Laserfiche WebLink
INFORMATION SHEET ORDER NO. R5-2008-0148 4 <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 /> Domestic waste is discharged to all of the septic systems. Domestic waste <br /> includes discharges of sanitary wastes from restroom and shower facilities, <br /> washing machines, kitchens, and housekeeping activities. Cooling tower and <br /> mechanical equipment wastewater is discharged to 12 septic systems at <br /> Buildings 801, 802, 805, 813, 819, 825, 826, 830, 833/835, 834A, 850, and 851 . <br /> Mechanical equipment wastewater may include discharges from boilers, vacuum <br /> pumps, pressure relief valves on hot water/steam equipment, humidifiers, filter <br /> drains, and water softeners, as well as condensates from air compressors, air <br /> conditioners, and refrigeration units. Washing machines discharge to the septic <br /> systems at Buildings 813 and 835. <br /> Mechanical equipment, cooling tower, and washing machine wastewater <br /> discharged to the septic systems contain levels of constituents in the wastewater <br /> that exceed water quality goals. The Discharger performed the Designated Level <br /> Methodology (DLM) analysis to evaluate the potential for these wastewaters to <br /> impact groundwater beneficial uses. The evaluation showed that none of the <br /> constituents associated with mechanical equipment or cooling towers should <br /> impact beneficial uses of groundwater. Since an attenuation factor was applied to <br /> salts and the Regional Water Board has determined that salts do not attenuate <br /> as they move through the soils, the Discharger must re-evaluate the potential for <br /> discharges of these salts to degrade groundwater. The salts measured as SC, <br /> chloride, sodium, sulfate and TDS are above water quality objectives in some of <br /> the cooling tower and mechanical equipment wastewater discharges. If the <br /> Discharger determines that salts are degrading or have the potential to degrade <br /> groundwater, the Regional Water Board will request that the Discharger propose <br /> BPT for reducing salt concentrations in discharges and if necessary propose <br /> remedial alternatives for restoring water quality. <br /> The DLM analysis of washing machine, mechanical equipment and cooling tower <br /> wastewater shows that iron and aluminum from the washing machine at Building <br /> 835 have the potential to impact ground water. Only the washing machine at <br /> Building 813 washes High Explosives Process Area workers' clothes. The <br /> effluent from this washing machine contains the high explosives RDX above <br /> water quality objectives and HMX above the detection limit. No monitoring wells <br /> are downgradient of the septic systems which receive the washing machine <br /> discharge. Domestic wastewater discharged to septic systems has the potential <br /> to impact groundwater beneficial uses with fecal coliform and nitrate. This Order <br /> requires the Discharger to evaluate which septic systems have the potential to <br /> impact groundwater and to propose monitoring for those septic systems which <br /> have the potential to threaten beneficial uses of groundwater. <br /> This Order requires the Discharger to monitor groundwater for nitrate as NO3, <br /> total and fecal coliform, and ground water elevation upgradient and downgradient <br /> of four septic systems which service Buildings 812, 834, 850, and 899. <br />