THE COMMUNITY ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING PROGRAM ...

WM’01 Conference, February 25-March 1, 2001, Tucson, AZ

THE COMMUNITY ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING PROGRAM: ENVIRONMENTAL COMMUNICATION AND EDUCATION THROUGH PARTICIPATION W. T. Hartwell, D. S. Shafer, R. Cullison, S. Sedano, M. Herndon, L. Karr, C. Shadel Desert Research Institute, Las Vegas G. McCurdy, Desert Research Institute, Reno L. Glass, and R. Furlow Department of Energy/Nevada

ABSTRACT The Community Environmental Monitoring Program (CEMP) is an outgrowth of a program in started in 1981 to promote community involvement, awareness and understanding of radiological surveillance in communities surrounding the Nevada Test Site (NTS) when underground nuclear tests were still being conducted at the site. Modeled after successful public involvement efforts following the accident at Three Mile Island in 1979, the CEMP directly involves community members in the day-to-day operation, data collection, and dissemination of the information obtained from the network of stations across a wide area of southern and central Nevada and western Utah. The stations have traditional radiological monitoring devices as well as a full suite of meteorological equipment. Dataloggers feed real-time digital readings on displays on the front the stations, provide up to 20 days of data storage, and allow instruments at most stations to be remotely programmed. Data is downloaded from the stations several times each day and posted on a publicly accessible web site. The web site allows viewers to see current sensor readings as well as the means to produce graphical or tabular outputs of archived data in various formats. The Desert Research Institute (DRI), which administers the program, employs local citizens, many of them high school science teachers, whose responsibilities include maintaining the equipment, and collecting air filters and routing them to DRI for laboratory analysis. In addition, these Community Environmental Monitors (CEMs) are available to discuss the monitoring results with the public, to speak to community and school groups, and in general serve as a focal point to DRI and DOE for identify environmental concerns in their communities. INTRODUCTION Radiological monitoring results reported by federal agencies and their contractors are often regarded with distrust and suspicion by the general public. Participation of community members in the data gathering and reporting process can often defuse tensions and allay public concern regarding the credibility of the reported data. The Community Environmental Monitoring Program (CEMP) is an outgrowth of a program


started in 1981 to promote community involvement, awareness, and understanding of radiological surveillance in communities surrounding the Nevada Test Site (NTS) when underground nuclear tests were still being conducted at the site. The CEMP is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, Nevada Operations Office (DOE/NV), and is largely administered and operated by the Desert Research Institute (DRI) of the University and Community College System of Nevada. Currently, there are 20 CEMP stations managed by DRI (Fig. 1).

Fig. 1. Distribution of CEMP stations across southern Nevada and western Utah. The four stations at Stone Cabin, Twin Springs, Nyala, and Garden Valley are currently administered by EPA; the data collected from the stations, however, are accessible via the CEMP web site.

Modeled after successful public involvement efforts following the accident at Three Mile Island in 1979, the CEMP directly involves community members in the dayto-day operation, data collection, and dissemination of the information obtained from the network of stations across a wide area of southern and central Nevada and western Utah. MONITORING STATIONS The CEMP stations include radiological monitoring devices for direct measurement of gamma emitters and high-energy beta particles such as thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLDs) and pressurized ion chambers (PICs); and lowvolume particulate air samplers for total suspended activity and radioactive particles. The PIC data are recorded in microR per hour, but no attempt is made to equate this to a dose. The air sampler draws two cubic feet of air per minute through a paper filter.


Around the NTS, the primary concern addressed by the particulate air samplers is total alpha activity from isotopes of Plutonium. Although the stations do not currently have the capability to sample for radioiodine, they can be equipped with charcoal filters in the event that NTS activities, such as a resumption of underground nuclear testing, warrant it (1). Over the past two years, DRI has upgraded stations to enhance their technical capability as well as improve their service to the public. The stations (Fig. 2) are now equipped with a full suite of meteorological equipment to measure air temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction, incident solar radiation, barometric pressure, and precipitation. Prior to the addition of this equipment there were very little meteorological data available in the region to the north and northeast of the NTS. Given that this is in a transitional zone between weather patterns of the Great Basin and the Mojave Desert, with time, these data should improve understanding of weather patterns and climate in this region. The meteorological instruments allows for a better analysis of variations in radiological measurements as a function of weather events. Examples include mini“fallout” events from precipitation, and changes in natural radon and thoron emissions with barometric changes. Radon and thoron contribute to PIC measurements from the gamma decay of daughter products (2). DATA COLLECTION AND DISSEMINATION All instruments with the exception of the low-volume air particulate samplers and TLDs, which require sample collection and subsequent laboratory analysis, are connected to dataloggers that feed real-time digital readings to displays on the front of the stations. Readings are obtained every three seconds and averaged for 10-minute periods. Under current data collection parameters, the dataloggers (Campbell Scientific Model CR10X) provide for up to 20 days of data storage (larger storage modules are available), and allow instruments at most stations to be remotely programmed, for example, to collect data at different frequencies. This last feature is made possible by having 19 of the 20 stations linked by cellular or landline phones to the Western Regional Climate Center (WRCC), one of six regional climate centers in the United States administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and operated by DRI through a programmatic agreement. Data from the remaining station are retrieved by satellite feed through Wallops Island, Virginia.

Fig. 2. The CEMP station at Beatty, Nevada.


