N3B NEWS RELEASE
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Environmental Management Los Alamos Field Office (EM-LA) and Newport News Nuclear BWXT-Los Alamos, LLC (N3B), the legacy cleanup contractor at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), will provide an update on the hexavalent chromium plume during the Los Alamos County Department of Public Utilities (DPU) Board meeting at 5:30 p.m., Wednesday, May 20.
The meeting is open to the public and will be held at the Los Alamos County Municipal Building, 1000 Central Park Avenue, Room 110. It is also available for viewing on Zoom at https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82180323960.
The presentation will discuss the Hexavalent Chromium Campaign and current status on the Hexavalent Chromium Plume Interim Measures (IM).
The IM consists of several wells to extract water from the plume, treat the water to remove hexavalent chromium and inject the treated water back into the regional aquifer. Contaminated groundwater is pumped from up to five extraction wells to a facility in Mortandad Canyon, where it is treated with ion-exchange technology. The treated water is subsequently injected into the aquifer to establish a “hydraulic barrier” in the area of injection, helping to prevent further migration of the plume.
On Nov. 18, 2025, EM-LA and N3B suspended IM activities due to direction from the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED). There is no immediate threat to public or private drinking water wells.
For additional information on the Hexavalent Chromium Campaign, please see:
Hexavalent chromium plume background and information: