1 Inter-Areas Investigation to Support the River Corridor Baseline Risk Assessment River Corridor Closure Contractor River Corridor Inter-Areas Investigation Prepared by Neptune & Company DQO Workshop, June 1st & 2nd 2006

2 Inter-Areas Investigation Workshop Topics Introduction and schedule Project purpose and scope Proposed approach Data evaluation Ecological DQOs Human health DQOs Proposed sample locations

3 Introduction and Schedule Inter-Areas Investigation

4 Inter-Areas Project Purpose and Scope

5 Purpose Statement Inter-Areas Investigation Evaluate risks from chemicals and radionuclides between source or operational areas (reactor and industrial) in the 100 Area and 300 Area riparian and near-shore aquatic environs.

6 Purpose Extension of 100/300 Area RCBRA Fill contaminant data gaps for non- operational areas Supplemental environmental data collection for 100/300 Area RCBRA Benefit from stakeholder input, assessment approaches, and data –100-B/C Pilot –100-NR-2 –100/300 RCBRA

7 Additional considerations for Inter- Areas: Consider all salmon spawning areas Consider cumulative exposures to wide-ranging species Consider multi-media exposures Current concentrations from 200 Area groundwater plumes Scope

8 Develop 100/300 Area Sampling and Analysis Plan Addendum for Inter- Areas data collection

9 100/300 Area RCBRA Scope

10 100/300 Area RCBRA Sampling

11 Inter-Area Scope

12 Potential Inter-Area Sampling

13 Proposed Approach

14 Inter-Areas Approach Follow DQOs developed for 100/300 Area riparian and near- shore aquatic regions Measure contaminants in riparian soil, sediment, water, and biota Characterize contaminant risks in riparian and near-shore aquatic areas

15 Apply DQOs consistent with 100/300 Area assessment –Contaminant suites –Endpoints and measures for riparian and near-shore aquatic areas –Sampling approaches MIS riparian soil Grab sediment Horizontal aquifer tubes Biota samples (invert baskets, clam tubes, sculpin, etc.) Inter-Areas Approach

16 Inter-Areas Approach Spatial Areas Considered Unique habitats –Backwaters –Sloughs –Wetlands Habitats for species of interest –Salmon spawning habitat –Eagle roost areas –Heron rookeries –Game fish –Mollusks

17 Inter-Areas Approach Spatial Areas Considered Emergent 200 Area groundwater plumes in near-shore aquatic areas –Tritium –Nitrate Areas in context of wide-ranging ecological receptors

18 Inter-Areas Approach Potential Contaminants Inorganics –Metals - Method SW-846 –Hexavalent Chromium – Method 7196A –Mercury – Methods 7470/7471 –Nitrate – Method 300.0

19 Inter-Areas Approach Potential Contaminants Radionuclides –GEA –Isotopic thorium –Isotopic uranium –Total radioactive strontium –Tritium

20 Inter-Areas Approach Potential Contaminants SVOCs –Method –WTPH-G, WTPH-D –Method 8270A PCBs and Pesticides –Methods 8081A and 8082

21 Inter-Areas Approach Selecting Assessment Endpoints –Extensive list near shore aquatic COPECs –Plants/invertebrates most directly linked to contaminants –Relative to plants, most COPECs have greater uptake potential in invertebrates –Screening level exposure analysis suggests that invertebrate-eating organisms at greatest risk

22 Riparian and Near-shore Aquatic Measures Include Exposure –Water, sediment, or soil concentrations –Tissue concentrations Effect –Adverse effect (no effect and lowest effect) levels in water or sediment and food –Tissue concentration-based effect levels –Field surveys Ecosystem/Receptor characteristics –Habitat types –Physical characteristics (grain size, pH, OM) Inter-Areas Approach

23 Substrate Class 2 (gravel/cobble) Pore water COPECs Clam tube Rock basket Fish tissue Measures Collected in Near-shore Aquatic Areas Substrate Class 1 (fines) Pore water COPECs Sediment COPECs

24 Data Assessment: Multiple Lines of Evidence Weight or strength of evidence approach Information from multiple measures, including: –Exposure –Effects –Ecosystem/receptor characteristics Lines of evidence for each assessment endpoint evaluated for internal consistency

25 Evaluation of Existing Data Sources

26 Example sources of existing data for Inter-Areas: Environmental surveillance reports (compiled in PNNL-SA-41467) 100-B/C Pilot data 2003/2004 data collected between the 100-B/C and 100-K Areas Columbia River Component database Evaluation of Existing Data

