ENVIRONMENT
Recovery Act projects at Los Alamos National Laboratory involve decontamination and demolition of buildings at Technical Area 21.
Overview of Environmental Projects funded by the Recovery Act
New Mexico is blessed with abundant natural resources and a beautiful landscape.
The Recovery Act funds a diverse set of programs to clean up the environment all over the state. Flood prevention, clean up of contaminated industrial sites and the National Clean Diesel Campaign are just a few examples of the millions to be invested in creating a cleaner New Mexico.
In addition, Los Alamos National Laboratory is expanding on its efforts to clean up decades-old waste from the Cold War with Recovery Act funds. This effort is a win-win for New Mexico as it both creates jobs and helps protect critical natural resources.
ENVIRONMENT PROJECT
Environmental Cleanup and Monitoring at Los Alamos National Laboratory
Funding Recipient: Los Alamos National Laboratory
Award: $212 million
Location: Los Alamos County
Funding Agency: U.S. Department of Energy
Los Alamos National Laboratory has been awarded more than $212 million in federal stimulus funds to focus on environmental cleanup and to install new water monitoring wells. The award from the U.S. Department of Energy will help the lab meet requirements defined in the historic, fence-to-fence clean up order signed by DOE, the lab and the state in 2005.
This work will fund decontamination and demolition of more than 147,000 square feet of buildings at Technical Area 21, where lab technicians refined plutonium and performed other work during the Manhattan Project and the Cold War. Twenty unused buildings are scheduled to be removed.
The lab also intends to clean up soil in its first landfill, used from 1944-1948. Hazardous or contaminated waste will be shipped out-of-state.
Lab officials also intend to use the money to install new groundwater monitoring wells, monitor for chemical and radioactive contamination, and to improve emergency response training with Los Alamos County, among other projects.
Source: Los Alamos National Laboratory
STIMULUS FUNDS IN ACTION
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has provided Los Alamos National Laboratory a significant boost to continue environmental cleanup work. Here, workers take soil samples at a contaminated site.
RECOVERY DOLLARS AT WORK
LOS ALAMOS – Pete Stilwell is leading Northern New Mexico to a better economic recovery.
The Northern New Mexico senior manager for ARSEC Environmental, LLC has coordinated the recruiting and hiring of 15 workers to help decontaminate and demolish outdated buildings at Los Alamos National Laboratory.
ARSEC Environmental* has been awarded about $3.6 million to clean up and remove buildings at Technical Area 21, where lab scientists performed plutonium and tritium research during World War II and the Cold War.
The Recovery Act is paying for the work, which both creates jobs and cleans up the environment for future generations.
Stilwell said the Recovery Act is a big deal for his company, and the workers employed there.
“It's increased ARSEC Environmental's revenue stream 50 percent,” Stilwell said. “As a small business we really appreciate it.”
ARSEC's increased presence at the lab due to the Recovery Act-funded work has allowed them to be successful in other non-Recovery Act opportunities.
Stilwell's crew is working to remove hazardous materials such as asbestos from the old buildings before they are torn down. Many of his crew are from Northern New Mexico. And not one direct hire was employed before the recent cleanup job came along, he said. All had been laid off from other work.
Stilwell's current crew totals 19, including the 15 laborers and four managers. He's hoping to hire another 10 heavy equipment operators and laborers as the project accelerates. A laborer's job pays about $17.25 an hour.
When the overall project is finished, lab officials hope to reduce the footprint of the lab's buildings by more than 157,000 square feet. Eventually, the land will available for other uses.
Altogether, Los Alamos National Laboratory has been awarded $212 million for cleanup, which includes the demolition work, removal of an old waste dump, and new wells to monitor groundwater for possible pollution.
Several small businesses are involved in the jobs, from demolition to trucking.
“It's been a good thing,” Stilwell said.
*ARSEC Environmental, LLC is a joint venture between ARS International and Safety and Ecology Corporation (SEC). The TA21 work referenced includes three separate task orders for field work.
