Laboratory teams are performing additional and more complex sampling tasks as part of Pueblo plant closure.
“Sampling for hazardous chemicals is essential for safety and planning as workers progress with closure activities,” said Stephen West, sampling special projects manager, Bechtel Pueblo Team. “We have expanded our sample collection from the monitoring we performed during operations to include area wipes and rinsates from various surfaces across the plant, such as equipment, tanks, flooring, and concrete.”
As decontamination progresses across different buildings, samples of rinsate (liquid generated from rinsing a floor or tank) are collected to assess cleanliness levels, said West. Other test samples will include floor chips, sludge from biotreatment tanks and even soil extracted from beneath building bases. Per the state-approved closure plan, sample data will be sent to two third-party vendors for analysis, with the plant laboratory performing internal sampling and analysis for management planning efforts.
“During operations, laboratory work focused on daily collection and analysis of samples from the same locations to ensure equipment and machinery performed properly,” West said. “The focus now is on sampling and analysis that assures proper waste disposal and assesses whether buildings and equipment are suitable for demolition or reuse.”
Along with the additional duties, the teams face expanded challenges as well, said West, including a tight closure timeline, the complexity of sample collection, and an expanded list of chemicals that need to be analyzed per Colorado regulatory requirements.
“Sampling complexity and variety has been expanded due to the closure phase, plus we’re doing the work with fewer people now that agent destruction operations have concluded,” he said. “We’re not doing the same test day after day.”
