Value of information analysis for corrective action unit No. 98: Frenchman Flat

A value of information analysis has been completed as part of the corrective action process for Frenchman Flat, the first Nevada Test Site underground test area to be scheduled for the corrective action process. A value of information analysis is a cost-benefit analysis applied to the acquisition of new information which is needed to reduce the uncertainty in the prediction of a contaminant boundary surrounding underground nuclear tests in Frenchman Flat. The boundary location will be established to protect human health and the environment from the consequences of using contaminated groundwater on the Nevada Test Site. Uncertainties in the boundary predictions are assumed to be the result of data gaps. The value of information analysis in this document compares the cost of acquiring new information with the benefit of acquiring that information during the corrective action investigation at Frenchman Flat. Methodologies incorporated into the value of information analysis include previous geological modeling, groundwater flow modeling, contaminant transport modeling, statistics, sensitivity analysis, uncertainty analysis, and decision analysis