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PROPOSAL FOR ADMINISTRATIVE NO FURTHER ACTION SITE 32, Steam Plant Oil
Spill OU 1302**\
**\
Prepared by Sandia National Laboratories/New Mexico\
Environmental Restoration Project\
Albuquerque, New Mexico\
Prepared for the U. S. Department of Energy

# 1.0 INTRODUCTION

Sandia National Laboratories/New Mexico (SNL/NM) is proposing an
administrative No Further Action (NFA) decision for Environmental
Restoration (ER) Site 32, Steam Plant Oil Spill, Operable Unit (OU)
1302.

The five Underground Storage Tanks (USTs) associated with this site were
removed and the excavation was backfilled with clean material. In
February 1992, soil samples were collected and analyzed for total
petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) and the results indicated concentrations
well below the 100 ppm limit of NMED UST Regulations (NMED 1990). Also,
the depth to groundwater is greater than 400 feet, greatly reducing the
potential for any contaminant migration to groundwater. Because there is
no potential for a release that poses a threat to human health or the
environment, this site is being proposed for an NFA determination.

# 2.0 HISTORY OF UNIT

ER Site 32 is located on the north side of the Steam Plant (Building
605) near the intersection of Wyoming Boulevard and \"J\" Street in the
western portion of Technical Area (TA)-I (Attachment 1; Figure 5.4-1).
This site is also listed as an ER Site under the Underground Storage
Tanks (USTs) Operable Unit (OU), ADS 1300 as ER Site 176, \"Building 605
UST (TA-I).\" The actual former USTs (Table 1) were under the
jurisdiction of ADS 1300, whereas the contaminated soils that surrounded
the former USTs are part of the ADS 1302 investigation. The types of
hydrocarbon contained in the tanks also are listed in Table 1. Number
two fuel oil is referred to in previous reports as No. 2 diesel oil and
No. 2 heating oil, but the preferred term, fuel oil, will be used in
this document.

Table 1

  ------------- ----------------- ------------------ ---------------------
  Tank Number   Capacity in       Tank Dimensions in Type of Product
                Gallons           Feet               

  605-7         1,000             11 x 5             Diesel Fuel

  605-8         12,000            23 x 9.5           No. 2 Fuel Oil

  605-9         12,000            23 x 9.5           No. 2 Fuel Oil

  605-10        12,000            23 x 9.5           No. 2 Fuel Oil

  605-11        12,000            23 x 9.5           No. 2 Fuel Oil
  ------------- ----------------- ------------------ ---------------------

Note: All USTs were installed in 1958, and were operationally closed
December 22, 1990. (IT 1992).

ER Site 32 was the location of two known releases of hydrocarbons to the
environment. The first release occurred sometime in 1981; the exact date
is unknown. Based on this release, the site was designated as a SNL/NM
ER Site during the Comprehensive Environmental Assessment and Response
Program (CEARP) Phase 1 investigation (DOE 1987). According to the CEARP
Document (DOE 1987):

-   \"A 500-hundred gallon spill of No. 2 diesel oil occurred at the
    steam plant (Site 32). The oil and wash water were retained and
    recovered (ES 1981). No residues should remain.

-   CERCLA Finding-Remedial action completed; the action will be
    verified under CEARP Phase V; therefore, a CERCLA finding for
    Federal Facility Site Discovery and Identification Findings,
    Preliminary Assessment, and Preliminary Site Inspection is not
    appropriate, and no Hazard Ranking System migration mode score was
    calculated.

-   Planned Future Action-Reconnaissance data will be collected as part
    of CEARP Phase V to verify and document the adequacy of the remedial
    action. Further action will be taken as appropriate.\"

The 1987 RCRA Facilities Assessment report (Kearney 1987) goes on to
state:

-   \"Five hundred gallons of No. 2. \[sic\] diesel was spilled from
    storage tanks on the north side of the Steam Plant (Building 605)
    (Plate 6). The spill was retained and recovered. The exact date of
    the spill is unknown. Soil containing diesel fuel was reportedly
    removed from the site.\"

It is not known exactly where the spill occurred or which UST was
responsible for the spill. Neither document stated what became of the
recovered fuel oil, fuel-oil-contaminated soils, and wash water that was
retained.

A second release was discovered on June 25, 1991 and is related to the
release that occurred in ER Site 190 (Gaither 1991). It was discovered
that on the north side of the Steam Plant, UST 605-8 was overflowing
with diesel fuel oil. The UST had been used to provide fuel oil for the
plant in the past, but was not in service at the time of the incident.
It was determined that a SNL/NM employee had inadvertently left a valve
open during a sampling event at the Steam Plant Tank Farm (ER Site 190)
south of the Steam Plant. For approximately three weeks, this opened
valve allowed fuel oil to flow by gravity-fed lines to UST 605-8. After
the discovery, a tanker truck was immediately brought in and the
contents of UST 605-8 (approximately 5,000 gallons) were emptied and
transported to the Steam Plant Tank Farm (Gaither 1991). No description
is given on the extent of the release, if there was any soil
contamination, or what was done with any contaminated soils.

# 3.0 EVALUATION OF RELEVANT EVIDENCE

From October 29 to November 5, 1991, USTs 605-7, -8, -9, -10, and -11
were removed (Attachment 2; Figure 5.4-2). The USTs were visually
inspected and none of the tanks showed evidence of perforations or
leakages. However, the excavation zone had significant contamination
from spill/overfill and/or leaking connections on the manifold piping
(Williamson 1992; IT 1991). Hydrocarbon staining was observed at various
depths in the soils surrounding the tanks from near the surface to
beneath the tanks (approximately 16 feet). The heaviest soil staining
was observed between the tanks near the fill pipe connections. Stained
soils were reported to have extended beyond the excavation boundaries to
the east and south (IT 1991).

