Projects
Mission Support Alliance (MSA), Public Safety and Resource Protection (PSRP) (Current)
The Mission Support Alliance (MSA) is directing the PSRP programs at Hanford for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). These programs provide an array of environmental and safety related services and recordkeeping that are critical to protecting the health and safety of Hanford workers, the public, and the environment. EAS is the prominent subcontractor supporting MSA in the Environmental Surveillance (ES), Ecological Monitoring and Compliance (EM&C), and Cultural and Historic Resource Program (C&HRP) components of the PSRP.
- Environmental Surveillance provides far-field multimedia environmental monitoring to measure the concentration of radionuclides and chemicals in environmental media and assess the integrated effects of these materials on the environment and the public. Samples collected by environmental surveillance are analyzed for very low environmental concentrations of radionuclides and chemicals, including metals, anions, and volatile organic compounds. This function focuses on routine releases from DOE facilities on the Hanford Site, but also responds to unplanned releases and releases from non-DOE operations on or near the Site. The information produced by this activity is published in an annual public report, and is also integrated with the environmental cleanup mission assessment activities. This information may also be used by DOE in fulfilling its Natural Resource Trustee responsibilities.
- Ecological Monitoring and Compliance services are provided to DOE to achieve compliance with ecological resource-related legal and regulatory requirements. Biota is monitored to assess the abundance, vigor or condition, and distribution on the Hanford Site. The associated data are used by DOE and Hanford Site contractors to support environmental cleanup and restoration activities, mitigation actions, and land use planning, and to maintain compliance with ecological resource laws. State and federally listed species are specifically monitored to assure that DOE operations are not adversely impacting those species.
- The Cultural and Historic Resource Program is designed to assure that DOE and Hanford Site contractors remain in compliance with associated laws, DOE directives, and legally-binding agreements. The Hanford Site has numerous archeological sites, historical/potentially historical sites, traditional cultural properties, and associated collections and artifacts.
Mission Support Alliance, Small Mammal Characterization for Hanford Site Tank Farm WMA C (2010-Present)
EAS is leading the field sampling events and preparing the samples for analyses on this project. Small mammals being characterized here include deer mice, western harvest mice, and Great Basin pocket mice. The purpose of the ecological risk assessment for WMA C is to ascertain risk to receptors from contaminants of potential ecological concern (COPECs) originating from tank farm operations. The presence of contaminants in biological tissue (in this case, in small mammal tissue) is indicative of exposure to contaminants that otherwise may go undetected in soil samples, and also serve as an exposure pathway to higher trophic predators, such as raptors and carnivorous mammals. Information gathered from small mammal tissue analyses will be used to substantiate current exposure and aid in the development and implementation of corrective measures to ensure long-term protection of human health and the environment.
CH2M HILL Plateau Remediation Company, Master Contract for Environmental Assessment Support (2010-Present)
Our services to support CHPRC vary, and include the following work:
- Porewater Sampling in Support of the 100BC, 100N, and 100F Area Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Studies. The information gathered by EAS will supply verifiable porewater data for remedial action decision-making. Aquifer tube and porewater data provide additional information for estimating the;releases of 100-N Area contamination on the Columbia River. [Porewater is groundwater that is upwelling beneath the surface of the river bottom in the space between rocks and sediment.] These data will provide insight regarding contaminant levels potentially entering the river through the hyporheic zone and groundwater/river mixing ratios within the biotic zone (upper approximately 30 cm [12 in.] of substrate). [The hyporheic zone is the region beneath and lateral to a stream bed, where there is mixing of shallow groundwater and surface water.]
- Boating Services. EAS provides fully equipped watercraft, as well as experienced boat operators, to safely transport equipment and field crews to and from work sites to conduct aquifer tube installations and routine surveillance. We also deploy and retrieve high-volume water pumps in the Columbia River. Our team includes three U.S. Coast Guard Licensed Merchant Marine Boat Operators (25 ton). Our outstanding record for safely performing on-water support services on the Hanford Site was key to EAS being awarded this task and, subsequently, Site-wide implementation of accessing riverine sampling stations using EAS captains and vessels. In the past 3 years, more than 1,000 safe boat days have been logged in support of Hanford Site field operations.