The data from the 19 stations are downloaded from the stations every three to four hours and posted on a publicly accessible WRCC web site at http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/cemp. The web site allows viewers to see recently acquired sensor readings as well as the means to access archived data and produce graphical or tabular display outputs in various formats. Although the default displays show averaged hourly data (Fig. 3), the site can also

Fig. 3. A daily summary of radiation and weather data for Delta, Utah generated by a publicly accessible web page.


graphically display maximum, minimum, and averaged three-second readings for station instrumentation during each hour, or weekly and monthly trends of data (Fig. 4). Stakeholders can always view first-hand the direct readout of instruments at the stations

Fig. 4. Examples of graphically displayed data generated by the CEMP web site.

in their communities. The addition of the web site allows people to view trends over time at individual locations as well as across the region. In addition to providing data associated with the CEMP, the WRCC provides climate data for 12 western states, including Alaska and Hawaii. Through accessing the CEMP data, a wealth of other climate and environmental data becomes available. The CEMP home page also provides links to electronic documents and web pages that discuss radiation, radiation units, sources of natural and man-made radiation, and the potential effects of radiation exposure.


A summary of PIC and selected weather data for the previous calendar month for all 20 stations is posted on a bulletin board at each station. In addition, brochures discussing the CEMP program as well as signage describing the instrumentation are in place to help increase public visibility of the program. Contact information for questions regarding the program is prominently displayed. COMMUNITY ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORS Public involvement in the CEMP is not limited to accessibility to the data. The primary objective of the CEMP is to involve residents of the communities surrounding the NTS in offsite environmental monitoring. DRI hires and employs local citizens, whose responsibilities include monitoring the equipment, assisting with maintenance, and posting information on the program and analytical results. When possible, there is an attempt to employ people who are typically conduits for information in communities— schoolteachers, librarians, etc. The value of schoolteachers is that they frequently make the CEMP part of their science curriculum by involving the students in the evaluation of data, thereby furthering the scope of community outreach. These Community Environmental Monitors (CEMs) are also part of the chain of custody for the air particulate samples, and are responsible for the weekly collection of air filters and for routing them to DRI, where they are prepared for submission to an independent laboratory for analysis. In addition to equipment operation responsibilities, the CEMs attend annual refresher workshops conducted by DOE/NV and DRI. The workshops enable them to participate more fully in public education forums, and to better answer questions from the local communities about the monitoring program, and data results in their area and throughout the network. Workshops include presentations on the “ABC’s of Radiation,” hands-on exercises targeting equipment maintenance and minor troubleshooting issues, and an often-valuable exchange of ideas, concerns, and suggestions among all the program participants. Presentations by DOE personnel regarding issues of concern to local communities (i.e., Yucca Mountain, waste transportation, water testing, etc.) are also an important component of the workshops. The CEMs are trained to independently verify the results of the environmental monitoring, and become knowledgeable spokespersons on subjects ranging from radiation detection to local environmental conditions. Through these workshops, CEMs become effective technical liaisons between local and federal entities, helping to identify the environmental concerns of people in their communities. OTHER COMMUNITY INTERACTION Although the CEMs are the primary means of interacting with and disseminating information to the public, access to the local communities through the CEMP is by no means limited to interaction with the CEMs. DRI and DOE/NV personnel actively participate in various community events, producing displays discussing the program for county fairs and attending NTS Community Advisory Board meetings held in rural


communities in the event there are questions about environmental data and measurements being taken there. THE FUTURE Efforts to enhance and upgrade the CEMP are continuing. It is anticipated that four additional stations currently managed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will be added to the network in the last quarter in 2001 in areas to the north of the NTS. Data from these stations are currently collected via satellite feed since they are in remote locations and phone service to them, cellular or otherwise, is problematic. Aging PICs are being replaced by the currently available model, and all air particulate samplers will be fitted with air-flow meters to improve the quality of the interpretation of the results of filter analysis. Results of these analyses are provided to the CEMs on a quarterly basis. Further refinements to the web page graphical displays and maps are ongoing. Data collected from the CEMP stations are summarized annually for inclusion in the DOE/NV Annual Site Environmental Report (3). As an additional aid to CEMs, DRI has recently published a 10-year trending document (4) for data obtained during EPA’s operation of the network. Finally, DRI is initiating this year sampling of water well or other water source near each CEMP station. The source to be sampled will be selected by the CEM and other stakeholder in consultation with DRI hydrologists. Water samples will be analyzed for tritium, the primary radionuclide of concern from past underground nuclear testing on the NTS and a major concern of stakeholders in the region. The CEMP program demonstrates that advances in information technology such as the World Wide Web, in conjunction with direct stakeholder interaction, can be effective tools in sharing results and building credibility. Additionally, the CEMP shows that stakeholders are willing to take significant responsibility for operating environmental monitoring networks and understanding and communicating the results. REFERENCES 1.

U.S. Department of Energy (1991) Environmental regulatory guide for radiological effluent monitoring and environmental surveillance. Report DOE/EH/01570. USDOE, Washington, D.C.

2.

M. Eisenbud and T. Gesell (1997). Environmental Radioactivity. Academic Press. 656pp.

3.

Bechtel, Nevada (2000) , Nevada Test Site Annual Site Environmental Report for Calender Year1999. Prepared for U. S. Department of Energy Nevada Operations Office under Contract No. DE-AC08-96NV11718.

4.

S. Smith, M. Jones, and R. Nicholson (2000), A Summary of Representative Data Relative to the Off-Site Radiological Surveillance and Long-Term Hydrological


Monitoring Programs Conducted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1986-1996. Desert Research Institute Publications No. 45176.