Pete SandersLead, Environmental Protection Team

U.S. Department of Energy, NNSA Nevada Site OfficeCommunity Environmental Monitoring Program Workshop

July 26, 2011

DOE, DRI and the Community:Moving CEMP into the Future

Together

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Log No. 2011-224

CEMP: A Joint Effort

• U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Site Office

• Desert Research Institute (Nevada System of Higher Education)

• Local communities

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Log No. 2011-224

CEMP in the Community• CEMP began operating in

1981 with15 monitoring stations located in California, Nevada, and Utah

– The original locations of Austin, NV and Salt Lake City, UT are not shown on this map

• Program expanded and currently consists of 29 monitoring stations

Current CEMP stations Original CEMP stations

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Log No. 2011-224

DOE Establishes CEMP• Identified need to establish a relationship with communities surrounding

the Nevada National Security Site formerly the Nevada Test Site

– Address public concerns regarding nuclear testing activities

• Recognized success of Citizen’s Monitoring Program (CMP) instituted in 1980 for the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant

• Modeled CEMP after the CMP

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Log No. 2011-224

CEMP Goals• Monitor offsite environmental conditions and communicate

environmental data relevant to past and continuing activities at the NNSS

• Engage the public hands-on in monitoring environmental conditions in their communities relative to activities at the NNSS

• Communicate environmental monitoring data to the public in a transparent and accessible manner

• Provide an educated, trusted, local resource for public inquires and concerns regarding past and present activities at the NNSS

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Log No. 2011-224

How Are We Doing?• Is the CEMP aligned with current NNSS missions, activities, and

cleanup efforts (soil, facilities, groundwater)?

• What is the level of community awareness regarding CEM efforts?

• Is CEMP data understood and is it increasing confidence and credibility in DOE?

• Is CEMP data communicated effectively?

• What methods and venues will best reach the most residents?

• Is DOE’s current level of involvement in the community appropriate?