Chemical contamination from a Cold War-era waste dump, known as the Mixed Waste Landfill (MWL), has reached two monitoring wells at Sandia National Laboratories. The dump contains an estimated 100,000 cubic ft. of radioactive and hazardous waste from 30 years of nuclear weapons research buried in unlined pits and trenches at Sandia.

Studies conducted by Sandia, show that thirteen cancer-causing semi-volatile organic compounds have reached as far as a monitoring well 500 feet outside the boundary of the MWL. The monitoring well detected the presence of the carcinogens in the groundwater that supplies Albuquerque’s drinking water.

Dave McCoy of Citizen Action and Bob Gilkeson, a Geologist who is an expert in groundwater contamination, made a presentation before the Groundwater Protection Advisory Board (GPAB) in Albuquerque on November 9. Mr. Gilkeson informed the GPAB that monitoring well 4 installed immediately under Trench D in the MWL shows chemistry that proves the presence of groundwater contamination. 270,000 gallons of reactor coolant water were disposed of in Trench D.

Mr. Gilkeson warns that well 4 is a fast pathway for spreading contamination into Albuquerque’s water supply because the well is leaking into groundwater from improper construction and a leaking packer. Mr. Gilkeson also warns that the sampling methods used by Sandia can strip out 70 percent of the volatile chemicals in the water so that the contamination across Sandia and Lirtland Air Force Base (KAFB) may be much greater than the samples reveal. Mr. Gilkeson stated that problems of improper well installation and improper sampling methods disallow the claims by Sandia that contaminants buried at the MWL, such as the carcinogens PCE and tritium have not contaminated the groundwater.

A Sandia representative, J. Paul Freshour, presented Sandia’s response to a complaint filed by Mr. Gilkeson with the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Inspector General about the well monitoring system at the MWL not meeting federal standards. The response document was missing numerous pages, tables and graphs. Mr. Freshour claimed that the Inspector General complaint had been closed and that the monitoring system functions “as designed.” A call to the Washington, D.C. DOE Inspector General’s office revealed that the complaint has not been closed as Mr. Freshour claimed.

Dave McCoy of Citizen Action stated that “the timing of the presentation by Sandia of its incomplete response and misrepresentation to the GPAB that the Inspector General complaint was closed during an ongoing Inspector General investigation is an attempt to mislead the GPAB and legitimatize the flawed well monitoring system. Instead of showing that the MWL is not releasing contamination to the environment, a careful study of the Sandia document indicates that groundwater contamination is much more widespread at Sandia and KAFB than previously admitted by Sandia.”

The response admits the routine detection of the cancer-causing contaminants TCE, DCE and cis-1,2-dichloroethane in numerous other wells at Sandia National Laboratories and at Kirtland Air Force Base. The response shows these carcinogenic solvents, known as volatile organic chemicals (VOCs), are consistently showing up in monitoring wells for Sandia and KAFB such as in the Tijeras Arroyo, numerous wells at the Technical Area 5 and the Chemical Waste Landfill.

The Sandia response contradicts its own claim that the monitoring system is functioning correctly by admitting that monitoring wells for the MWL are going dry and that monitoring wells are at inappropriate locations for detecting groundwater contamination from the MWL. The document admits that there is no monitoring of the vadose zone. Vadose zone monitoring is required by federal law as necessary for the early detection of contamination.

The problems of contamination for groundwater at KAFB and Sandia, including the MWL, raises serious concerns about the potential for contamination to Albuquerque’s drinking water, from new wells drilled to provide drinking water for the future residents of Mesa del Sol, and future groundwater development by Sandia’s neighbors including the Pueblo of Isleta.

McCoy added, “On the basis of this information from Sandia, the GPAB should open a wider investigation into what appears to be extensive, serious contamination of the groundwater across Sandia and KFAB. The groundwater monitoring program at Sandia and KAFB must be improved to provide accurate knowledge of the nature and extent of contamination. We are also calling on Governor Richardson to step up to the plate and take action to excavate the Mixed Waste Landfill- and soon!”