Distribution Category: Health and Safety (UC-41) ANL-82-12 ARGONNE NATIONAL LABORATOR 9700 South Cass Avenue Argonne, Illinois 60439 ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AT ARGONNE NATIONAL LABORATORY ANNUAL REPORT FOR 1981 by N. W. Golchert, T. L. Duffy, and J. Sedlet Occupational Health and Safety Division Laboratory Work Performed by T. L. Duffy S. Lewey N. W. Golchert D. M. Ray K. A. Hayes J. G. Riha F. S. Iwami J. Sedlet R. B. Kasper H. C. Svoboda T. TenKate March 1982 .DISCLAIMER • Approved: D. P. O'Neil Division Director Preceding Report in This Series: ANL-81-23 TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT 9 I. INTRODUCTION 9 A. General 9 B. Description of Site 11 C. Population 14 D. Meteorology 14 E. Geohydrology 17 F. Water and Land Use 19 II. SUMMARY 21 111. MONITORING RESULTS 25 A. Radiological 25 1. Air 27 2. Surface Water 33 3. Soil, Grass, and Bottom Sediment 36 4. Milk 43 5. External Penetrating Radiation 47 6. Potential Radiation Dose Estimates 52 a. Air and Waterborne Radionuclides 52 b. External Penetrating Radiation Dose 57 c. Summary 58 B. Chemical and Biological Pollutants 58 1. Air 58 2. Water 61 a. Waste Treatment Plant Effluent Water 63 b. National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) 63 c. Sawmill Creek 66 d. Des Plaines River 79 TABLE OF CONTENTS IV. APPENDIX 80 A. References 80 B. Environmental Quality Standards, Detection Limits, Analytical Errors, and Quality Assurance . . . .. 81 1. Standards 81 2. Detection Limits 83 3. Quality Assurance Program 83 a. Radiochemical Analysis and Radioactivity Measurements 83 b. Penetrating Radiation 85 c. Chemical Analysis . . . . .. 85 d. Sampling, Sample Storage, Other 86 C. Distribution List 88 D. Acknowledgements 89 LIST OF TABLES No_. Title Page 1. Incremental Population Data in the Vicinity of ANL, 1981 15 2. AN], Weather Summary, 1981 18 3. Agricultural Production Near ANL, 1980, 1981 20 4. Tot.-.L Alpha and Beta Activities in Air-Filter Samples, 1981 ... 28 5. Ganuiu.-Ray Activity in Air-Filter Samples, 1981 29 6. Strontium, Thorium, Uranium, and Plutonium Concentrations in Air-Filter Samples, 1981 31 7. Radionuclides in Sawmill Creek, 1981 35 8. Radionuclides in Des Plaines River Water, 1981 37 9. Radionuclides in Illinois River Water, 1981 38 10. Gamma-Ray Emitting Radionuclides in Soil, 1981 40 11. Plutonium in Soil, 1981 41 12. Ground Deposition of Plutonium-239,240 42 13. Gamma-Ray Emitting Radionuclides in Grass Samples, 1981 44 14. Radionuclides in Grass Samples, 1981 45 15. Radionuclides in Bottom Sediment, 1981 46 16. Radionuclides in Milk, 1981 47 17. Environmental Penetrating Radiation at Off-Site Locations, 1981 . 48 18. Environmental Penetrating Radiation at ANL, 1981 50 19. Conceatration-to-Dose Conversion Factors 54 20. Whole-Body Dose From Airborne Emissions, 1981 55 21. 80 km Whole-Body Population Dose 55 22. Radionuclide Concentrations and Dose Estimates for Sawmill Creek Water, 1981 56 22. Summary of National and Illinois Ambient Air Quality Standards . . 59 24. Environmental Air Data, 1981 60 25. Water Quality Standards and Detection Limits 62 26. Chemical Constituents in Effluents from ANL Treatment Plant, 1981 64 27. ANL National Pollution Discharge Elimination Systeir Data Summary, Location 001 (7M), 1981 67 28. ANL National Pollution Discharge Elimination System Data Summary, Location 002 (13L), 1981 68 29. ANL National Pollution Discharge Elimination System Data Summary, Location 003 (12L), 1981 59 LIST OF TABLES No_. Title 30. ANL National Pollution Discharge Elimination System Data Summary, Location 004 (14J), 1981 70 31. ANL National Pollution Discharge Elimination System Data Summary, Location 005 (14F), 1981 71 32. ANL National Pollution Discharge Elimination System Data Summary, Location 006 (8J), 1981 72 33. ANL National Pollution Discharge Elimination System Data Summary, Location 007 (9K), 1981 73 34. ANL National Pollution Discharge Elimination System Data Summary, Location 008 (13M), 1981 74 35. ANL National Pollution Discharge Elimination System Data Summary, Location 009 (14K), 1981 36. Sawmill Creek - Effect of Sanitary Waste, 1981 77 37. Chemical Constituents in Sawmill Creek, Location 7M, 1981 . . .. 