EA-425; (FONSI) and Environmental Assessment High Explosive Machining Facility Project 88-D-125 Pantex Plant Amarillo, Texas
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT HIGH EXPLOSIVE MACHINING FACILITY PANTEX PLANT
2.0 Description of Proposed Action
3.0 Location of Proposed Action
4.0 Alternatives to Proposed Action
5.0 Environmental Impacts of Project
OPERATIONS AND INSPECTIONS STANDARD PANTEX PLANT
List of Figures
Figure 1. Location Map PANTEX PLANT High Explosive Machining Facility
Figure 2. Vicinity Map PANTEX PLANT High Explosive Machining Facility
Figure 4. High Explosive Machining Facility
Figure 5. WASTE STREAMS PANTEX PLANT High Explosive Machining Facility
(FONSI) and ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT HIGH EXPLOSIVE MACHINING FACILITY Project 88-D-125 PANTEX PLANT AMARILLO, TEXAS
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT
HIGH EXPLOSIVE MACHINING FACILITY
PANTEX PLANT
Agency: Department of Energy
Action: Finding of No Significant Impact
Summary: The Department of Energy (DOE) proposes to construct a
modern high explosive production machining facility which
conforms to DOE Explosives Safety Manual (DOE/EV/06194-4), and to
demolish the existing 37 year old facilities. As described in
the environmental assessment (DOE/EA-425), the proposed action
will have no effect on historical or culturally significant sites
or critical, unique and unusual habitat related to any threatened
or endangered species of plant or animals. While there may be a
brief increase in airborne particulates (dust) during site
preparation, the increase will be temporary and local and will
not affect the overall air quality of the region. Operation of
the new facility will result in a slight decrease (8 percent) in
the total amounts of production machining waste burned at the
Pantex site under a permit issued by the Texas Air Control Board.
This reduction in the amount of waste to be burned may result in
a slight improvement to air quality. Wastewater generated during
2
operation of the new facility will be recycled through a closed
system and no longer discharged to the storm drainage system.
DOE has determined that the proposed action is not a major
Federal action significantly affecting the quality of the human
environment, within the meaning of the National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, and that an environmental impact
statement is not required. Therefore, the Department is issuing
this Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI).
For further project information or a copy of the EA, contact:
Jay G. McDonald, Captain, USN, Director, Office of Weapons Safety
and Operations, Office of Military Application. Defense Programs,
U.S. Department of Energy, Germantown, MD 2O545, Telephone (3O1)
353-5277; or William J. Tierney, III, HEMF Program Manager,
Office of Planning and Project Management, Office of Military
Application, Defense Programs. Telephone (301) 353-2771.
For further information about the NEPA process, contact:
Carol M. Borgstrom, Director, Office of NEPA Project Assistance,
Office of Environment, Safety and Health, U.S. Department of
Energy, Washington D.C. 20585, Telephone (202)
586-46OO.
Proposed Action: The proposed action involves the design,
construction and operation of a replacement high explosive
machining facility (HEMF), a 55,700 square foot reinforced
3
concrete building, meeting DOE Explosives Safety Manual
standards, divided into a High Explosive area, an Insensitive
High Explosive area and a Production Support Area, and the
decontamination and demolition of the existing facilities, both
within Zone 12 of the Pantex Plant, Carson County, Texas. The
HEMF will comply with all relevant health, safety, and
environmental criteria and regulations.
Supplementary Information: The Pantex Plant manufactures high
explosives and high explosive components for nuclear weapons, and
assembles nuclear devices. The proposed facility, a replacement
of an existing facility, will produce main charge explosive
components, taking rough pressed pieces and by various machining
operations creating requisite final configurations. The new HEMF
is consistent with Option 2, Replacement of High Explosive
Activity Buildings, of the Pantex Site EIS (DOE/EIS-0098, October
1983), its Record of Decision (October 29, 1984), and the
subsequent Pantex Plant Site Development Plan (April, 1985).