Support for the Natural Resource Damage Assessment of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico (2010-2011)
EAS provided technical support to NOAA's Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) of damage to natural resources resulting from the 2010 MC252 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. In this project EAS was recognized by NOAA for playing a key role in developing and performing the sampling operations onboard research vessels in the Gulf. EAS scientists and specialists led sampling campaigns; managed sample receiving, accessioning, and shipping activities; and performed field data reviews and uploads. EAS staff were instrumental in establishing satellite sample intake facilities, and developing rapid sample intake and sample accessioning protocols; and administering sample collection training to field teams Gulf-wide. EAS personnel were also involved in developing the formal training processes for NOAA/NRDA sampling activities. Several EAS staff members were formally trained to use the NOAA/NRDA data management system.
Washington Closure Hanford, Environmental Services & Ecological Compliance (2008-Present)
For Washington Closure Hanford, EAS is conducting ecological resource reviews of project activities, reviewing planning documents, conducting site walk-downs, conducting revegetation monitoring and reporting, conducting ecological investigations. We also provide guidance for mitigation of project impacts to natural resources of concern, prepare correspondence, and conduct consultations with the U.S. Department of Energy-Richland Operations Office, regulators, and natural resource agencies. WCH Newsletter Vol. 5 #5
Washington Closure Hanford, Remedial Investigation of Hanford Site Releases to the Columbia River (2008-2010)
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Remedial Investigation of Hanford Site Releases to the Columbia River includes studies to collect more than 1100 new samples to measure the concentrations of compounds in various types of material, or media. For Washington Closure Hanford (DOE’s River Corridor Closure Contractor), EAS led the work to collect and sample:
- Pore water (groundwater that is upwelling beneath the surface of the river bottom in the space between rocks and sediment)
WCH Newsletter Vol. 5 #6
DOE studying how contaminants enter Columbia River - Sediment (loose material in the river bottom that can move with the river flow)
- Fish (whitefish, sucker, walleye, carp, bass, sturgeon) Researchers look for signs of contamination in Hanford-area fish
For the pore water sampling portion of the study, the EAS team used an advanced groundwater mapping and sampling tool, the liquid-phase Trident probe, to locate and more precisely measure compounds in the upwellings. Designed for sustained use in complex, offshore riverine environments, the probe helped to determine groundwater discharge patterns in the Columbia River from shore to shore, rather than relying on nearshore measurements alone. Collaborating with the probe's developer (Coastal Monitoring Associates), EAS was instrumental in tailoring the probe specifically to the Columbia River and its complexities, and integrating river stage-specified field deployment techniques. Sediment samples were collected concurrently with the pore water to estimate concentrations of contaminants in sediments near the areas of groundwater upwellings.
Groundwater Mapping and Sampling System and Sediment Sampling (click images to enlarge).
The objective of the fish sampling project was to collect tissue samples for analysis of contaminants identified as originating from the Hanford Site. The primary use of the fish sampling data is to determine the potential health risk to nearby residents who consume these fish as a part of their diet. However, fish tissue data will also be used to support the evaluation of fish in the ecological risk assessment.
Umatilla Chemical Agent Disposal Facility, Comprehensive Monitoring Program (2008-present)
EAS is collecting, processing, and shipping soil and biota samples in support of the Comprehensive Monitoring Program (CMP) for the Umatilla Chemical Agent Disposal Facility (UMCDF), Umatilla, Oregon. The CMP monitors for chemical agents and other analytes to document concentrations in soil, water, air, and biota (vegetation and small mammals) and ensure that levels remain at or below those found prior to the operation of the facility. EAS and Vista Engineering Technologies have teamed to conduct the sampling and analyses.
Vegetation and small mammal sample collection (click images to enlarge).