78 38. Chemical Constituents in the Das Plaines River, 1981 79 39. Concentration Guides and Detection Limits 82 40. Summary of DOE-EML-QAP Samples, 1981 84 41. Summary of Quality Assurance Studies 87 LIST OF FIGURES No.. 1. Sampling Locations at Argonne National Laboratory 12 2. Sampling Locations Near Argonne National Laboratory 13 3. Monthly and Annual Wind Roses at Argonne National Laboratory, 1981 16 4. Plutonium-239,240 in Air Concentrations, 1973-1981 32 5. Plutonium-239,240 Surface Deposition, 1973-1981 39 6. Penetrating Radiation Measurements at the ANL Site, 1981 51 7. NPDES Permit Locations 65 ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AT ARGONNE NATIONAL LABORATORY ANNUAL REPORT FOR 1981 by N. W. Golchert, T. L. Duffy, and J. Sedlet ABSTRACT The results of the environmental monitoring program at Argonne National Laboratory for 1981 are presented and discussed. To evaluate the effect of Argonne operations on the environment, measurements were made for a variety of radionuclides in air, surface water, soil, grass, bottom sediment, and milk; for a variety of chemical constituents in air, surface water, and Argonne effluent water; and of the environmental penetrating radiation dose. Sample collections and measurements were made at the site boundary and off the Argonne site for comparison purposes. Some on-site measurements were made to aid in the interpretation of the boundary and off-site data. The results of the program are interpreted in terms of the sources and origin of the radioactive and chemical substances (natural, fallout, Argonne, and other) and are compared with applicable environmental quality standards. The- poten- tial radiation dose to off-site population groups is also estimated. I. INTRODUCTION A. General This report is prepared to provide the U. S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the public with information on the levels of radioactive, chemical, and biological pollutants in the environment of Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) and on the amounts, if any, added to the environment as a result of Argonne operations. The report follows the guidelines given in DOE Order 5484.1 s Chapter III. The Laboratory conducts a continuous environmental monitoring program on and near the Argonne site whose primary purpose is to determine the magnitude, origin, and identity of radioactive or potentially toxic chemical and biological substances in the environment. Of special interest is the detection of any such materials released to the environment by Argonne. One important function of the program is to verify the adequacy of Argonne,s pollution controls. 10 Argonne is an energy research and development laboratory with several principal objectives. It conducts a broad program of research in the basic energy ar.^. .ated sciences (physical, chemical, material, nuclear, biomedi- cal, and environmental), and serves as an important engineering center for the study of nuclear and non-nuclear energy sources. Some of the energy- related research projects conducted during 1981 were safety studies for light water and breeder reactors, development of components and materials for fis- sion and fusion reactors, improvements in the utilization of coal for power production (particularly high sulfur coal), electrochemistry of energy storage, solar energy utilization , ocean thermal energy conversion using ammonia as the working fluid, evaluation of heat exchangers, and biomass conversion to alcohol. Other areas of research are the use of superconducting magnets for improved nuclear particle accelerators and magnetohydrodynamics coal technol- ogy, th immobilization of radioactive waste products for safe disposal, and the biological effects of small amounts of rac'iation. Environmental research studies include a Great Lakes radioecology program, toxic trace