**Environmental
Management/Stewardship**![](media/image1.png){width="1.198611111111111in"
height="1.2034722222222223in"}

**Combined Committee Meeting Minutes**

**Tuesday, October 16, 2007, 5:30 p.m.**

**DOE Information Center**

+----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| **[Committee Members             | **[Others Present]{.underline}**  |
| Present]{.underline}**           |                                   |
+----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| Ben Adams, Stewardship           | Dave Adler, Department of Energy  |
|                                  | (DOE-ORO)                         |
| Rhonda Bogard, EM                |                                   |
|                                  | Judy Bouchard                     |
| Darryl Bonner, EM/Stewardship    |                                   |
|                                  | Steven Bouchard                   |
| Donna Campbell, Stewardship      |                                   |
|                                  | Becky Brunton, Spectrum           |
| John Coffman, EM                 |                                   |
|                                  | Jason Darby, DOE                  |
| Susan Gawarecki, EM/Stewardship  |                                   |
|                                  | Sam Ellis                         |
| Hubert Gibson, EM                |                                   |
|                                  | Sid Garland, Bechtel Jacobs, Co.  |
| Luther Gibson, EM                | (BJC)                             |
|                                  |                                   |
| Ashlyn Hall, Stewardship         | Todd Garner                       |
|                                  |                                   |
| Ted Lundy, Stewardship           | Spencer Gross, Spectrum           |
|                                  |                                   |
| John Million, Stewardship        | Don Gilmore, Tennessee Department |
|                                  | of Environment and Conservation   |
| Norman Mulvenon, EM/Stewardship  | (TDEC)                            |
|                                  |                                   |
| Ron Murphree, Chair, EM          | Pat Halsey, DOE                   |
|                                  |                                   |
| Tim Myrick, Vice-chair, EM       | Bailey Johnson                    |
|                                  |                                   |
| ##### Bob Olson, EM              | Bill Johnson                      |
|                                  |                                   |
| ##### Bob Peelle, Stewardship    | Dick Ketelle, BJC                 |
|                                  |                                   |
| Sondra Sarten, Stewardship       | John Sebastian, TDEC              |
|                                  |                                   |
| Lorene Sigal, Stewardship        | Ralph Skinner, DOE                |
|                                  |                                   |
| #####                            | Steve Stow, Oak Ridge Site        |
|                                  | Specific Advisory Board (ORSSAB)  |
| ##### [Absent]{.underline}       |                                   |
|                                  | Eddie Worthington, TDEC           |
| Al Brooks, Stewardship           |                                   |
|                                  |                                   |
| Heather Cothron, Stewardship     |                                   |
|                                  |                                   |
| Charles Jensen, EM               |                                   |
|                                  |                                   |
| Tyler Johnson, Stewardship       |                                   |
|                                  |                                   |
| John Kennerly, EM                |                                   |
|                                  |                                   |
| Claudia Lever, Stewardship       |                                   |
|                                  |                                   |
| Roger, Macklin, Stewardship      |                                   |
|                                  |                                   |
| David Martin, Stewardship        |                                   |
|                                  |                                   |
| Gloria Mei, EM                   |                                   |
|                                  |                                   |
| ##### Lance Mezga, EM            |                                   |
|                                  |                                   |
| ##### Sandy Reagan, EM           |                                   |
|                                  |                                   |
| ##### Kerry Trammell, EM         |                                   |
+----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+

**[Discussion of contamination in picket wells in Melton Valley -- Dick
Ketelle]{.underline}**

This was a combined meeting of the Oak Ridge Site Specific Advisory
Board Environmental Management and Stewardship Committees to hear a
presentation on contamination detected in picket wells in Melton Valley.

Mr. Ketelle provided the presentation on the Melton Valley Exit Pathway
Groundwater Monitoring Status (Attachment 1). He said the presentation
was suggested by TDEC as a result of samplings recorded in the 2006
Remediation Effectiveness Report.

He began with a description of the area and the related bedrock and
groundwater pathways (Attachment 1, page 2). He said groundwater in
Melton Valley can be categorized into three broad categories -- shallow,
intermediate, and deep. Shallow groundwater occurs to a depth of about
50 feet below the water table. Intermediate groundwater occurs between
about 50 to about 300 feet below the water table. A less significant
source of groundwater flow toward the west is deep groundwater that has
been in place for millions of years and moves very slowly through rock
fractures. Deep groundwater is very saline.

Mr. Ketelle showed a diagram of groundwater flow toward the Clinch River
in relation to Burial Ground 6 in Melton Valley (Attachment 1, page 4).

He noted the principal sources of contamination in Melton Valley
(Attachment 1, page 6.) He also noted the remedial actions taken in
Melton Valley required by the Melton Valley Interim Record of Decision
(ROD). One of those actions was the installation of picket wells on the
west side of Melton Valley near the Clinch River.