Zone 12 has experienced significant prior construction and
production development. It houses the nuclear and high explosive
production facilities and is surrounded by a multi-layer security
and access control barrier system. The proposed facility will
conform fully to DOE Explosive Safety Manual (DOE/EV/06194-4).
The existing facility failed to conform to the 670 foot exclusion
area requirement and a provision which required that an explosion
in one bay not cause personnel in adjacent bays to be exposed to
4
translated objects from within the bay, e.g. light fixtures
falling from the ceiling. On March 30, 1987, the Assistant
Secretary for Environment, Safety and Health issued an exemption
to these requirements effective until April 1, 1992, or until a
new high explosive machining facility became operational. No new
production processes or technology are projected for inclusion in
the proposed HEMF.
Environmental Impacts: Threatened or endangered species or their
critical habitat, historical and cultural resources, wetlands,
floodplains and other sensitive environmental resources will not
be affected by the proposed project. The existing high explosive
production machining wastewater stream will be eliminated by
recirculating the water through a closed wastewater treatment
system. The amount of production machining waste, contaminated
filtrate and filter media to be burned will be reduced by eight
percent, reducing the amount of hydrogen fluoride released into
the air. Some temporary fugitive particulate matter (dust) will
be generated during construction and demolition. The new
replacement HEMF will provide a safer facility for production
machining operations. There would be no radiation associated
with the HEMF. While the probability of a detonation in the
Class I (high explosives) machining area is high (102). The
consequences would be low or inconsequential since the machining
is done remotely and would be confined to the bay being used.
Consequences of a detonation in the Class II activity area
5
(quality assurance/quality control) would be confined to the bay.
However, because workers are present, injuries or death could
result. The probability of an accidental detonation occurring in
the Class II area is 1O^-2 to 1O^-4. Workers are also present in
the Class IV area (Insensitive High Explosives - IHE) and would
be subject to injury or death should a detonation occur. The
probability of an accidental IHE detonation is very unlikely
(i.e., <1O^-6), but should one occur the products of such an
occurrence would be confined to the bay being used. It should be
noted that there have been no injuries or deaths from QA/QC or
IHE operations due to accidental detonation.
Alternatives Considered: Four alternatives to the proposed
action were considered: 1. No Action; 2. Up-grade the Existing
Facility; 3. In-situ Replacement; and 4. Relocation to Another
Site. The first was rejected because it does not satisfy the
exemption criteria (see section 1.0 of the EA) and does not
eliminate the process wastewater stream. The second and third
were rejected because, while the costs and environmental impacts
are approximately the same as the preferred alternative, the out-
of-service period is unacceptable. The fourth was rejected
because of the extended implementation period, the cost of
providing the other required HE/IHE facilities at the other
location, the increased operating cost, the negative impact on
production efficiency, and the safety and environmental
6
implications of transporting components between production sites.
Determination: Based on the information contained in the
Environmental Assessment, DOE determines the construction and
operation of the High Explosive Machining Facility and
decontaminating and demolishing the existing facility will not
significantly affect the quality of the human environment within
the meaning of the National Environmental Policy Act, 42 U.S.C
4321 et seq. Therefore, an environmental impact statement is not
required.
Issued in Washington, D.C., on this ___________day of January,
199O.
