• Military

• WMD Menu                           

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

LOS ALAMOS NATIONAL LABORATORY

KEY FACILITIES

Waste Treatment and Disposal Sites and Facilities

The High Explosives Wastewater Treatment Facility (HEWTF) is located at TA-16, near the Laboratory's southwest boundary. The treatment facility handles effluent from high explosives processing operations and from laboratories that conduct explosives research.

The Wastewater Treatment Plant, which includes the Sanitary Wastewater Consolidation System located at the east end, is located at TA-46.

The Radioactive Liquid Waste Treatment Facility (RLWTF) is located at TA-50. The RLWTF characterizes, treats, and disposes of radioactive liquid waste by chemical adjustment of pH, neutralization, chemical assisted flocculation and floc removal, collection and dewatering of sludge solids, solidification of sludge solids in concrete, sedimentation and filtration, ion exchange, and addition of water treatment chemicals. Building 1, (TA-50-1), contains two radioactive liquid waste treatment facilities, decontamination facilities, counting laboratories, analytical laboratories, and office operations. The Transuranic Waste Size Reduction Facility contains uranium and plutonium contaminated material.In the fall of 2003, the RLWTF began accepting and processing high-level waste on a limited basis following concerns about infrastructure and worker safety. In February 2007 LANL completed the infrastructure improvements to the high-level RLWTF waste tanks and collection system to address the earlier concerns. The plant upgrade helps prepare the RLWTF to once again accept high-level radioactive liquid waste from the Plutonium Processing Facility at TA-55. A replacement plant for the RLWTF is scheduled to be complete by 2012, with construction commencing as early as 2008.

TA-54, comprising Area G and Area L, opened for waste operations in 1957. TA-54 also houses the Material Recycling Facility.

Area G, a 63-acre site located at the east end of TA-54, is the Low-Level Radioactive Solid Waste Storage and Disposal Facility. Area G is categorized as a Hazard Category 2 nuclear facility, including Building 38, the Radioassay and Nondestructive Testing Facility, in Area G West. Area G West (also called TA-54 West) is the site of the Radioassay and Nondestructive Testing (RANT) Facility (Building 38). The functions of the RANT Facility (formerly known as the Nondestructive Assay/Nondestructive Examination Facility) are to determine the characteristics of packaged waste, which involves detecting liquids, void spaces, and fissionable materials. RANT also serves as the loading station for shipments of TRU.

Area L, an area of 2.65 acres, is the primary location for packaging, transporting, storing, treating, and/or disposing of chemical, hazardous, and liquid low-level mixed waste generated at LANL. Other activities are handling of polychlorinated biphenyl waste from laboratory operations, treatment of some chemical wastes, and the handling and staging area for all wastes except from explosives waste streams and gas cylinders. TA-54's activities include drum storage, waste shaft areas, and pit disposal of a variety of radioactive, chemical, hazardous, and low- level mixed waste materials.

LANL also has Consolidated Remote Waste Storage Sites.