Big Bayou Creek and Little Bayou Creek Watershed Monitoring Program

Abstract

The objectives of the watershed monitoring are to (1) determine whether discharges from the Paducah Site and the Solid Waste Management Units (SWMUS) associated with the Paducah Site are adversely affecting instrearn fauna, (2) assess the ecological health of Lhtle Bayou and Big Bayou creeks, (3) assess the degree to which abatement actions ecologically benefit Big Bayou Creek and Little Bayou Creek, (4) provide guidance for remediation, (5) provide an evaluation of changes in potential human health concerns, and (6) provide data which could be used to assess the impact of inadvertent spills or fish kills. According to the KPDES permit, the goal of the watershed monitoring program is to ensure that the DOE cleanup will result in these watersheds~ig Bayou and Little Bayou creeks] achieving compliance with the applicable water quality criteria. Study AreaThe Paducah Site site is owned by DOE. Effective July 1, 1993, DOE. leased the plant production operation facilities to the United States Enrichment Corporation (USEC). Lockheed Martin Corporation created a new subsidiary, Lockheed Martin Utility Seryices (Utility Services), to manage the leased facilities for USEC under the prior management contract. Under the terms of the lease, USEC has assumed responsibility for compliance activities directly associated with uranium enrichment operations. Bechtel Jacobs Company LLC is the mamgement contractor for DOE responsibilities at the site. These responsibilities include the site Environmental Restoration Program; the Depleted Uranium Hexafluoride (DUF~) Cylinder Program; the bulk of the Waste Mamgement Program, including waste inventories predating July 1, 1993; wastes generated by current DOE activities; wastes containing "legacy" constituents, such as asbestos, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBS), and transuranics; and KPDES compliance at outfalls not leased to USEC. DOE has also retained manager and cooperator status of Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) storage facilities not leased to USEC. DOE and USEC have negotiated the lease of specific site facilities, prepared memorandums of agreement to define their respective roles and responsibilities under the lease, and developed organizations and budgets to support their respective functions.The Paducah Site is located in the western part of the Ohio River basin. The confluence of the Ohio River with the Tennessee River is -24 km upstream of the site, and the confluence of the Ohio River with the Mississippi River is -90 km downstream of the site. Surface drainage from the Paducah Site is in two streams, Big Bayou Creek and Little Bayou Creek.... Xm Watershed Monitoring ProgramThese streams meet -4.8 km north of the site and discharge to the Ohio River at kilometer 1524. Big Bayou Creek is a perennial stream with a drainage basin extending from -4 km south of Paducah Site to the Ohio River; part of its 14.5-km course flows along the western boundary of the plant. Little Bayou Creek originates in the Western Kentucky Wildlife Mamgement Area and flows for 10.5 km ...