Raymond P. Berube
Acting Assistant Secretary
Environment, Safety and Health
HIGH EXPLOSIVE MACHINING FACILITY
Project 88-D-125
PANTEX PLANT
AMARILLO, TEXAS
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT
DOE/EA - 0425
JANUARY 1989
Prepared by
DP-25
Office of Planning and Project Management
Office of Military Application
Defense programs
U.S. Department of Energy
1.0 Need for Action
On March 30, 1987, an exemption from the DOE Explosives Safety Manual (DOE/EV/06194.4) to continue machining operations involving explosive materials in Building 12-24N at Pantex Plant was issued by the Assistant Secretary of Environment, Safety and Health, "effective until April 1, 1992 or until such time as the proposed High Explosive Machining Facility is capable of accepting the machining operations from Building 12-24N, whichever comes first". The exemption also enjoined Defense Programs to take "all necessary steps...to achieve the timely funding, construction, and operational readiness of the new machining facility." The sitewide impacts of operations and construction at Pantex Plant were analyzed and documented in the Pantex Plant Site Environmental Impact Statement (DOE/EIS-0098), October 1983. The Record of Decision (ROD), issued October 1984, documented DOE's decision to construct 11 new projects and to continue operations in other facilities (Option 1 of the Pantex Plant Alternatives), and to upgrade the nuclear weapons operations area and the high-explosives development area (Option 2). Under Option 2, the ROD indicated that many of the existing facilities would be replaced by new construction. The subject environmental assessment (EA) documents the environmental consequences of the proposed replacement of the existing machining facility. A Site Development Plan, issued April, 1985, defined the locations within Zone 12 for these replacement facilities.
2.0 Description of Proposed Action
This project provides for the design, construction and operation of a modern
explosives machining production facility at Pantex Plant and the demolition of
the current machining facilities. The technical objectives are to:
o comply with all applicable environmental, safety and health
safeguards, standards, policies and regulations, as, for example,
in the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the Toxic Substances
Control Act, DOE Orders 5480.5 and 6430.1A, and the DOE Explosives
Safety Manual (DOE/EV/06194-4);
o minimize the use of hazardous substances banned from land disposal
under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA);
o assure continued and uninterrupted production capability in the
event of manufacturing, seismic and/or natural phenomena
incidents;
o reduce personnel risks in accordance with DOE health and safety
regulations; and,
o provide equipment and control systems that improve personnel
safety, material accountability, product quality and production
efficiency
2
The proposed facility at the Pantex Plant is located in Zone 12 in accordance
with the Pantex Plant EIS and Site Development Plan. (Figures 1 - 4) It will
be of reinforced concrete construction, with approximately 55,700 gross square
feet of floor area, designed and constructed in accordance with DOE/EV/06194-
4. The new facility will house separate areas for High Explosive (HE) and
Insensitive High Explosive (IHE) operations, and a Production Support area.
There will also be a connecting ramp to the remainder of the Zone 12
production complex. The facility will be sited on clear land in the developed
portion of the plant where the supporting infrastructure (roads, security, and
requisite utilities) presently exist.
The HE area will provide space for: six Class I HE activity bays (3 lathe, 2
milling, and 1 special machining); six Class II HE activity bays (3 quality
inspection, 2 HE staging, and 1 wastewater treatment); and a central corridor.
Explosive limits per bay will be 130 and 390 pounds of TNT equivalent
explosive materials, respectively, for Class I and Class II bays, per the DOE
Explosives Safety Manual.
The IHE operating area will consist of: a bay housing six machines; a quality
inspection room for programmatic and open set-up gauging operations; a density
room for dye density operations; and a staging room for in-process IHE pieces.
The IHE area is designed for Class IV activity, with a limit of 3000 pounds of
TNT equivalent explosives.
The Production Support area will provide space for quality and tool storage,
transportation container storage, a master control room, offices, break room,
janitor's closets, mechanical/electrical equipment rooms, and corridors.
The facility will be equipped with temperature and humidity systems and
controls, compressed air, vacuum, process wastewater/treatment, and domestic
water and sanitary sewer systems. Electrical systems will include utility
service, lighting, secondary and emergency power distribution, lightning
protection, static and equipment grounding systems. Electronic systems will
include fire detection and alarm, public address, closed circuit audio/video
monitoring and recording, local and remote machine controls with interlocks,
safety system interfaces, security alarm, automated energy management, service
and secure telephone communications, maintenance communications, data
processing, door interlocks, and secured and unsecured Pantex Local Area
Network (LAN) systems. Automatic sprinklers will be provided, deluge at the
machine tools and wet-pipe in the other areas.
