Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Lanl Operations topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
NNSA field office updates Los Alamos County on EPCU, UXO scoping and tritium container depressurization
Summary
Ted Wyka, NNSA Los Alamos Field Office manager, briefed the county on lab mission funding and hiring, NEPA updates on the EPCU transmission project, interagency scoping for unexploded‑ordnance clearance in Rendija Canyon, and a monitored depressurization of one flanged tritium container with no off‑site impacts reported.
Ted Wyka, manager of the NNSA Los Alamos Field Office, told the Los Alamos County Council on Sept. 16 that the lab’s funding profile remains steady and that programmatic dollars will continue to focus on construction and national‑security activities.
Wyka said the field office expects modest hiring to replace an annual attrition of about 900 staff, and described operational improvements at the lab, including repaving on the truck route and changes aimed at reducing commuter vehicle trips through increased vanpool and bus ridership.
On infrastructure and environmental reviews, Wyka said the lab issued a finding of no significant impact for the Electrical Power Capacity Upgrade (EPCU) project and completed required Section 106 coordination with the State Historic Preservation Office, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation and tribes. He said design and on‑site infrastructure upgrades are scheduled to start in late 2025, with construction of the transmission line on BLM and Santa Fe National Forest lands scheduled for 2026.
Wyka described ongoing work with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to scope an interagency agreement to estimate the cost of additional unexploded‑ordnance (UXO) clearance in areas identified by the county for a proposed recreational vehicle park. He said the scoping will include a survey to about four feet depth over roughly 28 acres of the canyon area and expects a cost estimate within months. "We're working with the Corps to give us a price, give us a cost estimate," Wyka said.
On radioactive waste, Wyka said the field office projects 76 transuranic (TRU) shipments for the fiscal year and praised progress in shipping hazardous and chemical materials off the mesa. He reported that NMED granted a temporary authorization to depressurize four flanged tritium waste containers in Area G to enable final off‑site disposal. "The first drum was depressurized today, and there was 0 pounds," Wyka said, adding that the operation is being monitored by state and federal observers and is proceeding with safety pauses as needed.
Wyka also outlined coordination with the Los Alamos Police Department on the potential installation of speed cameras along the truck route; the lab will install utility connections and poles once LAPD provides locations, and the lab and county are drafting a memorandum of understanding for safety enforcement on lab property.
Councilors asked for follow‑up information on UXO timing and cost, data supporting traffic‑safety trends, and the expected time to depressurize the remaining containers. Wyka said lab staff would provide requested data and noted that the EPCU procurement package is under review in Albuquerque and that the current electrical coordination agreement has been extended to Dec. 31.
The presentation closed with Wyka reaffirming a commitment to continue stakeholder engagement and provide the council with notices when NEPA documents and decisions are published.