27 Example sources of existing information for Inter-Areas (continued): Historical radiological surveys EPA fish contaminant study Dept. of Health studies Biological Resource Management Plan (BRMaP) Evaluation of Existing Data

28 Initial Evaluation of Existing Data: Chemical and radiological data from PNNL-SA evaluated Compared relative concentrations between areas Compared relative concentrations between tissue types Summary focused on known shoreline contaminants (e.g., Cr, nitrate, Sr-90, tritium, uranium) Evaluation of Existing Data

29 Synopsis of PNNL-SA data: Focus on key shoreline contaminants in sediment, surface water, and biota –Chromium –Nitrate –Strontium-90 –Tritium –Uranium Discuss dates and media sampled What trends do these data show? Evaluation of Data Sources

30 Small sample numbers at some areas Water trends consistent with plumes Sediment (ug/kg) Chromium in sediment and water Water (ug/L) (Source PNNL-SA-41467)

31 Sediment (pCi/g) Strontium-90 in sediment and water Water (pCi/L) Consistently sampled at all areas No trend in sediment levels Water trends consistent with plumes (Source PNNL-SA-41467)

32 Riparian vegetation (pCi/g) Strontium-90 in vegetation Aquatic vegetation (pCi/g) Consistently sampled at most areas Three higher values in riparian vegetation (Source PNNL-SA-41467)

33 Sediment (pCi/g) Uranium-238 in sediment and water Water (pCi/L) Consistently sampled at all areas Generally higher in sediment and water at 300 Area (Source PNNL-SA-41467)

34 Riparian vegetation (pCi/g) Uranium-238 in vegetation Aquatic vegetation (pCi/g) Not consistently sampled at most areas Generally higher in 300 Area aquatic vegetation (Source PNNL-SA-41467)

35 Nitrate in seeps and river water (mg/L) Not consistently sampled at most areas Measured in water only (Source PNNL-SA-41467) MCL

36 Tritium in seeps and river water (pCi/L) Sampled at most areas Measured in water only (Source PNNL-SA-41467) Energy NW 300 MCL

37 Synopsis of Columbia River Component (CRC) data evaluation for Inter-Areas: Focus on key shoreline contaminants in sediment (core and grab samples) and surface water (composite and discrete samples) –Chromium –Strontium-90 –Uranium Data spanning from 1984 to 2005 Evaluation of Data Sources

38 Hanford reach concentrations are greater than upstream and downstream Sediment (mg/kg) Chromium in sediment and water Water (ug/L) (Source CRC Data Compilation)

39 Sediment (pCi/g) Strontium-90 in sediment and water Water (pCi/L) No trend in sediment levels Water concentrations are greater at the Hanford Site (Source CRC Data Compilation)

40 Sediment (mg/kg) Total Uranium in sediment and water Water (pCi/L) (Source CRC Data Compilation) Hanford reach concentrations are greater than upstream and downstream

41 Initial conclusions of data evaluation: Contaminant associations follow expected trends with source areas Radionuclides generally more commonly sampled than non- radionuclides Provide some information on expected levels in inter-areas Evaluation of Data Sources

42 Ecological Data Quality Objectives

43 Ecological Data Quality Objectives: Risk questions Assessment endpoints Measures for assessment endpoints Ecological study design Data Quality Objectives for Inter-Areas

44 Ecological Risk Questions Do COPECs in sediment/water affect survival/growth/reproduction of plants or benthic macro invertebrates? Do COPECs in soil, water, or food affect survival, growth, reproduction, or abundance of amphibians, aerial insectivores, or carnivorous receptors? Data Quality Objectives for Inter-Areas

45 Ecological Assessment Endpoints Plants Benthic macroinvertebrates Amphibians Aerial Insectivores Carnivorous fish, birds, mammals Data Quality Objectives for Inter-Areas

46 Trophic Organization Omnivores Birds Mammals Chemical (fungi, bacteria) Carcasses, plant debris, fecal material, etc. Decomposers NUTRIENTS Carnivores BirdsFishMammals Producers periphyton grasses, trees phytoplankton submerged, emergent and floating macrophytes Consumers Herbivores Scrapers, grazers Invertebrates Terrestrial Vertebrates Invertebrates (filter feeders anddetritivorouschewers and shredders) Reptiles Aquatic Vertebrates Fish Invertivores BirdsAmphibiansMammals Assessment Endpoints