element ecol- ogy, the effect of sulfur dioxide on crop growth, and reclamation of strip mined land. A significant portion of these laboratory studies requires the UST of radioactive and chemically-toxic substances. The principal nuclear facilities at the Laboratory are a 200 kW light- water cooled and moderated biological research reactor (Janus) fueled with fully-enriched uranium; one critical assembly or zero power reactor (ZPR-9;, that is fueled at various times with plutonium, uranium, or a combination of the two; the Argonne Thermal Source Reactor (ATSR), a 10 kW research reactor fueled with enriched uranium; a prototype superconducting heavy ion linear accelerator; a 60-inch cyclotron; several other charged particle accelerators (principally of the Van de Graaff and Dynamitron type); a large fast neutron source (IPNS, Intense Pulsed Neutron Source) in which high energy protons strike a heavy metal target to produce the neutrons; cobalt-60 irradiation sources; chemical and metallurgical plutonium laboratories; and several hot cells and laboratories designed for work with multicurie quantities of the actinide elements. Two major facilities, a 12.5 GeV proton accelerator (ZGS, the Zero Gradient Synchrotron) and a 5 MW heavy water-enriched uranium re- actor (CP-5) were not in operation during 1981 and are awaiting decontamina- tion and decommissioning. The principal non-nuclear facilities at Argonne that nay produce a measurable impact on the environment are the coal-fired 11 atmospheric fluidized bed boiler (FBB) and the ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) studies. The fluidized bed boiler is designed to burn high sulfur (3.75%) Illinois coal and to produce export steam for Laboratory use. Low sulfur coal was used in the first part of 1981 with no controls to test the system and high sulfur coal was burned in the latter part of the year with controls in place. The OTEC system has the potential for water pollution since it uses large amounts of ammonia. B. Description of Site Argonne National Laboratory (Illinois site) occupies the central 6.88 sq km (1,700 acres) of a 15.14-sq km (3,740-acre) tract in DuPage County, 43 km (27 mi) southwest of downtown Chicago, and 39 km (24 mi) due west of Lake Michigan. It lies in the Des Plaines River Valley, south of Interstate High- way 55 and west of Illinois Highway 83. Figures 1 and 2 are maps of the site and of the surrounding area. The 8.26-km (2,040-acre) area surrounding the site (Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve) was formerly Argonne property, but was deeded tc the DuPage County Forest Preserve District in 1973 for their use as a public recreational area, nature preserve, and demonstration forest. The terrain is gently rolling, partially-wooded, former prairie and farmland. The grounds contain a number of small ponds and streams, the prin- cipal one being Sawmill Creek, which runs through the site in a southerly direction and enters the Des Plaines River about 2.1 km (1.3 mi) southeast of the center of the site. The land is draxned primarily by Sawmill Creek, al- though the extreme southern portion drains directly into the Des Plaines River, which flows along the southern boundary of the Forest Preserve. This river flows southwest until it joins the Kankakee River about 48 km (30 mi) south- west of the Laboratory to form the Illinois River. The largest topographical feature is the Des Plaines River channel, about 1.6 km (1 mi) wide. This caannel contains the River, the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, and the Illinois and Michigan Canal. Their presence extends the uninhabited area about 1.6 km (1 mi) south of the site. The elevation of the channel surface is 180 m (590 ft) above sea level. Bluffs, which comprise the south border of the sita, rise from the channel at varying slope angles of 15° to 60°, reaching an average elevation of 200 m (650 ft) above sea WATERFALL GLEN FOREST PRESERVE WATERFALL GLEN FOREST PRESERVE •WATERFftLL GLEN FOREST PRESERVE 300 AREA' t- 'n.