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INFORMATION SHEET ORDER NO. R5-2008-0148 3
<br /> LAWRENCE LIVERMORE NATIONAL SECURITY, LLC AND
<br /> THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY FOR
<br /> LAWRENCE LIVERMORE NATIONAL LABORATORY SITE 300
<br /> SAN JOAQUIN AND ALAMEDA COUNTIES
<br /> Mechanical Equipment and Cooling Tower Discharge Percolation Pits
<br /> Five percolation pits receive mechanical equipment wastewater from Buildings
<br /> 806A, 827A, 827C, 827D, and 827E, which are in the High Explosives Process
<br /> Area in the southeast area of the site. Depth to groundwater varies from 70 to
<br /> 130 feet bgs.
<br /> Seven percolation pits receive cooling tower effluent from blowdown and cooling
<br /> tower maintenance discharges. Four percolation pits are in the High Explosives
<br /> Process Area in the general area of the mechanical equipment wastewater
<br /> percolation pits. The other three percolation pits are located at Buildings 801 and
<br /> 812 along the Elk Creek Ravine, and Building 851 in the Western Firing Area.
<br /> Groundwater is more than 120 feet bgs at Building 801 and Building 851 and
<br /> about 30 feet bgs at Building 812.
<br /> Mechanical equipment and cooling tower discharges contain levels of some
<br /> constituents in the wastewater that exceed water quality goals. The Discharger
<br /> performed the Designated Level Methodology (DLM) analysis to evaluate the
<br /> potential for the wastewater to impact groundwater beneficial uses. The
<br /> evaluation showed that none of the constituents should impact beneficial uses of
<br /> groundwater; however, an attenuation factor was applied to salts which the
<br /> Regional Water Board has determined do not attenuate. The salts measured as
<br /> specific conductance, chloride, sodium, sulfate and TDS are above water quality
<br /> objectives in some of the cooling tower and mechanical equipment wastewater
<br /> discharges
<br /> This Order requires the Discharger to submit a work plan to further characterize
<br /> effluent to the percolation pits and to evaluate the potential for salts in the
<br /> mechanical equipment and cooling tower effluent to degrade groundwater. If the
<br /> Discharger determines that the salts in the effluent have the potential to degrade
<br /> groundwater, the Discharger is required to submit a work plan to install
<br /> groundwater monitoring wells to determine if groundwater quality is being
<br /> negatively impacted. If groundwater monitoring confirms degradation of water
<br /> quality by percolation pit discharges, the Discharger must submit a feasibility
<br /> study proposing remedial alternatives to restore the groundwater quality. The
<br /> Discharger must include a proposal for implementing a source control program
<br /> and Best Practicable Technologies (BPT) to reduce pollutants in the discharge.
<br /> Septic Systems
<br /> Thirty-three (33) facilities, which are remotely located throughout the site, have
<br /> septic systems. These septic systems are located at Buildings 801, 802, 805,
<br /> 806, 807, 809, 810, 812, 813, 817, 818, 819, 825, 826, 827, 830, 832, 833/835,
<br /> 834, 836, 841, 848, 850, 851, 854, 855, 858, 865, 882, 892, 895, 897, and 899.
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