TA-33 Orientation

Technical Area (TA) 33, known as HP site, is one of the Laboratory's oldest active sites, having originated in 1947. This area has a history of interesting scientific and varied experimental uses that continue today. The remnants of many of these technical activities remain on site and present potential hazards to the unsuspecting visitor.

This orientation summarizes information that you must know about environmental, safety, and health (ES&H) hazards present at the site and provides guidance to mitigate the risks generated by these hazards.

Attached is a sheet showing maps of three principal parts of TA-33. With each map is a list of potential hazards that have been identified in that part of the site. There may be hazards that have not been identified, so caution must be exercised when working anywhere at TA-33.

Information for visitors and new employees at TA-33 can be provided by your escorts, hosts, ES&H Representatives, or supervisors who are familiar with the area. First-time visitors to TA-33 are encouraged to utilize this expertise.

The following instructions apply to all personnel assigned to or visiting at TA-33. Any deviation must be authorized by the IT-Division ES&H Coordinator on behalf of the Associate Director for Defense Research and Applications (ADDRA).

1. Access to TA-33 shall be granted only for approved Laboratory business. Do not loan your key or grant unescorted access to anyone who has not received the TA-33 orientation.

2. When driving, running, jogging, or walking at the site, wear your badge and stay on the roads. Don't cross any barricades. Obey all posted signs, warnings, and instructions.

3. The speed limit at TA-33 is 25 mph, except in populated areas, where it is 5 mph.

4. Do not dig or disturb the soil in any way unless proper permits or permission have been obtained. Do not pick up stones or artifacts as souvenirs. Environmental sampling must be conducted in accordance with an approved ES&H sampling plan.

5. The surface soil at some locations within TA-33 may be contaminated with low-level chemical and/or radioactive substances. Inhalation of dust from surface soil for long periods of time should be avoided. If you must be outdoors during dust storms, HS-5 should be consulted for appropriate respiratory protection.

6. TA-33 has a large population of ticks, fleas, other insects, and poisonous snakes.

7. During a lightning storm, TA-33 employees and visitors should take shelter in a structure or in an enclosed vehicle.

8. Smoking is not permitted in any TA-33 facility except in posted, designated smoking areas.

9. IT-6 generally has available a group of personnel trained in First Aid and CPR. Call the IT-6 Group Office (7-2459) for possible assistance until the ambulance arrives. All injuries, illnesses, including those treated by first aid, must be reported to HS-2 (7-4848).

10. Telephones within the site are marked with the emergency number (911 or 9-911) and with the specific location of the phone. The emergency number should be used for any type of emergency. Stay on the line until the dispatcher releases you.

11. Building 86 has been used for tritium activities, although it is currently inoperative. All personnel and visitors entering the Building 86 compound must receive the WX-5 ES&H briefing for that facility.

    Should you be at or downwind of Building 86 during the unlikely event of a tritium release, leave the area immediately to avoid exposure. The prevailing wind direction at TA-33 is variable depending on the time of day and season of the year. However, it is typically from the north/northwest in the early morning and from the south/southwest in the late morning into the afternoon. For assistance, information, or instructions, report to the IT-6 Group Office, Building 114.

12. There is no requirement to wear a dosimetry badge at TA-33 except as required by specific activities or tasks. Consult with Group HS-I for advice.

13. Each normally occupied building has a designated assembly area in the event of an emergency evacuation.
    1. The assembly area for Buildings l9 and 114, which are located in the Main Area, is in the paved parking area, south of the security-fence gate adjacent to the guard station.

    2. The assembly area for Building 86 (HPTL) is across the road just outside the HPTL entry gate, which is southwest of the facility.

    Reentry will be on the order of the Incident Commander, if summoned, or on the order of the IT-6 Group Leader or his designee.

14. The use of personal protective equipment at TA-33 is dependent on your specific location and activity. If you believe that it is needed, check with your ES&H Representative.

15. All TA-33 experimental and field activities must be conducted by a two-person team or by an individual who is monitored by a specified individual in accordance with AR 1-8. Deviations must be specifically approved by their line manager or their Laboratory sponsor (e.g., C-4, ENG-5).

16. Changes in site activities shall be reported to the IT-DO ES&H Coordinator (7-6922), to the Site Line Manager (7-2459), or to any member of the TA-33 Site Committee. Notify the IT-DO ES&H Coordinator of any plans for changes in control of access to any portion of the Tech Area.

17. IT-6 has established satellite waste storage areas for their activities. Other organizations must arran8e to categorize, transport, and properly dispose of TA-33-generated waste for which they are responsible.
18. Workers in each area of TA-33 shall know the identity of their Building Manager and their organizational ES&H Representative.

19. ES&H questions or concerns of employees and visitors should be directed to the organizational ES&H Representative, the Building Manager, or the Site Line Manager.

TA-33 lies at elevations between 5,400 and 6,540 feet asl at the southern edge of the Laboratory. TA-33 structures are located on a mesa top bounded on the north by Ancho Canyon and on the south by Chaquehui Canyon. The technical area extends southeast to the Rio Grande River, southwest to Frijoles Canyon, northeast to include the southern wall of the lower part of Ancho Canyon, and northwest to State Road 4. Canyon walls are steep in this area. Most of TA-33 lies on welded Bandelier Tuff, in the Pinon-Juniper, Juniper/Saltbrush/Sagebrush/Rabbitbrush/Cholla Cactus/Grama Grass/Needle & Thread Grass, Ponderosa Pine/Pinon-Juniper, and Shrub/Grass/Forb overstory vegetation zones. in addition to rock outcrop, the surficial material at TA-33 consists of Hackroy-Rock outcrop complex, and Hackroy sandy loam (Nyhan et al., 1978).

At TA-33, the potentiometric surface of the main aquifer in the Los Alamos area lies between about 5,370 and 5,815 feet asl. Over 800 feet of unsaturated tuff and volcanic rock separate the surface around the structures of TA-33 from the aquifer. There is little potential for downward flow from the surface because of the low moisture conditions of the tuff (IT, 1987a).

HTML by Glenn Campbell, Area 51 Research Center, www.ufomind.com, 8/20/96