Los Alamos National Laboratory Watershed Investigations

Department of energy

Los Alamos National Laboratory operations are primarily conducted on finger-like mesas that comprise the Pajarito Plateau on which the Laboratory is situated. The canyons that cut the plateau into mesas have a combined length of approximately 110 miles and have received direct and indirect contaminant releases from operations on the mesas. Neptune is a member of an interdisciplinary technical team responsible for developing and implementing the approaches to these watershed-scale investigations. Neptune developed work plans, sampling plans, phased investigation analyses, and ecological and human health risk assessments. This work involved field investigations and evaluation of potentially contaminated sediments, surface water, groundwater, and biota. We also assisted with data assessment activities, including statistical and risk analyses, detailed data validation, and report preparation for these watersheds.