The Sandia Office of the DOE Oversight Bureau monitors a variety of environmental media at Sandia National Laboratories/New Mexico (SNL/NM) to assess the potential impacts of past and present activities.
Monitoring Programs include:
Air Monitoring – The DOE Oversight Bureau conducts independent continuous air monitoring to evaluate the presence of selected radioactive particles and tritium in the ambient air near SNL/NM. Ambient air is sampled with continuously running, low-volume air samplers drawing air through particulate filters and silica gel cartridges.
Direct Penetrating Radiation – The DOE Oversight Bureau monitors direct penetrating (DPR) radiation, or gamma radiation, in the environment at SNL/NM and in the vicinity for SNL/NM-sourced or ambient gamma radiation using passive electret ion chambers.
Groundwater Monitoring – The DOE Oversight Bureau conducts verification and supplemental sampling of SNL/NM regional groundwater wells in cooperation with the SNL/NM Groundwater Section and Kirtland Air Force Base (KAFB) environmental group. The primary purpose of this sampling activity is to independently monitor and confirm groundwater quality at SNL/NM monitoring wells. The Bureau evaluates groundwater parameters to determine if there is any change in groundwater quality.
Storm Water Monitoring – The DOE Oversight Bureau conducts storm water monitoring at co-located monitoring stations located down-gradient from operating facilities, areas of concern, solid waste management units, and corrective action management units at SNL/NM. The focus is on storm water management assessment at construction and environmental restoration and remediation projects.
Biota and Terrestrial Monitoring – The DOE Oversight Bureau conducts sampling of soils, sediments, and vegetation on SNL/NM and the surrounding area in a cooperative effort with Sandia Corporation.
Waste Water Monitoring – The DOE Oversight Bureau conducts semi-annual sampling of wastewater discharges from SNL/NM operations in a cooperative effort with Sandia Corporation and the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority. Analytes monitored include: total metals, fluoride, gamma-emitting isotopes, gross alpha and beta, tritium, and volatile organic compounds.