NETL-Albany Groundwater, Soil Vapor Monitoring Program

The National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) has executed a groundwater monitoring program for more than 20 years at its research site in Albany, Oregon. The program includes enrollment in the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) Voluntary Cleanup Program and is conducted pursuant to U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) procedures.

The potential contamination levels measured under NETL’s current groundwater monitoring program have historically been below DEQ compliance standards.

In 2023, DEQ revised its risk assessment standards and reduced a portion of its standard thresholds. To ensure compliance under these new standards, NETL is expanding its monitoring program by adding nine monitoring wells on-site and applying for permits from the City of Albany to install five wells off-site within public rights of way and public property to support assessment of potential migration of contaminants. The wells will be used to collect groundwater and soil gas data.

Know the timeline. Well installation and sampling operations are anticipated to be completed in the winter-spring 2025 timeframe. NETL will send the collected samples to an environmental laboratory accredited by the Oregon Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program for analysis. NETL will then provide results to DEQ for review and guidance.

It’s safety first at well locations. The temporary off-site monitoring wells are approximately 2 inches in diameter. Each well will be securely covered with a metal plate and barricaded for safety while in operation. The sampling period should take less than 48 hours. Once groundwater samples have been collected, the wells will be abandoned and filled with bentonite pursuant to current environmental regulations, and the work area will be restored to its original condition, as much as possible.

On the NETL-Albany site, barricades will be installed to ensure safety while the permanent on-site wells are installed. In addition, protective plates will be placed over the on-site wells, which will be flush with ground level.

Additional program details

• As part of a DOE Environmental Protection Program, NETL-Albany initiated a Groundwater Monitoring program in 2001, working in partnership with Oregon officials and DEQ.
• Participating in DEQ’s Voluntary Cleanup Program, NETL conducted a comprehensive assessment of soil, groundwater and soil gas conditions at the research site and in the neighboring community. Among other activities, NETL facilitated the investment to provide city water service connections to several households in the vicinity of the site that were using groundwater wells. After that work was completed, contamination was considered to be low risk.
• The primary contaminants of interest being monitored include trichloroethene, tetrachloroethene, carbon tetrachloride, cis-1,2-dichloroethene and chloroform. The federal government used solvents that contained these contaminants at the Albany site. However, the on-site disposal of these solvents was discontinued when regulatory standards for hazardous wastes were enacted in the 1980s.
• The potential contamination levels measured under NETL’s current groundwater monitoring program have historically been below DEQ compliance standards. Changes to the risk assessment standards in 2023 and recent groundwater monitoring results have elevated the need for additional investigation to determine any need for further action.