Site work will consist of demolition, site grading and drainage, temporary
construction fencing, permanent exclusion fencing, paving, high pressure water
distribution, domestic water and sanitary sewer service, primary and secondary
electrical service, transformers and an emergency generator. The plant-wide
systems (fire alarm, security alarm, public address, telephone, protected
distribution, automated energy management and Pantex LAN) will be upgraded and
extended to the new structure.
Demolition of the existing facilities will include HE decontamination of
equipment and structure, asbestos abatement, removal of site structures,
3
utilities and buildings (including the open trench and wastewater treatment
facilities), and surface restoration.
3.0 Location of Proposed Action
The Pantex Plant consists of approximately 9,100 acres, located in Carson County, Texas, the northern part of the Texas Panhandle. (Figure 1) The adjacent area is entirely agricultural, with extremely low population density (3 persons per square mile) and limited public visibility. The Plant is approximately 17 miles northeast of the City of Amarillo and 9 miles east of the City of Panhandle. (Figure 2) The region is classified as "semi-arid", its continental climate characterized by hot summers, relatively cold winters, with average annual precipitation of 20 inches. The region is classified as "windy" (wind speeds of >7mph more than >95 percent of the year). The prevailing winds are from the south and southwest. The area is subject to thunderstorms throughout the year, with associated hail and the potential for tornados in the spring. There are occasional snow storms in the winter. The Pantex Plant site (Figure 3) is principally level, with few elevation variations. The dominant soils are of the Pullman and Randall series and are underlaid by sedimentary Permian, Triassic, Tertiary and Quaternary formations. There are no natural rivers or streams. Three natural "playa" lakes act as surface runoff reservoirs. The shallowest significant water- bearing stratum (Ogallala Formation of the Tertiary System) is approximately 400 feet below grade. The area is Uniform Building Code Seismic Risk Zone I, where some damage may occur as a result of distant earthquakes. This portion of the High Plains plateau, in the transition zone between the North Central Plains and the Llano Estacado (staked plains), is essentially treeless. The Pantex Plant site is characterized as "mixed prairie," on which indigenous native vegetation consists of climax stands of bluestem, wildrye, and bunchgrasses, primarily buffalo and blue grama. The HEMF site is located within Zone 12. The entirety of Zone 12 is categorized as "previously disturbed by human activity" from other past developmental actions and does not contain any unique or unusual natural habitat. Zone 12 is surrounded by a multi-layer physical barrier and access control system, which precludes use of the area by most wildlife.
4.0 Alternatives to Proposed Action
1. No Action: The existing facility, constructed in 1952 and incapable of
meeting current DOE explosives and tornado/natural phenomena protection
criteria without extensive modification, would have to be relied upon for the
foreseeable future, assuming that a) the exemption would be extended, and b)
no seismic or meteorological incident involving damage to the structure should
occur.
2. Up-grade of the Existing Facility: This alternative would retain a
portion of the existing structure and replace the remainder with structurally
4
and criteria compliant sections. It would also involve extensive mechanical
and electrical system upgrades throughout the entire building. It does not
conform to the Pantex Plant Site Development Plan location for replacement
high explosive activity facilities and would require the cessation of
production operations for a minimum of one year. The capital cost of this
alternative is estimated to be >80 percent of the proposed action cost.
3. In-situ Replacement of the Existing Facility: This alternative would
demolish the existing facility and construct a new, compliant facility, the
specifications corresponding to those of the proposed action, on the same
building site. It does not conform to the Site Development Plan and would
interrupt production operations for a minimum of 30 months. The capital cost
of this alternative is estimated to equal the cost of the proposed action.
4. Transfer Production Machining Operations to Another Site: This
alternative would establish the requisite capability at another Nuclear
Weapons Complex site (production plant or laboratory). It would require the
construction of additional infrastructure (e.g. synthesis and formulation
facilities) at the other site. Due to the limited shelf life of HE and IHE
pieces and the inherent transportation difficulties, such spacial separation
of production machining and weapon assembly operations would significantly
impact production efficiency and component rejection rates. Capital and
operating costs and the implementation period for this alternative are
estimated to substantively exceed those of the proposed action.
