Environmental assessment for hazardous materials testing at the Liquified Gaseous Fuels Spill Test Facility

The Department of Energy (DOE) proposes to continue the capability to conduct Spill testing at the Nevada Test Site for the purpose of generating data needed to assess risks from accidental releases of hazardous and toxic materials. The testing would be conducted at the existing Liquefied Gaseous Fuels Spill Test Facility located on Frenchman Flat. The Liquefied Gaseous Fuels Spill Test Facility is located in Area 5, along the eastern edge of the Nevada Test Site, Nye County, Nevada, on the western edge of the desert playa, Frenchman Lake. The establishment of an equivalent facility at another location is not an alternative being considered by the DOE; a comprehensive site selection process in 1983 found Frenchman Flat to be the most suitable site for spill testing of relatively large quantities of hazardous materials. Spill tests were conducted at the site in 1986, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1991, and 1992. The experience gained from these tests, coupled with the documented results of no measurable or noticeable impact to the environment, provides the basis for this assessment. The procedural controls that limit downwind concentrations to predetermined values for each test would allow testing of a wide variety of hazardous materials to continue with the safety and negligible impacts experienced in previous tests. This environmental assessment draws heavily on the very thorough environmental assessment prepared by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories in 1986, especially for the description of the affected environment. New information has been added regarding the existing environment and current land use