Washington Closure Hanford, Multi-Media Sampling and Biological Surveys (2005-2007)
Washington Closure Hanford is leading the largest Superfund ecological risk assessment conducted to date in the United States. EAS was awarded a sole-source contract to direct and conduct multi-media sampling (water, soil, sediment, insects, mollusks, fish, mammals, birds, and plants) and field-based surveys of onsite ecological conditions for this risk assessment. EAS also directed, staffed, and conducted field surveys for special status species of plants, mollusks, and salmonid habitat in and around the investigation areas prescribed in the Sampling & Analyses Plan. Datasets were reported in electronic formats and frequently illustrated spatially using geographical information system (GIS) tools. Environmental media collected were prepared for analyses of hazardous chemicals and man-made radionuclides at EAS’s laboratory facility. This work was successfully and safely performed during extreme environmental conditions and in remote areas using multiple high-risk sampling techniques, including boating, SCUBA/snorkeling, electro-fishing, and work at night.
Fluor Hanford, Multi-Media Sampling and Biological Surveys (2005-2007)
EAS was awarded this contract to conduct multi-media sampling (soil vapors, water, soil, sediment, insects, mammals, and plants) and field-based assessments of onsite ecological conditions. Sampled media were prepared for analyses of hazardous chemicals (carbon-tetrachloride is a primary contaminant of ecological concern) and man-made radionuclides at EAS’s laboratory facility. Field-based surveys of terrestrial and aquatic wildlife utilizing the waste sites are an ongoing component of this project. Vegetation community characterizations were also conducted, and GIS-based depictions of these communities were provided by EAS.
Neptune & Company, Hanford Site Ecological Risk Assessments (2006-present)
As part of the ecological risk assessments underway on the Hanford Site, contracts have been awarded to Neptune & Company and EAS, as a team, to review, analyze, and present findings from the data collected between 2005 and 2007. These efforts include organizing and holding regular meetings and giving presentations to the Hanford Site regulatory agencies and stakeholders; providing extensive review of the data quality following highest QA/QC standards set for government, industry and CERCLA/RCRA investigations; incorporation of ecological and contaminant data into a public-domain database; and producing reports summarizing the risk assessment data using U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ecological risk assessment guidance process.
Bechtel Hanford Inc., Hanford Site River Corridor Atlas Project (2005)
The purpose of this subcontract was to develop a Hanford Site River Corridor Atlas that presents data from remedial action, waste sites, facilities and the interaction of these data. During the course of this project, we identified key sub-contractors to accomplish this task; interacted with the client to provide weekly status reports, discuss changes or concerns; and tracked progress of the sub-contractors to ensure the product was delivered on time and within budget. The completed product supports site closure and remedial action of the Hanford Site. The specific tasks performed included: 1) the design and development of software (code) using Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) ArcInfo scripting language Arc Macro Language (AML) for UNIX environment, 2) development of detailed module flow chart showing the placement of each software module, 3) preparation of initial symbol sets for color shades, lines, and markers, and 4) preparation of two hardcopies of the Atlas for review.
Bechtel Hanford Inc., Ecological Risk Assessment Data Quality Objectives and Sampling and Analyses Plans (2005-2007)
EAS was contracted to assist in the development and preparation of the 100-BC Pilot Project and the River Corridor Baseline Risk Assessment (RCBRA) data quality objectives (DQOs), Sampling & Analyses Plans (SAPs), and Sampling & Instructions Plans (SAIs) to support regulatory reviews of the Central Plateau and River Corridor of the Hanford Site, Washington. This work included presenting relevant historical datasets and research that would help regulatory agencies and stakeholders assess ecological risk from the past and present releases of legacy materials attributable to Hanford Site operations. The work also included running and analyzing hydro-geo-morphological models to assess effects of hydrological conditions present on and near the Hanford Site.
Fluor Hanford, 100-NR2 Groundwater Operable Unit Ecological Risk Assessment (2003-2005)
As principal scientist with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and later with EAS, Brett Tiller directed the development of the Data Quality Objectives in support of the 100-NR2 ecological risk assessment. This project specifically was to assess strontium-90 concentrations in the aquatic environments. Brett wrote procedures and carried out field sampling of soil, water, periphyton, macro invertebrates, vegetation, and small mammals using EPA QA/QC standards. A number of independent regulatory reviews of these field sampling procedures and activities were required to successfully complete the study. Brett frequently met with the client, regulators, and stakeholders to present past research efforts he had initiated to help develop the scope of the study.