Hydrofluoric Acid Spill Area: Environmental information document

The Hydrofluoric Acid Spill Area is located in the Central Shops Area of the Savannah River Plant (SRP). It is uncertain if a spill occurred at this site or if contaminated soil or containers were buried here. Soil cores from the Hydrofluoric Acid Spill Area have not been collected or analyzed. Four groundwater monitoring wells were installed around the spill area in 1984 and have been sampled quarterly since early 1985. The potential impacts of lead and fluoride were assessed because of their measured groundwater concentrations. The closure options considered for the Hydrofluoric Acid Spill Area are waste removal and closure, no waste removal and closure, and no action. The predominant pathways for human exposure to chemical and/or radioactive constituents are through surface, subsurface, and atmospheric transport. Modeling calculations were made to determine the risk to human population via these general pathways for the three postulated closure options. An ecological assessment was conducted to predict the environmental impacts on aquatic and terrestrial biota. The relative costs for each of the closure options were estimated. An evaluation of environmental impacts indicates that the relative risk to human health and ecosystems for the closure options analyzed is low. The ecological assessment showsmore » that the effects of any closure activities on river water quality and wildlife would be insignificant. The cost estimates show that the waste removal and closure option is the most expensive ($890,000). The other two options are a factor of 8 less expensive. 30 refs., 14 figs., 34 tabs.« less