NEW MEXICO ENVIRONMENT DEPARTMENT

Hazardous Waste Bureau

2905 Rodeo Park Drive East, Building 1 SUSANA MARTINEZ

Santa Fe, New Mexico 87505-6303 Governor Phone (505) 476-6000 Fax (505) 476-6030

JOHN A SANCHEZ www.nmenv.state.nmusLieutenant Governor

CERTIFIED MAIL - RETURi~ RECEIPT REQUESTED

January 3,2013

Radel Bunker-Farrah Chief, Environmental Office National Aeronautics and Space Administration White Sands Test Facility P.O. Box 20 Las Cruces, NM 88004-0020

Attention of: RE-12-153

RE: PERIODIC MONITORING REPORT, THIRD QUARTER 2012 NATIONAL AERONAUTICS SPACE ADMINISTRATION (NASA) JOHNSON SPACE CENTER (JSC) WHITE SANDS TEST FACILITY (WSTF) DONA ANA COUNTY, NEW MEXICO EPA ID #NM08800019434 . HWB-NASA-12-018

Dear Ms. Bunker-Farrah:

The New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) has reviewed the NASA WSTF (Permittee) Periodic i\1onitoring Report, Third Quarter 2012 (PMR), dated October 2012 and received October 31, 2012. The PMR summarizes the results of the analyses of sitewide groundwater, Plume Front Treatment System {PFTS) and Mid-plume Interception and Treatment System (MPITS) samples collected between May 1,2012 and July 31, 2012. NMED has completed review of the PMR and provides the following comment(s).

DAVE MARTIN Cabinet Secretary

BUTCH TONGATE Deputy Secretary

Ms. Bunker-Farrah January 3,2013 Page 2

PMR Review Comment(s):

1. Section 5.1.7, PFTS Operation Costs, page 17:

NMED Comment: This section indicates that the operational costs summarized in Table 5.5 (page 61) are listed from August 2011 through August 2012. The table lists estimated operational costs through July 2012. Review future PMRs for consistency between text statements and table contents.

2. Section 5.6, PFTS Mass Removal, page 17, Table 5.4, Plume Front Mass Removal, page 60 and Table 5.9, MPITS Mass Removal, page 65:

NMED Comment: The PMR section and both tables indicate the abbreviated form of gram is "gm" while the list of acronyms and abbreviations on page viii of the PMR lists the abbreviated form as "g". Review future PMRs for consistent use of abbreviations.

3. Appendix C, Chemical Analytical Program (Internal QA Reports), May, June and July 2012:

NMED Comment: NMED noted that Table 7 (Quality Assurance Narratives) entries are now bolded at sample locations/sampling event dates where one or more analytes were affected by a particular QA issue and required appropriate qualification. This makes it much easier for data reviewers to spotsuch situations and to consider the affected data accordingly. It is not necessary to include this comment in Section 8.0 (Errata) of the Fourth Quarter 2012 PMR.

If you have any questions regarding this letter, please contact Daniel Comeau at (505) 476-6043.

Sincerely,

~ieling' Chief Hazardous Waste Bureau

cc: D. Cobrain, NMED HWB N. Dhawan, NMED HWB D. Comeau, NMED HWB R. Isaac, NMED GWQB J. Dyer, NMED SWB L. King, EPA 6PD-N T. Davis, NASA WSTF M. Zigmond, NASA WSTF

File: NASA 2012; HWB-NASA-12-018, Third Qtr. 2012 PMR

New Mexico Environment Department

Hazardous Waste Bureau

2905 Rodeo Park Drive, East Bldg.1 Santa Fe, New Mexico 8/505 II I

7009 3410 0000 8022 3539

Radel Bunker-Farrah

Chief, Environmental Office

NASA/WSTF

P.O. Box 20

Las Cruces, New Mexico 88004-0020

E?E~C:C:4:±::::C:~2(:: Ei9::;C= Ii IIIIJ III ,Ii II Jii J1111111 J11l,li 1IlIIll/lilllll!II Ii Illlii III