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Groundwater Radiological Dose LLNL also has permits for medical waste, hazardous Remediation Assessment waste treatment and storage, As of 2003, groundwater Every year a theoretical underground storage tanks, treatment facilities at the radiological dose from LLNL and for discharge of treated Livermore site have processed to the public is calculated. groundwater, industrial and over 8.4 billion liters of The dose is based upon what sanitary sewage, and storm groundwater since 1989. Over an individual would receive if water. Site 300 has additional 1554 kilograms of VOCs were someone lived for a year where permits for inactive landfills, removed during groundwater the highest radiation dose from cooling tower discharges, and soil vapor treatment in that releases to the air would occur. operation of a sewer lagoon, period. For the Livermore site that septic tanks, and leach fields. dose was 0.044 millirem in Since treatment began at 2003. For Site 300 it was 0.017 Numerous federal, state and Site 300, about 977 million millirem. area regulatory agencies liters of groundwater have been conduct inspections at both treated. About 234 kilograms of These doses are very small Livermore and Site 300. There VOCs have been removed from compared with an average were no violations that caused soil and groundwater. annual radioactive dose of an impact to human health or 360 millirem received from to the environment. radiation present normally and Waste Minimization naturally in the environment. and Pollution Federal radioactivity exposure Endangered Species Prevention standards limit the annual dose an individual can receive LLNL meets the requirements Waste generation at LLNL to 10 millirem. LLNL has of the U.S. Endangered generally continues to never exceeded these federal Species Act and the California decrease. There were standards. Endangered Species Act. In reductions over the past 2003, monitoring for the year in low level radioactive California red-legged frog and mixed waste, as well as Regulatory continued at the Livermore routine nonhazardous solid Compliance site. Biological surveys were waste. One-time extremely conducted for proposed LLNL nonhazardous wastes were cut LLNL must meet all applicable projects at Site 300 that had to a quarter of what they were federal, state, regional, county, the potential to disturb special- five years ago. and local environmental status species. No San Joaquin requirements. For example, in kit fox has been seen at Site Total routine and nonroutine 2003, the Bay Area Air Quality 300 but American badgers waste diverted from landfills in Management District issued or have been found, and active 2003 was 26,502 metric tons. renewed about 180 operating western burrowing owl dens This includes almost 5 tons of permits for the Livermore site. identified. Three rare plant toner cartridges, 278 tons of The San Joaquin Valley Unified populations continue to be paper and 27 tons of batteries. Air Pollution Control District monitored at the site. issued or renewed permits for 42 air emissions sources at Site 300. October 2004 Environmental Community Letter 3