and 2010, two remedial actions were deployed, removing much of the near-surface RDX, however, recharge due to precipitation has transported RDX into the perched-intermediate zone and into the regional aquifer. The report documents an independent technical review by scientists from the Department of Energy (DOE) Network of National Laboratories for Environmental Management and Stewardship (NNLEMS) to provide recommendations for potential near term actions to address and optimize remediation for both the Cr(VI) and RDX plumes. The proposed near-term remedial actions include design of pump and treat systems for Cr(VI) and monitoring and study for natural attenuation for RDX. The review assesses existing data, conceptual and numerical modeling, and it recommends a technical integration process to support identifying and implementing strategic, effective and efficient remedies. The DOE Environmental Management Los Alamos Field Office (EM-LA) and their cleanup contractor Newport News Nuclear-BWTX, LLC Los Alamos (N3B) provided the information required for the review. Interviews were also conducted with regulators to obtain the full spectrum of technical, regulatory and scientific perspectives. The independent review team was impressed by the capabilities, experiences, innovativeness, and insightfulness of the technical representatives from both the regulator, the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) and N3B. Incorporation of vadose zone flow pathways in the conceptual site model (CSM) and configuring the numerical modeling for the site was generally state-of-the-practice (or better). This could be considered state-of-the-art by addressing uncertainties related to spatial extent of hydraulic windows. The reviews from the regulators were thorough and often provided useful concepts for consideration and future/study resolutions. The overarching consensus recommendation of independent review team is that the LANL groundwater plumes should be addressed in context of the emerging "management of complex sites" paradigm.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