[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 230 (Thursday, December 1, 1994)] [Unknown Section] [Page 0] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 94-29606] [[Page Unknown]] [Federal Register: December 1, 1994] ======================================================================= ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Certification of the Radiological and Beryllium Condition of the Sacandaga and Peek Street Sites Schenectady County, New York AGENCY: Department of Energy. ACTION: Notice of certification. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: The Department of Energy (DOE) has completed remedial action at two sites in Schenectady County, New York, which were formerly operated for the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC). Previous surveys had identified low levels of radioactivity in a few small localized areas at the Peek Street Site, Schenectady, New York. The surveys had also identified low levels of non-radioactive beryllium in a small area of outdoor soil and in indoor overhead areas, such as roof beams at the Peek Street Site and in the gravel floor and soil surrounding a small isolated concrete structure at the Sacandaga Site, Glenville, New York. Remediation work has been completed at both sites. Both sites are certified to be in compliance with applicable cleanup guidelines established by DOE and agreed to by the State of New York. The properties are released for unrestricted use. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Alan Muir, Public Information Officer, Schenectady Naval Reactors Office, P.O. Box 1069, Schenectady, New York 12301, (518) 395-6386, FAX: (518) 395-6345. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In the late 1940s and early 1950s, the General Electric Company operated two Federal Government facilities, known as the Peek Street Site in Schenectady, New York, and the Sacandaga Site in Glenville, New York, for AEC. AEC-sponsored research at the site involved the use of radioactive materials and non- radioactive beryllium in support of breeder reactor development and other programs. After the sites had been decommissioned and surveyed to confirm that they met applicable unrestricted use standards in effect at the time, the sites were sold to private parties in the mid 1950s. It is the policy of DOE to verify that environmental conditions at formerly utilized sites comply with current DOE guidelines. At the request of the DOE Office of Naval Reactors, characterization surveys were performed by representatives of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) between 1988 and 1991. Representatives from the New York State Departments of Environmental Conservation and Health also participated in the site characterizations. At the Peek Street Site, the surveys identified low levels of fixed residual radioactivity in a few small localized sections of floor and wall areas inside the site's main building and in an approximate 5- square meter area of outdoor soil, which extended onto the adjacent State-owned property. The survey also identified low levels of residual beryllium in the same general area of outdoor soil and in indoor overhead areas, such as roof beams. At the Sacandaga Site, the surveys identified low levels of beryllium in the gravel floor and soil surrounding a small concrete structure. Because the levels of both radioactivity and beryllium were relatively low and the affected areas small and isolated, the residual radioactivity and beryllium present at these sites did not present a health hazard to members of the public or the environment. Posting or other institutional controls were not warranted. Site-specific cleanup guidelines were established by DOE under DOE Order 5400.5 consistent with DOE Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program protocols; these guidelines were agreed to by the New York State Departments of Environmental Conservation and Health. Remediation of the residual radioactivity and beryllium was performed by a contractor under DOE direction and completed in 1993. Extensive post-remedial sampling was conducted to confirm that all site areas had been remediated in accordance with the applicable cleanup guidelines under DOE Order 5400.5. Independent verification sampling was conducted by ORNL. Representatives of the New York State Departments of Environmental Conservation and Health also conducted additional independent overcheck surveys for residual radioactivity and beryllium. The results of these surveys verified compliance with DOE Order 5400.5 and the applicable cleanup guidelines. Information relating to the characterization, remediation, and post-remediation sampling of these sites has been compiled in the DOE Certification Docket for the Remedial Action Performed at the Peek Street Site, Schenectady, New York, and the DOE Certification Docket for the Remedial Action Performed at the Sacandaga Site, Glenville, New York. These certification dockets will be available for review between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday (except Federal holidays) in the DOE Public Reading Room located in room 1E-190 of the Forrestal Building, 1000 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC. Copies will also be available in the DOE Public Document Room at the Oak Ridge Operations Office, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and in the Schenectady County Public Library, 99 Clinton St., Schenectady, New York. The DOE has issued the following statement of certification: STATEMENT OF CERTIFICATION: PEEK STREET AND SACANDAGA SITES IN SCHENECTADY COUNTY, NEW YORK The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) established radiological and beryllium cleanup guidelines, which were agreed to by the State of New York, to certify property releasable for unrestricted use. Based on review of the radiological and non-radiological data obtained following the remedial action at the Peek Street and Sacandaga Sites to these guidelines, DOE hereby certifies that the properties described below are in compliance with applicable DOE cleanup guidelines for unrestricted use of the property. This certification of compliance provides assurance to the public that future use of the property will result in no radiological or beryllium exposure above applicable guidelines established to protect members of the public and the environment. 421 Peek Street, Schenectady, New York, as described in deed book 1026, page 497, filed in Schenectady County Clerk's Office. 823 Sacandaga Road, Glenville, New York, as described in deed book 1068, page 914, filed in Schenectady County Clerk's Office. Issued in Washington, D.C. on November 28, 1994. John E. Baublitz, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Environmental Restoration, Office of Environmental Management. C. H. Schmitt, Deputy Director, Office of Naval Reactors, Office of Nuclear Energy. [FR Doc. 94-29606 Filed 11-30-94; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6450-01-P