| Abstract |
The 890-square mile Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) is located 32 miles west of Idaho Falls, Idaho. The site, established in 1949, is operated as a nuclear reactor technology development and waste management facility by the U.S. Department of Energy. Land use in the area is predominantly industrial and mixed use. The site overlies a sole source Class I aquifer, the Snake River Plain Aquifer. A 10-mile-square area within the INEL complex, referred to as Test Area North (TAN), was built in the 1950's to support the Aircraft Nuclear Propulsion Program sponsored by the U.S. Air Force and Atomic Energy Commission. The selected remedial action for the site includes pumping the contaminated ground water from the injection well and treating the ground water onsite using filtration to remove suspended solids, followed by air stripping and carbon adsorption to remove organics, and ion exchange to remove inorganics and radionuclides; modifying the existing TAN onsite disposal pond to receive treated ground water and ensure that it does not exceed discharge limits; transporting any spent carbon offsite to a permitted facility for regeneration; installing two additional ground water monitoring wells within the contaminant plume; monitoring air emissions; and implementing administrative and institutional controls, including ground water use restrictions. |
