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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Waste oil basins: Environmental information document

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:6031618

The Motor Shop Oil Basin, located in A Area at the Savannah River Plant (SRP), was constructed and placed in service in 1977 to receive liquid waste from the 716-A Motor Shop oil/water separator. The liquid wastes seeped naturally into the soil beneath the basin. In August 1983, all discharges to the oil basin were terminated. The D-Area Oil Basin is located near the major coal-fired power production facility at SRP. The basin was constructed in 1952 and began receiving waste oil products from D Area that may have contained hydrogen sulfide, chlorinated organics, and other chemicals. In 1975 the basin became inactive. Results from groundwater quality analyses indicate elevated levels of total organic halogens, which are attributed to chlorinated hydrocarbon contamination sources from nearby M Area. No soil cores from the D-Area Oil Basin have been collected or analyzed. Four groundwater monitoring wells have been installed at the basin and sampled quarterly starting in 1984. Slightly elevated levels of total organic halogens were detected in one of the wells. The closure options considered for the Waste Oil Basins are waste removal and closure, no waste removal and closure, and no action. 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 from the D-Area Oil Basin indicates that the relative risks to human health and ecosystems for the postulated closure options are low. The maximum carcinogenic risk in all three groundwater pathways is from exposure to tetrachloroethylene (4.0E-08 HE/lifetime) for all closure options. The cost estimates show the waste removal and closure option to be the most expensive. 34 refs., 25 figs., 31 tabs.

Research Organization:
Savannah River Lab., Aiken, SC (USA)
DOE Contract Number:
AC09-76SR00001
OSTI ID:
6031618
Report Number(s):
DPST-85-701; ON: DE88000760
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English