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| Title: | Environmental Monitoring | Publication date: | 9/13/2021 | Effective date: | 2/19/2013 |
BRIEFPolicy SummaryLawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) monitors Laboratory activities with potential to adversely impact public health or environmental quality. Berkeley Lab's environmental monitoring program consists of four major activities: - Effluent Monitoring: The collection and analysis of samples, or measurements of liquid and gaseous effluents, for the purpose of characterizing and quantifying contaminants, assessing radiation exposures to members of the public, providing a means to control effluents at or near the point of discharge, and demonstrating compliance with applicable standards and permit requirements.
- Environmental Surveillance: The collection and analysis of samples, or direct measurements, of air, water, soil, vegetation, and other media from the Berkeley Lab site and its environs for the purpose of determining compliance with applicable standards and permit requirements, assessing radiation exposures to members of the public, and assessing the effects, if any, on the local environment
- Meteorological Monitoring: The collection of representative meteorological data to characterize atmospheric transport and diffusion conditions in the vicinity of Berkeley Lab, and to represent conditions that are important to environmental surveillance activities, such as air quality monitoring and exposure assessments
- Preoperational Monitoring: An environmental study conducted prior to the start-up of a new facility, or a process for the purpose of establishing a baseline for environmental conditions
Who Should Read This PolicyAll Berkeley Lab employees, visitors, affiliates, and subcontractors who measure potentially harmful environmental discharges or emissions and report the information to the Department of Energy (DOE) or external regulatory agencies To Read the Full Policy, Go To:The POLICY tab on this wiki page To Read the EHS Program Details, Go To:ES&H Manual Chapter 62 Environmental Protection Group Manager, Environmental Releases Program Manager
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| Title: | Environmental Monitoring | Publication date: | 9/13/2021 | Effective date: | 2/19/2013 |
POLICYA. PurposeLawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) monitors Laboratory activities that have potential to adversely impact public health or environmental quality. Berkeley Lab's environmental monitoring program consists of four major activities: - Effluent monitoring. The collection and analysis of samples or the measurement of liquid and gaseous effluents in order to characterize and quantify contaminants, assess radiation exposures to members of the public, provide a means to control effluents at or near the point of discharge, and demonstrate compliance with applicable standards and permit requirements.
- Environmental surveillance. The collection and analysis of samples or direct measurements of air, water, soil, vegetation, and other media from the Berkeley Lab site and its environs in order to determine compliance with applicable standards and permit requirements, assess radiation exposures to members of the public, and assess the effects, if any, on the local environment.
- Meteorological monitoring. The collection of representative meteorological data to characterize atmospheric transport and diffusion conditions in the vicinity of Berkeley Lab, and to report conditions important to environmental surveillance activities such as air quality monitoring and exposure assessments.
- Preoperational monitoring. An environmental study conducted prior to the start-up of a new facility, or a process to establish a baseline for environmental conditions.
B. Persons AffectedAll Berkeley Lab employees, visitors, affiliates, and subcontractors who measure potentially harmful environmental discharges or emissions and report the information to the Department of Energy (DOE) or external regulatory agencies C. ExceptionsNone D. Policy Statement- Berkeley Lab's Environmental Monitoring Program helps ensure that Laboratory activities are conducted in a manner that protects public health and maintains environmental quality.
- The Environmental Services Group prepares, implements, and maintains the Environmental Monitoring Plan and performs the environmental monitoring activities.
- Information about environmental monitoring activities is reported annually in the Berkeley Lab Site Environmental Reports.
- Meteorological monitoring data is collected every 15 minutes from a 20-meter weather tower located on-site. The tower measures wind speed and direction, temperature, dew point, barometric pressure, solar radiation, and precipitation.
E. Roles and ResponsibilitiesRole | Responsibility | Principal Investigators and Supervisors | - Ensure that environmental laws, regulations, and policies are followed.
- Request technical advice from the Environmental Services Group on environmental requirements and an appropriate compliance strategy.
- Provide employee training in operational requirements pertaining to environmental protection, and maintain records of such training.
- Ensure that activities are performed within acceptable operating standards and that required records are current.
- Notify the Environment, Health and Safety and (EHS) Division immediately of unplanned accidental releases
| Employees | - Follow applicable environmental laws, regulations, and policies.
- Must be fully aware of the environmental impact of their activities, and comply with all requirements that govern those activities.