During removal, soil from below the USTs was sampled and analyzed.
Contaminated soils were excavated to a depth of 16 to 18 feet and
removed from the site. The concrete saddles under the four large USTs
were abandoned in place (IT 1991). Soil samples were grabbed from the
backhoe bucket from the locations and depths shown in Attachment 3;
Figure 5.4-3. Analytical results from this sampling investigation
revealed TPH concentrations above the 100 ppm limit of Section 1209 D of
the NMED UST Regulations (NMED 1990) at three of the four sample
locations (Attachment 3; Figure 5.4-3). The TPH concentrations were 52.5
ppm at location 5715-1; 4,100 ppm at 5715-2; 23,400 ppm at 5715-3; and
6,380 ppm at 5715-4 (Attachment 4; Table 1). During the tank removal,
site constraints (such as nearby buildings, and trench sloping
requirements) prohibited sampling of the excavation zone to the vertical
and horizontal extent required by the NMED guidelines (NMED 1990) for a
tank farm of this size (Williamson 1992).

Based on the results of the sampling in 1991, an additional
investigation was performed from February 5 through 13, 1992 (IT 1992).
This investigation was performed in accordance with the New Mexico
Underground Storage Tank Regulations, as amended July 26, 1990, Part
XII, Sections 1205, and 1206 (NMED 1990). The investigation consisted of
drilling and sampling five soil borings to depths of 85 to 107 feet.
This investigation was completed to assess the general soil conditions
beneath the former USTs and to determine the lateral and vertical extent
of contamination.

Soil samples were collected in each of the five soil borings (Attachment
3; Figure 5.4-3) at intervals of approximately 10 feet, beginning at
approximately 18 feet, through the total depth of each soil boring
(total depths shown on Figure 5.4-3). Soil samples were analyzed in the
field with the HNU-Hanby Direct Extraction Method (Hanby Method) to help
determine the extent of contaminated soils. In addition, two samples
were collected for offsite analysis from the bottom of each boring
(Attachment 4; Table 3). In summary, only one borehole (605-C) had fuel
oil contamination detectable by the Hanby Method, with concentrations
exceeding 800 ppm as deep as 80 feet. Hanby Method analysis for samples
collected at 90, 95, and 107 feet at this borehole were non-detects.
This was confirmed with TPH analysis for the 95 and 107 foot samples. In
the four other soil borings, Hanby Method and TPH analytical results
were non-detect for all samples, at all depths (IT 1992; Williamson
1992).

After the analytical results of the February, 1992 sampling were
available, the site was approved for closure by the regulatory authority
that has approval authority (NMED 1992), and the excavated pit was
backfilled with clean material. The closure recommendation of the NMED
was based on the determination that, the \"\...site does not pose an
immediate public health or environmental threat\...\" (NMED 1992).

# 4.0 CONCLUSION

The USTs and contaminated soils have been removed and site closure
approved by the NMED. The site no longer has the potential for releasing
hazardous waste (including hazardous constituents) which may pose a
threat to human health or the environment. Therefore, an NFA
determination is requested for this site.

# 5.0 REFERENCES

ES (Engineering-Science, Inc.), 1981. Installation Restoration Program,
Phase I: Kirtland AFB.

Gaither, K. 1991b. Memorandum to Paul Davis (7723). \"New ER Site #190,
Tank Farm for Steam Plant,\" August 27, 1991.

Hovda, B. (NMED), 1992. Letter to K. Carlson, \"Closure Notification of
Underground Storage Tank Bureau Remediation Case for Sandia National
Laboratory, Technical Area I, Steam Plant Release Site, Underground
Storage Tanks 605-7 through -11,\" May 13, 1992.

International Technology Corporation (IT), 1991. Building 605 Steam
Plant UST Removal Closure Report. Sandia National Laboratories,
Technical Area I. November, 1991.

International Technology (IT), 1992. On-Site Investigation at Former
Underground Storage Tank Nos. 605-7, -8, -9, -10, -11. Sandia National
Laboratories, Technical Area I. March, 1992.

Kearney (A.T. Kearney, Inc.) 1987. \"Final RCRA Facilities Assessment
Report of Solid Waste Management Units at Sandia National Laboratories,
Albuquerque, New Mexico.\" April 1987.

Miller, David, 1994. Memorandum to W. Cox. \"Building 605 Steam Plant
Storage Tanks and Fuel Line Project,\" January 28, 1994.

State of New Mexico, Environment Department (NMED), 1990. New Mexico
Underground Storage Tank Regulations (NMUSTR) as amended, July 26, 1990,
Part XII, Sections 1205 and 1206.

U.S. Department of Energy, (DOE 1987). \"Draft Comprehensive
Environmental Assessment and Response Program (CEARP), Phase I:
Installation Assessment,\" September 1987.

Williamson, L. 1992. Memorandum to D, Garcia. \"ER Site Tracking Updates
for leaking Underground Storage Tanks Assessments (ADS 1300),\" August
18, 1992.

# 6.0 LIST OF ATTACHMENTS (None available for viewing at this time)

>  Attachment 1- Figure 5.4-1 - Location of ER Site 32, Steam Plant Oil
> Spill
>
>  Attachment 2 - Figure 5.4-2 - Location of Former USTs
>
>  Attachment 3 - Figure 5.4-3 - Location of Grab samples and Soil
> Borings from Previous Investigations
>
>  Attachment 4 - Tables 1 and 3 from IT 1992