47 Trophic organization Assessment Endpoints Omnivores Birds Mammals Chemical (fungi, bacteria) Carcasses, plant debris, fecal material, etc. Decomposers NUTRIENTS Carnivores Birds Fish Mammals Producers periphyton grasses, trees phytoplankton submerged, emergent and floating macrophytes Consumers Herbivores Scrapers, grazers Invertebrates Terrestrial Vertebrates Invertebrates (filter feeders anddetritivorouschewers and shredders) Reptiles Aquatic Vertebrates Fish Invertivores BirdsAmphibiansMammals Great Blue Heron Badger Garter Snake Chinook salmon, sculpin Mallard Woodhouse’s Toad Clam and Caddisfly Vascular Plants and Algae Inverts Carp Pocket Mouse Whitefish Biofilms Kingbird Bat Deer Mouse

48 Ecological Study Design Multi-Increment Riparian Soil Sampling Sediment Sampling Abiotic media collection/analysis –Riparian soil, sediment, surface water, pore water Biotic media collection/analysis –Plants, terrestrial macroinvertebrates, benthic macroinvertebrates, small mammals, kingbirds, clams, sculpin, amphibians Data Quality Objectives for Inter-Areas

49 Field Measures Exposure –Water, sediment, or riparian soil concentrations –Tissue concentrations Effect –Adverse effect (no effect and lowest effect) levels in water or sediment and food –Tissue concentration-based effect levels –Field surveys Ecosystem/Receptor characteristics –Habitat types –Physical characteristics (grain size, pH, OM)

50 Human Health Data Quality Objectives

51 Human Health Data Quality Objectives: Risk questions Human exposure scenarios Measures Human Health study design Data Quality Objectives for Inter-Areas

52 Human Health Risk Question Do exposure point concentrations result in unacceptable risk to human health for one or more of the relevant exposure scenarios? Data Quality Objectives for Inter-Areas

53 Human Exposure Scenarios National monument/refuge worker Recreational use –Casual, game hunter, avid angler Native American user Data Quality Objectives for Inter-Areas

54 Data Quality Objectives for Inter-Areas Human Health Conceptual Model

55 Human Health Measures Calculate exposure point concentrations and reasonable maximum exposure for chemicals and radionuclides Use site-specific abiotic and biotic data in exposure calculation, where possible Data Quality Objectives for Inter-Areas

56 Human Health Study Design Use existing and newly collected site-specific data for exposure and risk calculation –Site-wide monitoring data –Abiotic and biotic data collected in the Inter-Areas starting in Fall 2006 Data Quality Objectives for Inter-Areas

57 Human Health Measures Measures of Exposure –COPCs in abiotic and biotic media Measures of Effect –Cancer risk –Radiation dose –Non-cancer effects Human behavioral characteristics –Cultural and lifestyle variability Data Quality Objectives for Inter-Areas

58 Proposed Sample Locations

59 Proposed Sample Locations Site selection criteria based on Existing data –Groundwater plumes –Biomonitoring data

60 Proposed Sample Locations Site selection criteria based on Other sensitive habitats –proximity to mapped salmon redds –steelhead redds –heron rookeries, –eagle nesting attempts, eagle roosting, –rare plants, –sloughs (e.g., amphibians)

61 Proposed Sample Locations Use same reference sites as 100/300 Area RCBRA Set of locations downstream of Priest Rapids Dam and upstream of 100-B/C (approximately 7 miles) Upstream of 300 Area

62 Inter-Area Receptors and Habitats

63 Great Egrets

64 Great Egret

65 American White Pelicans

66 American White Pelicans

67 Western Kingbird

68 Heron Rookery

69 Heron

70 Mule Deer

71 Pallid bats, F-Reactor (K. Gano)

72 Riparian/Aquatic Invertebrates

73 Upstream Reference Slough East of Priest Rapids Dam

74 Vernita to 100-B/C

75 “The Horn” of the Hanford Reach 100-D Area to 100-H Area

F Area Slough

77 Recent and Historic Inter-Area Bald Eagle and Heron Roosting Sites

K Area Bald Eagle Roost

79 Bald Eagle Nesting Attempt Area

80 White Bluffs Boat Launch Bald Eagle Roosting Site

81 Special Status Plant Occurrences

82 Overview of BRMaP Resources

83 Rare Plant Habitat

84 Ferruginous Hawk and Bald Eagle

85 Steelhead Redd Areas

86 Fall Chinook Salmon Redds

87 Inter-Area investigation segments

88 Characteristics of Inter- Area Segments

89 Sampling and Analysis Plan Addendum Additional discussion on sampling locations and measures