- Adhere to all environmental requirements contained in Berkeley Lab air permits for their facility.
- Perform activities within acceptable operating standards, and maintain current records whenever required.
- Ensure that exposures of the public and the environment to radioactive emissions are kept as low as is reasonably achievable.
- Participate in programs for energy conservation, recycling, pollution prevention, and waste minimization.
- Take immediate action to stop unplanned releases to the environment, and report all instances of unplanned environmental releases to EHS.
- Complete all required training provided by supervisors and EHS.
| Environmental Services Group | - Develops Laboratory policies and procedures to assure that operations are conducted in an environmentally safe manner and fully comply with all applicable environmental laws, regulations, and DOE orders.
- Prepares environmental compliance plans and reports as mandated by environmental laws, regulations, and DOE orders.
- Assesses current and planned Berkeley Lab programs, and assists in defining environmental protection compliance upgrades and corrective actions.
- Identifies significant institutional environmental compliance issues, and develops cost-effective mechanisms for resolving them.
- Performs environmental dose assessments to document that radiation doses to the public and environment are maintained well below applicable standards and regulations.
- Prepares budget requests for, and manages, environmental protection upgrades and corrective actions for institutional projects.
- Provides training, makes presentations, and participates in discussions regarding environmental protection matters with Berkeley Lab employees, regulatory agencies, concerned public citizens, community organizations, and the media.
- Manages the preparation of environmental operating permit applications.
- Curtails or suspends operations posing an immediate danger to members of the public or the environment.
- Monitors Laboratory emissions and discharges to the environment to verify compliance with applicable regulations and permits.
- Investigates reports of unplanned environmental releases, and notifies federal, state, and local authorities in a timely manner, as required.
- Coordinates and represents Berkeley Lab activities during environmental audits and inspections by regulatory agencies and the DOE.
- Responds to information requests from the public.
- Participates in DOE audits of off-site analytical laboratories to ensure the quality of analytical results received for environmental monitoring programs.
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F. Definitions/AcronymsTerm | Definition | As low as reasonably achievable (ALARA) | An approach to radiological management and control intended to keep exposures (individual and collective) to the general public and the environment at levels as low as is reasonable, taking into account social, technical, economic, practical, and public-policy considerations. As used in the Berkeley Lab Environmental Monitoring Program, ALARA is not a dose limit but a process with the objective of attaining doses as far below the applicable controlling limits as is reasonably achievable. | Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) | The local agency that regulates stationary sources of regulated or hazardous air pollutants in the San Francisco Bay Area | Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) | The department within the California Environmental Protection Agency that regulates remedial actions | East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) | The local municipal wastewater treatment facility that accepts and regulates sanitary sewer discharges from Berkeley Lab | Effluent | Any treated or untreated liquid discharge from Berkeley Lab or from a Laboratory facility | Emission | Any filtered or unfiltered substance released to the air from Berkeley Lab or from a Laboratory facility | Environmental monitoring | The collection and analysis of environmental samples or direct measurements of environmental media. Environmental monitoring consists of three major activities: effluent monitoring, environmental surveillance, and meteorological monitoring. | Environmental occurrence | Any sudden or sustained deviation from a regulated or planned performance at an operation that has environmental protection and compliance significance | Environmental surveillance | The collection and analysis of samples, or direct measurements of air, water, soil, foodstuff, biota, and other media from Berkeley Lab and its environs in order to determine compliance with applicable standards and permit requirements, assess radiation exposures of members of the public, and assess the effects, if any, on the local environment | Hazardous air pollutant | Any pollutant listed in Section 112(b) of the Clean Air Act | Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTW) | A general term used for sewage treatment plants. The EBMUD plant is the POTW that accepts sewage from Berkeley Lab. | Radionuclide | A natural or manmade atom that spontaneously undergoes radioactive decay | Regulated air pollutants | Pollutants controlled by standards authorized by the Clean Air Act. They include the classes