Mr. Ketelle explained the deep groundwater monitoring concept in the
picket wells (Attachment 1, page 9). The Westbay monitoring system can
take samples of isolated zones at various depths. One of the wells can
be sampled from eight separate depths.

He showed an illustration of the exit pathway water chemistry in the six
picket wells (Attachment 1, page 12). The illustration is color-coded to
show the concentrations of total dissolved solids which are very high in
the southern part of Melton Valley and at depth. He said the readings
are similar to other areas on the Oak Ridge Reservation as well as
elsewhere in the eastern U.S. Constituents detected to date in the exit
pathway groundwater are not unique to wastes disposed in Melton Valley.

Mr. Ketelle discussed contaminant detection in the Melton Valley exit
pathway. He said the high concentrations of total dissolved solids makes
analyses for radiological contamination difficult. For instance,
occasional strontium-90 detects at low concentrations have been observed
but have not been confirmed in subsequent analyses. He said efforts are
underway to get more specific analyses.

Mr. Ketelle said additional offsite well monitoring has been done by DOE
and TDEC at several residential wells and two DOE-owned wells
(Attachment 1, page 15). Water chemistry offsite is similar to that
analyzed onsite. He said the DOE lab detected the presence of
trichloroethene and perchloroethene and strontrium-90 in the deeper
DOE-owned offsite well. However, the contaminants [were not]{.underline}
detected by the TDEC lab. Additional, confirmatory sampling of the well
is planned.

Conclusions of exit pathway sampling are noted on page 16 of Attachment
1, primarily that there are low concentrations of contamination detected
in Melton Valley exit pathway groundwater, but are less than or near
Environmental Protection Agency criteria for public water supplies.
Offsite monitoring indicates groundwater does not pose a human health or
environmental risk.

Mr. Adams asked how long the monitoring wells will remain in place. Mr.
Ketelle said the Melton Valley ROD calls for long-term monitoring and
the wells were installed with the intent that they would be in place for
many years.

Mr. Stow said samples have been taken at depths of 500 to 800 feet in
one well, but no samples have been taken at the 1,000 foot depth. Mr.
Ketelle said one well drilled to 1,000 feet has not been sampled in many
years, but plans are to have it sampled during Autumn 2007.

Mr. Bonner said the Melton Valley ROD required monitoring for 10 years.
He asked what was to be accomplished by monitoring of deep groundwater.
Mr. Ketelle said the hope was to determine any trends and if anything
was coming up from deep hydrofracture activities.

Mr. Bonner asked if there is any funding in place to continue monitoring
beyond 10 years. Mr. Adler said DOE is required by law to continue
monitoring as long as necessary, but he also said monitoring is tied to
annual appropriations. The cost of monitoring relative to other projects
is low, so he thought it was unlikely funding would not be available.

Mr. Mulvenon asked about the possibility of contamination going under
the Clinch River to the west side. Mr. Ketelle said if fractures go
under the river and hydraulic pressures were less on the west side,
contamination could reach the west side of the river.

Ms. Gawarecki asked if backwater from Watts Bar Lake into the Clinch
River could cause high hydraulic pressure on the exit pathways. Mr.
Ketelle said that had been considered but was unlikely.

Ms. Gawarecki asked if there are enough sampling locations at deeper
depths to make an evaluation over the next five years. Mr. Ketelle said
the number of wells, locations, depths, and so on had been evaluated and
the decision was made to keep the high quality deep wells. He said there
are enough wells to understand the nature of groundwater to 500 feet. He
said evaluation of groundwater below 500 feet is difficult. He said the
final Melton Valley ROD could call for additional wells.

Mr. Bonner asked the TDEC representatives if they had any comments on
the presentation. Mr. Sebastian said TDEC was 'considerably more
pensive' about the offsite situation. He said sampling in one DOE-owned
offsite well indicated high levels of lead and arsenic and indications
of strontium-90. He said there were serious problems with water quality
on the west side of the Clinch River with high pH levels. He said DOE
did not indicate excessive levels of fluoride in its offsite wells. Mr.
Sebastian said many of the things in the offsite well could be the
result of previous hydrofracture activities.

Mr. Worthington said data in the remediation effectiveness report show
average numbers in different zones. He wondered if the figures were
correct.

**[Discussion of possible recommendation on the
presentation]{.underline}**

Mr. Mulvenon felt there was not enough information available and it was
too early to make a recommendation on the presentation. He felt the
situation should be monitored and revisited in 2008.

Mr. Olson said if any recommendation is made at this time it should be
to compliment DOE on its monitoring efforts and recommend that it do
more.

The combined committees decided to take no action at this time.

The meeting adjourned at 7:15 p.m.

rsg