Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Keller Canyon Landfill Soil Disposal Discussion Contra Costa County Department of Environmental Health Community Meeting
Purpose of this Presentation 1. Provide general background information on radiological contamination at HPNS 2. Provide an overview of the current radiological data evaluation and re-investigation 3. Provide a general overview of the Navy s soil disposal processes at Hunters Point, and material disposal activities at Keller Canyon Landfill 4. The Navy wants the community to know that the public is safe 2 BRAC Program Management Office
Hunters Point Naval Shipyard (HPNS) History Founded as a commercial dry dock in 1869 and owned by private companies Purchased by US Navy in 1939 From 1945 until 1974, the Navy predominantly used the shipyard as a repair facility HPNS was also partially occupied by the Naval HPNS dry docks 1940 Radiological Defense Laboratory (NRDL) from 1948, when the NRDL was formed, to 1969 In 1974, the Navy ceased shipyard operations at HPNS Selected for closure in the 1991 BRAC process; operationally closed in 1994 3 BRAC Program Management Office USS Iowa in dry dock at HPNS 1953
What Is Radiation? Radiation is energy that comes from a source and travels through space and may be able to penetrate various materials What are the different types of radiation? Light waves Radio waves X-rays Microwaves Particles and energy rays emitted from an atom Skin/Paper Plastic/Aluminum Concrete/Soil 4 BRAC Program Management Office
How Are We Exposed to Radiation? Radiation is present all around us Natural radiation sources Radiation is in some common foods Radiation occurs in some man-made sources 5 BRAC Program Management Office
Example of Radiological Objects Found at Navy Bases Radioluminescent Gauge (ca. 1950s, 1960s) Radioluminescent Deck Markers front & back (ca. 2015 & Navy Archives) Photographs from Oak Ridge Associate University Museum https://www.orau.org/ptp/collection/radioluminescent/radioluminescent.htm 6 BRAC Program Management Office
Example of Radiological Objects Found at HPNS 7 BRAC Program Management Office
Relative Doses from Radiation Sources Millirem Doses Rem is the dosage for the biological effects of ionizing radiation for humans. Rem is a standard measure of radiation. The millirem (mrem), which is one-thousandth of a rem, is a measure often used to approximate dosages commonly encountered, such as those depicted below. *Indicates dose level above background 200 People in the United States receive an average of 624 millirems (mrem) of radiation per year from manmade and natural background radiation sources (NCRP 160). 150 Known Carcinogens While not shown here, radiation from smoking and overexposure to the sun have been proven to have health risks. NRC Standard for Public Health 100 mrem (annual)* Normal cosmic radiation in Denver 50 mrem (annual) Diagnostic radiology 50 mrem (annual) 100 Natural radioactivity in the body 40 mrem (annual) Mammogram 30 mrem (single procedure) Building Materials 7 mrem (annual) 50 NRC standard for cleanup sites and Action level for resident relocation 25 mrem (annual)* Normal cosmic radiation at Hunters Point (Sea level) 24 mrem (annual) Round trip flight from LA to NYC 3.7 mrem (per trip) 25 EPA standard for cleanup sites 12 mrem (annual)* Smoke detector <.001 mrem (annual) Sources: http://www.ncrponline.org/publications/press_releases/160press.html, http://www.epa.gov/radiation/docs/cleanup/rad_arar.pdf, http://isis-online.org/risk/tab7, http://www.epa.gov/radtown and http://lowdose.energy.gov/
HPNS Radiological Data Evaluation Timeline TtEC submits report and begins corrective action for data misrepresentation Navy conducts review of TtEC samples and performs radiological surveys with on-site independent supervision Navy Technical Team compiles comprehensive database, evaluates data, and submits recommendations for next steps 2012 2014 2016 2017 2018 Navy identifies sampling issues and an investigation begins Former TtEC workers make additional data misrepresentation claims Navy begins radiological data evaluation Navy plans for confirmation sampling 9 BRAC Program Management Office
How does the Navy address radiation at HPNS? Soil sampling Scanning of areas/buildings Soil is sampled and analyzed Remove affected materials Soil, sewer, and storm drain lines are removed Building walls and floors are scanned for radiation 10 BRAC Program Management Office
Navy Waste Disposal Process for HPNS 11 BRAC Program Management Office
Navy Waste Disposal Process for HPNS 12 BRAC Program Management Office