5.0 Environmental Impacts of Project
The specific environmental effects of the proposed action are as follows. The
disposition of waste streams from the HEMF during construction and operation
are shown in Figure 5:
1. Archeology - Of the 42 prehistoric and 3 historical or cultural
resources known to exist on the Pantex Plant property, none are within the
Zone 12 building site of the HEMF.
2. Floodplain/Wetlands - The project site is not located in a floodplain or
wetland.
3. Threatened and Endangered Species and Critical Habitats - The building
site does not contain any unique, unusual or critical habitats for known
threatened or endangered species, nor does it adversely restrict known or
established migratory corridors used by wildlife.
4. Surrounding Land Use - The building site is centrally located within
Zone 12, which is surrounded by a buffer zone. Agricultural (livestock
grazing, dry and irrigated cultivation) and transportation (highway and rail)
uses predominate in the buffer zone and around the Pantex Plant. The
population density of the area adjacent to and surrounding the Pantex Plant is
approximately 3 persons per square mile. Farms/ranches average 1280 acres in
size. The nearest development is the Texas Tech University Agriculture
Research Station, one mile south. The nearest sensitive activity is the
Highland Park School, approximately 4.5 miles to the southwest.
5
5. Construction - During the construction phase, some airborne particulate
matter (dirt) will be generated during scarifying and earth moving operations
at the building site and the borrow pit. Gravel and watering will be employed
to mitigate the impact. The impacts will be the same or less than those
experienced on and in the vicinity of cultivated fields in the local area
during cultivation periods and during wind/dust storms. When building
construction is complete, the site will be cleaned, graded and compacted to
eliminate wind and water erosion. Final grading will direct surface runoff
into the existing storm water drainage system. General construction waste
will be sent to the on-site landfill. The construction work force, to be
drawn from the existing regional pool, will have no measurable impact on land
use, housing and social services.
6. Facility Operations - The machining of explosive pieces is integral to
weapon production at Pantex. In the HEMF, pressed rough shapes of HE, IHE and
mock HE are turned, milled, ground, and drilled into their final
configuration. Appropriate QA/QC, subassembly, and packaging are performed.
These operations are remotely monitored from the Master Control Room. Process
and equipment cleaning wastewater is collected, filtered and recycled.
Filtrate and used filter media are disposed of by burning at the Pantex Plant
Burning Ground.
Operational Hazards, Impacts and Controls:
Detonation: Any chemical high explosive operations carry a potential for (and
an implied risk of) accidental detonation. The HEMF design and operative
Pantex Plant procedures and worker training reduce the probability of such an
incident and confine the damage from an incident to the immediate vicinity,
i.e. within a bay. The HEMF Preliminary Safety Analysis Report (issued March
1989), per DOE Order 5481.1B, establishes detonation event probabilities of
Class I operations (HE machining) as Likely Pe>10^-2 ; Class II operations
(QA/QC activities) as Unlikely Pe = a 10^-2 to l0^-4; and, Class IV operations
(insensitive high explosive activities) as High Unlikely Pe< 10^-6 . Machining
(Class I) is done remotely. While the probability of an accidental detonation
is relatively high (10^-2), the consequences would be low or inconsequential.
No workers are present and the bays are designed to contain the products of a
detonation. QA/QC activities (Class II) are hands on operations. Should an
accidental detonation occur, any workers within the bay would be subject to
injury or death. However, consequences would be confined to the bay in which
the activity was being performed because of wall, ceiling, and floor thickness
(48 inches). Insensitive high explosive activity (Class IV) also is a hands-
on activity. While a detonation is extremely unlikely because of the material
composition, should one occur any workers within the bay being used in the IHE
area would be subject to injury or death. No consequence beyond that bay
would be expected since any products would be confined to the bay. It should
be noted that there have been no injuries or deaths from QA/QC or IHE
operations due to accidental detonation.