of substances defined as nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds, toxic air contaminants, or ozone-depleting substances. | State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) | The agency responsible for promulgating the California General Permit for Storm Water Discharge Associated with Industrial Activities. At Berkeley Lab, this permit is administered and enforced by the San Francisco Regional Water Quality Control Board, with assistance from the city of Berkeley. | Underground storage tank (UST) | A stationary device designed to contain an accumulation of hazardous material or waste. A UST is constructed primarily of non-earthen material, but its entire surface area is totally below the surface of, and covered by, the ground. | United States Environmental Protection Agency | A federal agency responsible for enforcing environmental laws. In California, some of this responsibility is typically delegated to state and local regulatory agencies. |
G. Recordkeeping RequirementsEnvironmental Site Reports maintained by EHS H. Implementing DocumentsEnvironmental Protection Group Manager, Environmental Releases Program Manager
EHS Division J. Revision HistoryDate | Revision | By Whom | Revision Description | Section(s) Affected | Change Type | 7/5/2012 | 0 | R. Pauer | Rewrite for the wiki (brief) | All | Minor | 2/19/2013 | 1 | R. Pauer | Rewrite for wiki (policy) | All | Major | 9/1/2021 | 1.1 | J. Buehler | Periodic review | All | Minor |
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| Title: | Environmental Monitoring | Document number | 07.09.011.000 | Revision number | 1.1 | Publication date: | 9/13/2021 | Effective date: | 2/19/2013 | Next review date: | 9/13/2026 | Policy Area: | Environmental Protection Program | RPM Section (home) | ESH | RPM Section (cross-reference) | None | Functional Division | EHS | Prior reference information (optional) | ES&H Manual Section 11.3.5 moved to Chapter 62 |
Source Requirements DocumentsRegulations, Requirements, Guidelines | Topic | Oversight Agency | 10 CFR 20.2003 | Disposal by Release to the Sanitary Sewerage | EPA | 17 CCR 30253 | Standards for Protection Against Radiation | EBMUD, DPH | 22 CCR 64443 | Domestic Water Quality Maximum Contaminant Level for Radioactivity | RWQCB | 23 CCR 2550 and 2610 | Underground Storage Tanks | RWQCB | 23 CCR 2610-2727 | Underground Storage Tanks | City of Berkeley | 40 CFR Part 122-125 | National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Regulations, including Stormwater Discharge (Clean Water Act) | SWRCB, RWQCB | 40 CFR Part 136 | Guidelines Establishing Test Procedures for the Analysis of Pollutants (under the Clean Water Act) | EPA | 40 CFR Part 280 | Standards and corrective actions for owners and operators of USTs | City of Berkeley | 40 CFR Part 401, Subchapter N | Effluent Guidelines and Standards (Clean Water Act) | EBMUD | 40 CFR Part 50 | National Primary and Secondary Ambient Air Standards | EPA | 40 CFR Part 60 | Standards of Performance for New and Modified Stationary Sources | BAAQMD | 40 CFR Part 61 | National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants | EPA | 40 CFR 403, Subchapter N | General Pretreatment Regulations for Existing and New Sources of Pollution | EBMUD | California Health and Safety Code 25280-25299 | Underground Storage Tanks | City of Berkeley | DOE Order 450.1A | Environmental Protection Program | DOE | DOE Order 458.1 Change 2 | Radiation Protection of the Public and Environment | DOE |
Other Driving RequirementsRegulations, Requirements, Guidelines | Topic | Oversight Agency | 40 CFR Part 58 | Ambient Air Quality Surveillance | EPA | DOE-STD-1153-2002 | A Graded Approach for Evaluating Radiation Doses to Aquatic and Terrestrial Biota | DOE | SW-846 | Test Methods for Evaluating Solid Waste | EPA |
Implementing Documents |
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| Title: | Environmental Monitoring | Document number | 07.09.011.000 | Revision number | 1.1 | Publication date: | 9/13/2021 | Effective date: | 2/19/2013 | Next review date: | 9/13/2026 | Policy Area: | Environmental Protection Program | RPM Section (home) | ESH | RPM Section (cross-reference) | None | Functional Division | EHS | Author name/contact info | R. Pauer |
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| Revision 0 publication date | 7/5/2012 | Retirement date | n/a | Prior reference information (optional) | PUB-3000 Section 11.3.5 moved to Chapter 62 |
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| Inputs from more than one Functional Area? | No | List additional Functional Areas & contacts |
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| Inputs from more than one Policy Area? | No | List additional Policy Areas & contacts |
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| 30-day notification needed? | No | 30-day start date | n/a | 30-day end date | n/a |
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| LDAP protected? | No |
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| Need TABL reminders? | No | Frequency | n/a | Brief reminder text: | n/a |
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- (Policy Area 1), (Policy Area 2), (Section)
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