Navy Waste Disposal Process for HPNS Navy waste disposal processes are approved by the regulatory agencies and are designed with numerous checks within the process Chemical sampling was conducted by a separate contractor, not TtEC TtEC was responsible for clearing soil for radiological contamination before chemical sampling for disposal was conducted Navy and Landfill review the sampling data and description of material Navy Portal Monitor checks all trucks for radiological levels This process is required before each truck receives a signed manifest; manifests are required in order to transport the material to any landfill All trucks leaving HPS and arriving at Keller Canyon Landfill are required to be tarped In addition to the Navy Portal Monitor at HPNS, Keller Canyon Landfill also operated their own independent portal monitor at the landfill that all trucks are required to pass through Navy had two incidents where soil/asphalt left HPNS and had to be brought back from Keller Canyon Landfill 2014: Lead in Soil 2015: Asphalt 13 BRAC Program Management Office
Navy Waste Disposal Process for HPNS June 2014 February 2015 42 trucks (987 tons) of soil left HPNS for Keller Canyon Landfill shipped Thursday and Friday Soil had higher lead (Pb) levels than appropriate for KCL, but was not RCRA waste Navy caught error on the following Monday All soil plus additional 722 tons soil/debris was removed from KCL and confirmation sampling was conducted at the landfill Process corrections included: Root cause analysis completed Improved the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for soil management Training held on SOP procedures Updated tracking 9 trucks (218 tons) of asphalt left HPNS for Keller Canyon Landfill Asphalt had not been properly screened for radiological. Navy caught the error on the same day Notified KCL and regulatory agencies All asphalt plus 102 tons of additional material was removed from KCL and the excavated area surveyed All asphalt and over-excavated material was rescreened and was below HPNS radiological screen criteria, with the exception of less than 2 square feet of asphalt that was disposed of as low-level radiological waste Process corrections included: Root cause analysis completed Improved pile markings to avoid errors and increased checks on markings Additional signatures required before truck loading 14 BRAC Program Management Office
HPNS Waste Screening Trucks passing through portal monitor Radiological Screening Yard (RSY) Pad Hand-scanning of truck and typical covered trailer Scanning of RSY Pad 15 BRAC Program Management Office
Next Steps Working with Keller Canyon Landfill, State of California Department of Public Health (CDPH), Regional Water Quality Control Board (Water Board), and Contra Costa County Department of Environmental Health to review waste profile data, disposal procedures, and Navy and landfill records to identify potential issues related to Tt EC data falsification In 2016 the Navy started utilizing a third-party contractor to provide Quality Assurance services on HPS disposal activities Working with the Board of Supervisors, the Contra Costa County Department of Environmental Health, the City of Pittsburg, CDPH, Water Board, and the Keller Canyon Landfill operator to respond to the communities concerns on soil disposal activities from Hunters Point Shipyard to Keller Canyon Landfill 16 BRAC Program Management Office
Is the community safe? The Navy's first priority is to ensure public safety and environmental protection at HPNS and surrounding communities Investigations show that people who live, work, and visit HPNS and adjacent properties are safe The Navy continues its commitment that wastes generated from HPNS meet the proper disposal requirements to assure the public safety 17 BRAC Program Management Office
For more information Join the HPNS Mailing List Send an email to info@sfhpns.com Leave a message on the HPNS Information Line (415) 295-4742 City of San Francisco Main Library 100 Larkin Street, 5th Floor Government Information Center San Francisco, CA 94102 (415) 557-4400 Navy Resources Navy Website www.bracpmo.navy.mil/hpns Hunters Point Naval Shipyard Site Trailer (near HPNS security entrance) 690 Hudson Avenue San Francisco, CA 94124 American Nuclear Society www.ans.org U.S. Environmental Protection Agency www.epa.gov U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission www.nrc.gov Information on the Internet World Health Organization www.who.int Radiation Answers www.radiationanswers.org American Council on Health and Science www.acsh.org 18 BRAC Program Management Office