The next phase in the cleanup of the former Laboratory for Energy-related Health Research is about to begin, focusing now on the start of groundwater and soil treatment on the site, south of the main campus of the University of California, Davis. A plan for outlining the first steps toward addressing groundwater treatment in and around LEHR facility waste areas and nearby south campus disposal waste areas was reviewed and discussed in meetings that included neighbors, and will soon be approved by state and federal regulatory agencies. Planning for soil cleanup efforts is ongoing. The university anticipates removing wastes in targeted areas and disposing of it at an off-site, state-approved landfill. Following California environmental requirements, a draft study of the potential environmental impacts of the groundwater and soil project has been released, along with a "negative declaration," indicating that the project does not exceed environmental impacts previously identified in the 1994 Long Range Development Plan for UC Davis. Public comments on the environmental study document are due to the planning and budget office on campus by May 27. The water and soil cleanup proposed is the latest in a series of cleanup activities under way since 1990 at the 15-acre rural site, where for more than 30 years researchers conducted U.S. Department of Energy-funded animal studies of the long-term health effects of exposure to low levels of radiation. The site was placed on the federal Superfund list in 1994 due to groundwater contamination and the potential for further contamination. This next cleanup phase is expected to begin this fall. "This action allows us to stabilize groundwater impacts until a final cleanup strategy can be put into action," said Julie McNeal, director of environmental health and safety for the campus. Ongoing water-monitoring studies have identified some of the noteworthy chemicals as chloroform, hexavalent chromium, nitrate, and some tritium. The chloroform and tritium are linked directly to the site. The source of the chromium and nitrate remains unclear, since both are prevalent in the region. The university proposes to set up a system for extracting groundwater, treating it and then reinjecting it into the aquifer. This will remove the chloroform and any other "volatile organics." The other chemicals are present in concentrations only slightly above background levels that exist already in the region. Additional actions may be taken to address these in other phases of the cleanup. For the soil, the university proposes to remove and dispose of material in part of inactive campus disposal pits that contain primarily low-level radioactive laboratory waste such as glassware and plastic bags. It will do the same with some of the eastern waste trenches on the site, which also have laboratory waste. One of the aims is to remove materials that might be contributing to water contamination. Both areas were used for waste disposal according to federal and state guidelines that existed at the time of their use. Together with regulatory agencies, a consultant and a neighbors group, the university reviewed various treatment approaches and found these to be the most effective and economically feasible. These actions are considered "interim" and could be followed with more as needed. Since cleanup began in 1990, the Department of Energy has surveyed and released to campus researchers 12 of 16 buildings on the site. Several active UC Davis research programs have replaced the former LEHR project, whose funding ended in 1989, and most of the buildings are in active use. Copies of the environmental documents referred to above, as well as background information on the LEHR site, including reports and plans, are available at the reserve desk of Shields Library on campus and the reference desk of the public library in the city of Davis, 315 E. 14th St.