The new facility's safety features include partially vented bays with blast
doors, spall shielding, exclusion barriers, door interlocks, liquid cool ants
to control thermal effects of machining operations, impact absorbing floor
6
coverings, fire suppressant systems to preclude thermally-initiated
detonation, appropriately rated electrical power, static and equipment
grounding and lightning protection systems, and remote machine control and
shut-down capabilities. Procedural controls and administrative limitations,
such as maximum amounts of explosive materials and number of personnel in a
bay during machining operations, will be in accordance with the DOE Explosives
Safety Manual (DOE/EV/06194-4] and all operations will be conducted under
approved Pantex Operating and Inspection Standards.
Toxics and Carcinogens: The form of mock HE in current usage contains toxic
and possible carcinogenic materials, e.g. barium nitrate. In the event that
such materials are still in service in 1992, portable dust collection/
filtration equipment and respirators will be employed and the collected
material (less than one metric ton per annum) packaged and shipped to a
permitted disposal site, such as the City of Amarillo's.
Wastewater: Process wastewater will contain particulate and dissolved HE,
which will be treated, filtered to a maximum residual of 3ppm at 5 microns,
and recirculated. There will be no process wastewater from the new facility.
Uncontaminated IHE material will be collected and reprocessed. The current
contamination limit for process wastewater for the existing facility is 300
ppm (the actual measured performance of the existing filtration system is an
average residual of less than 5 ppm - CY1988 data) and the process wastewater
is discharged into the storm drainage system in accordance with Texas Water
Commission Permit Number 02296. Domestic wastewater from the new facility
will continue to be discharged into the sanitary sewer system in accordance
with that permit.
In FY1989, the amount of filtrate and used filter media from the existing HE
machining operations, at the current workload, was approximately 12,000
pounds. Estimates of machining "waste" from the proposed HEMF during the
period FY1993 to FY1996 average 11,000 pounds per annum, based upon the
projected work-load. This would represent an eight percent reduction in the
amount of waste generated.
Air Emissions: HE and IHE contaminated materials, filtrate and used filter
media are packaged, transported to and burned with waste materials from other
plant operations at the Pantex Plant Burning Ground (see Figure 3), in
accordance with a permit for open air burning granted by the Texas Air Control
Board (TACB). The permit establishes air quality standards at the plant
boundary. Pantex Plant Operations and Inspection Standard Number 7-5660,
"Handling, Transportation and Thermal Treatment of HE Contaminated Material at
the Burning Grounds," [Exhibit 1] defines the quantities of explosive
materials from all plant operations which may be burned in a three hour
period, the meteorological conditions under which the thermal destruction of
such materials may take place, and the monitoring procedures to assure
compliance with the agreed TACB standards, with emphasis on limiting the
formation of compounds such as hydrogen fluoride (HF). As explained in the
Pantex EIS, HF is highly toxic to vegetation and could potentially cause
limited damage to plants adjacent to burning operations under worst case
meteorological conditions. There is no current 40 C.F.R. Part 60 standard for
HF emissions from incineration. TACB has established a State standard
7
threshold of .006ppm (3 hour). All burning activities at Pantex are conducted
pursuant to the TACB permit and this standard.
In FY1989, the estimated total quantity of all types of HE and IHE
contaminated material burned from all sources at Pantex was approximately 100
metric tons. Of that total, less than six metric tons, approximately 12,000
pounds, were from high explosive production machining operations, as follows:
Type of HE Percent of Total Weight In Pounds Percent Fluorine
PBX9501 62 7,500 0.0
PBX95O2 31 3,600 2.0
LXl7 7 900 3.8
Per the Pantex Plant Operations and Inspection Standard Number 7-5660
identified in Exhibit 1, this total annual "waste" product of the production
machining operations can be burned in only 36 hours.
Estimated quantity of HE and IHE contaminated materials from the proposed HEMF
to be burned annually between FYl993 and FY1996, will be approximately 11,000
pounds. The types and quantities, based on the planned workload, will be:
Type of HE Percent of Total Weight in Pounds Percent Fluorine
0.0
PBX9501 61 6,700 2.0
PBX9502 26 2,900 3.8
LXl7 13 1,400
Per the Pantex Plant Operations and Inspection Standard Number 7-5660, the
total annual "waste" product of the HEMF can be burned in only 30 hours of
burning ground operation without significant environmental impact. This would
represent a 17 percent reduction in the time required to burn the waste
product.
7. Demolition of Existing Facilities - Prior to the initiation of general
facility demolition, HE decontamination of machinery and utility systems will
be performed. Residues, anticipated to be less than 500 pounds, will be
burned and other materials (piping, ductwork, wiring, etc.) will be sent to a
permitted landfill. Similarly, asbestos containing materials (both chrysotile
and amosite types) will be removed by methods compliant with EPA and OSHA
regulations and disposed of at a permitted landfill, such as the one operated
by the City of Amarillo, before general demolition commences. Estimated
quantities of asbestos containing materials to be disposed are: machine, tank
and duct insulation - 160 square feet; floor curb plaster - 6,000 linear feet;
cement-asbestos board - 60,000 square feet; and, pipe Insulation - 11,000
linear feet. The remainder of facility demolition will be accomplished by
standard methods in compliance with applicable codes and regulations. The
general demolition waste will be deposited in the on-site landfill.
6.0 Summary
Except for minor and normal temporary conditions during construction and
demolition, this replacement facility positively impacts the environment. It
8
provides a safer, compliant structure for production machining operations than
the current structure. It eliminates the existing contaminated production
wastewater stream and a building with asbestos bearing materials. It
marginally reduces the machining contribution to air emissions, and it reduces
the risk to the environment and to personnel in the event of an unscheduled
thermal, explosive, or meteorological incident.
Figure (Page 2)
Figure 1. Location Map PANTEX PLANT High Explosive Machining Facility
Figure (Page 3)
Figure 2. Vicinity Map PANTEX PLANT High Explosive Machining Facility
Figure (Page 4)
Figure 3. PANTEX PLANT MAP
Figure (Page X)
Figure 4. High Explosive Machining Facility
Figure (Page 16)
Figure 5. WASTE STREAMS PANTEX PLANT High Explosive Machining Facility
OPERATIONS AND INSPECTIONS STANDARD PANTEX PLANT
Index No. 7-5660
Page No. 10
Issue BA
Date August 25, 1989
2. DESTRUCTION OF EXPLOSIVES BY BURNING:
CAUTIONS: 1. Following is a table of maximum permissible
quantities of certain PBX's that may be burned
in a three-hour period when the wind is from
the designated direction. This requirement
may be found in the regulations of the Texas
Air Control Board.
Wind Direction
90 to 135 135 270
and to to
PBX 0 to 90 225 to 270 225 360
LX04 556 lbs. 120 lbs. 70 lbs. 968 lbs.
LX07 834 lbs. 180 lbs. 105 lbs. 1453 lbs.
LX10 1670 lbs. 360 lbs. 210 lbs. 2906 lbs.
LX17 1622 lbs. 350 lbs. 204 lbs. 2824 lbs.
PBX 9502 2434 lbs. 524 lbs. 306 lbs. 4236 lbs.
Direction from - north is 0 or 360, east is 90, etc.
2. Record wind speed on PX-661 at time of
burning. Obtain a wind apeed reading from
FS-1 or Guard Headquarters. Burning is
restricted to wind speed between 5 and 50 mph.
3. When several pads are burned, the downwind pad
shall be ignited first, followed by the others
in succession to the upwind pad.
4. Adjacent burning pads in the east-west rows
must not be used concurrently.
2.1 The explosive limit for each pad/tray is as follows:
2.1.1 680 kilograms (1500 pounds) of PBX or TNT-type high
explosives
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