- Long-Term Environmental Stewardship & Sustainability Strategy ›
- Clean the Past ›
- Control the Present ›
- Introduction
- Something in the Air? ›
- Protections: Sediment ›
- Protections: Sediment Control = Contaminant Retention
- Tour: Sediment Retention
- Protection #2: Trap and Remove Sediment
- Stormwater Controls
- Stop Contaminant Movement & the Individual Permit
- View of Stormwater Monitoring Sites
- Stormwater Control Structures
- How are the aftereffects of wildfire managed?
- Las Conchas Wildfire
- Stormwater Controls after Wildfire
- Los Alamos Canyon Weir
- 10,000 Willows
- Pueblo Canyon Grade Control Structure
- Early Notification Gages
- Protections: Sampling ›
- Protection #3: Sample and Survey
- Tour: Environmental Monitoring
- Groundwater Monitoring
- How does LANL determine where to put a monitoring well?
- Protection of the Groundwater Resource
- The Location Investigation Process
- The Location Determination Process
- Monitoring Well Placement
- Contaminant Sources
- Groundwater Monitoring Network
- View of Groundwater Monitoring Sites
- Well Placement Decision Process
- Create a Sustainable Future ›
- Multimedia ›
How our Not-so-ordinary Workers Keep LANL Green
Better, Faster, Cheaper
Who
LANL scientists collaborating with an industrial partner
What
Designed and constructed a gas-pressurized manually-operated system extraction chromatography system to separate plutonium
Pollution Prevented
90 percent reduction in liquid transuranic waste
Eliminated the solid transuranic waste and low-level waste
Other Results
Rates of sample analyses increased four-fold
Sample run-times were reduced by 70 percent
The dose to a glove box operator was eliminated
MeRRyL Makes Her Debut
Who
Team of fuel cell researchers
What
Replaced a single-pass methanol fuel system with a multi-pass recovery and recirculation loop
Pollution Prevented
Reduced methanol consumption and purchasing twelve-fold
Eliminated the generation of waste for a six-month period
Other Results
Reduced labor by more than 75 percent
Improved the quality of the experiments
Allowed for an increase in the number of testing stations
Solutions for Sigma
A permitted outfall at Technical Area 3 discharged cooling tower water into Mortandad Canyon. Due to new and more stringent regulatory requirements, Science and Technology Operations implemented an interim treatment capability — an Ion Exchange Unit at the Sigma Complex — in 2010.
Who
Science and Technology Operations
What
Implemented an Ion Exchange Unit at the Sigma Complex, then modified the Sigma Complex cooling tower water discharge point to LANL's Sanitary Wastewater System
Pollution Prevented
Eliminated more than 1 million gallons of discharge into Mortandad Canyon annually
Moving to goal of eliminating all liquid discharges to the environment
Other Results
One-time modification cost of $710,000
Saving LANL more than $40,000 annually in equipment rental, supplies, and labor
Dewars Done Right
Who
Gas Facility
What
Contracted High-Purity Resources to refurbish and redistributes unused dewars (containers of pressurized gases) for reuse
Pollution Prevented
Redistributed 13 small refurbished dewars
Other Results
Saved LANL almost $450,000 in purchase costs
Other dewars are in the queue at an estimated savings of more than $1.5 million
Landmark Exceeds a Benchmark
Who
Administration Building Deactivation and Decommissioning Project
What
Aggressive waste segregation and characterization during demolition and decommissioning activities maximized the volume of material that could be reused or recycled
Pollution Prevented
Avoided generating more than 33,000 cubic yards of waste
Reutilized 20,000 cubic yards of excavated soil instead of importing clean fill
Other Results
Saved LANL more than $2.6 million
Waste Not, Want Not
Who
Laboratory researchers and Sanitary Waste Water System personnel
What
Researched and implemented an increase in the biological oxygen demand of the system's influent to reduce regulated constituents. Used an inexpensive by-product of the biodiesel industry in the Sanitary Waste Water System
Pollution Prevented
Significantly reduced nitrate concentrations
Removed various metals, metalloids, and polychlorinated biphenyls from the system's effluent
Stemming the Flow
Who
Laboratory’s Outfall Reduction Program, who:
- Reduce environmental impacts associated with discharges of water from LANL's outfalls
- Conserve potable water by reclamation and reuse of outfall discharges
- Improve compliance with the laws governing outfall discharges
What
At the Dual-Axis Hydrodynamic Radiographic Test Facility, a new lift station and pipeline were constructed to connect the cooling tower with the sanitary wastewater system.
At Technical Area 11, a holding tank, modified piping, and new instrumentation were constructed to capture, treat, and evaporate cooling tower discharges.
Pollution Prevented
Reduced the number of actively discharging permitted outfalls from 17 to 9
Reclaim, reuse and recycle up to 500 acre-feet per year (approximately 163 million gallons) of potable groundwater annually
From Rubble to Riches
Who
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Decontamination and Demolition (D&D) Project
What
Removed 24 contaminated, Manhattan Project-era buildings at Technical Area 2
Pollution Prevented
A portion of it was recycled or salvaged for beneficial reuse
Recycled hundreds of tons of metal
Salvaged several large pieces of equipment
Reused clean demolition debris for use as onsite fill and site stabilization
Getting the Lead Out
Who
Legacy waste operation at Technical Area 16
What
Identified a large quantity of tritium-contaminated electronics. Recognizing an opportunity to reduce the waste stream, the waste management team coordinated the disassembly, segregation, and repackaging of the electronic components
Pollution Prevented
Components separated from potential radioactive waste
A Greener Boom: Environmentally-Friendly Explosives?
Who
High Explosive Science and Technology Group
What
Developed an environmentally-friendly method for producing the precursor chemicals used in manufacturing of insensitive high explosives necessary to some weapons systems
Pollution Prevented
Chemical pollution
Other Results
Restored the Country’s ability to produce an insensitive high explosive
No More Ring-Around-the-Collar
Who
MDA B project
What
Used disposable personal protective clothing known as OREX that is made from a degradable polyvinyl polymer. Once used, the OREX is returned to the manufacturer where it is completely consumed in a patented dissolution process
Pollution Prevented
Reduced the generation of low-level waste (disposal of clothing as radioactive waste)
Other Results
Saved $135,000 over a 12-month period
