The Laboratory monitors and controls the quality of surface water, including storm water and stream sediment on Laboratory property and elsewhere in Northern New Mexico to evaluate the potential environmental effects of Laboratory operations on affected watersheds.
LANL has several programs to ensure storm water runoff and stream sediment into canyons will not harm the environment.
Monitoring programs
LANL has several programs to ensure storm water runoff and stream sediment into canyons will not harm the environment.
Surface Water
LANL collects surface water and sediment samples in canyons that cross current and former Laboratory lands, some short tributary drainages, and along the Rio Grande.
Additionally, surface water and sediment are sampled at several locations on lands that occasionally have storm water flows from the Laboratory.
Stormwater
Groundwater
The groundwater in Los Alamos is crucial to the community as it provides all of their drinking water. LANL routinely analyzes groundwater samples to monitor water quality and to identify contamination issues that could impact human health or harm the ecosystem.
Groundwater is monitored at various depths, thus enabling LANL to find contaminants and observe trends. Some wells sample more than one groundwater zone through separate screens.