Peer reviewers observe a well at the Pahute Mesa groundwater area at the Nevada National Security Site.
Peer reviewers observe a well at the Pahute Mesa groundwater area at the Nevada National Security Site.

LAS VEGAS – Four peer reviewers recently joined the EM Nevada Program in Las Vegas to participate in technical briefings, presentations and a tour of the Pahute Mesa groundwater region at the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS).

The nationally recognized experts will examine the computer modeling approach developed to forecast groundwater movement and contaminant boundaries in the Pahute Mesa region. To promote stakeholder involvement, members of the Nevada Site Specific Advisory Board and representatives from Nye County and the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection participated in the events with the peer review team.

Under review is the Pahute Mesa Flow and Transport Model Report — a set of conclusions based on complex geologic and mathematical models of groundwater flow and contaminant transport. Over 30 years of intensive drilling, data collection, analysis and modeling went into the making of the model. Scientists with the EM Nevada Program use such models to analyze the movement of radioactive contaminants in groundwater at the NNSS.

Underground Test Area Project Manager Ken Rehfeldt addresses the group of peer reviewers at Oasis Valley at the Nevada National Security Site.
Underground Test Area Project Manager Ken Rehfeldt addresses the group of peer reviewers at Oasis Valley at the Nevada National Security Site.

“We were thrilled to welcome the peer review team to review our newest models and observe our work in the field,” said Ken Rehfeldt, Underground Test Area project manager for Navarro Research and Engineering, the environmental program services contractor to the EM Nevada Program. “These models simulate groundwater movement under a wide range of variables and permutations, and they are extremely valuable in ensuring our communities are safe and secure for generations to come.”

The peer reviewers represent the fields of geochemistry, hydrology, hydrogeology and computer modeling. They have expertise in using scientific results to make regulatory decisions.

The reviewers gathered for the first two days of their four-day visit with the EM Nevada Program in the Molasky Center in Las Vegas. They heard presentations and participated in discussions surrounding the Pahute Mesa region, the last open groundwater correction action units at the NNSS. Experts from the EM Nevada Program presented their findings and projections for groundwater movement.

The peer reviewers listen to presentations from the EM Nevada Program at the Molasky Center in Las Vegas on the second day of their four-day visit.
The peer reviewers listen to presentations from the EM Nevada Program at the Molasky Center in Las Vegas on the second day of their four-day visit.

On the third day, the group toured Pahute Mesa and a small portion of the Nevada Test and Training Range. On the fourth day, the group traveled to Oasis Valley, observing the principal discharge area for the groundwater basin and notable geological formations, well sites and monitoring activities in this area.

Current research and modeling forecasts show the contaminated groundwater will not reach public water supplies. In 2020, the Rainier Mesa and Yucca Flat groundwater corrective action areas reached closure, successfully bringing 75% of all NNSS groundwater regions to end-state completion.

The panel will review the model and generate a final report with their findings and assessment of confidence by the end of September.