doc_fn: draftord/435/ch4m435.html
DocType: Draft
ID: DOE M 435.1 Ch 4
Title: Radioactive Waste Mgmt Manual Ch 4/CRD
Summary:
Org: EM
Date_Issue: 07/31/1998
Date_Close:
VdkVgwKey: draftord-1
Directive: 435.1
Text:
CHAPTER IV
LOW-LEVEL WASTE REQUIREMENTS
A. Definition of Low-Level Waste. Low-level radioactive waste is radioactive
waste, including accelerator-produced waste, that is not high-level radioactive
waste, spent nuclear fuel, transuranic waste, byproduct material (as defined in
section 11e.(2) of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954), or naturally occurring
radioactive material.
B. Management of Specific Wastes. The following provide for management of
specific wastes as low-level waste in accordance with the requirements in this
Chapter:
(1) Mixed Low-Level Waste. Low-level waste determined to contain both a
hazardous component subject to the Resource Conservation and Recovery
Act (RCRA), as amended, and a radioactive component subject to the
Atomic Energy Act, as amended, shall be managed in accordance with the
requirements of RCRA and DOE O 435.1, Radioactive Waste
Management, and this Manual. Low-level waste containing
polychlorinated biphenyls, asbestos, or other such regulated toxic
components shall also be managed in accordance with the Toxic
Substances Control Act.
(2) 11e.(2) and Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material. Small
quantities of 11e.(2) byproduct material and naturally occurring
radioactive material may be managed as low-level waste provided they
can be managed to meet the requirements for low-level waste disposal in
Section IV.P.
C. Complex-Wide Low-Level Waste Management Program. A complex-wide
program and plan shall be developed as described under Responsibilities, 2.B and
2.C, in Chapter I of this Manual.
D. Radioactive Waste Management Basis. The radioactive waste management basis
shall include the following:
(1) Generators. The waste certification program.
(2) Treatment Facilities. The waste acceptance requirements and the waste
certification program.
(3) Storage Facilities. The waste acceptance requirements and the waste
certification program.
(4) Disposal Facilities. The performance assessment, composite analysis,
disposal authorization statement, closure plan, waste acceptance
requirements, and monitoring plan.
E. Contingency Actions. The following requirements are in addition to those in
Chapter I of this Manual.
(1) Contingency Storage. For off-normal or emergency situations involving
high activity or high hazard liquid low-level waste storage or treatment,
spare capacity with adequate capabilities shall be maintained to receive
the largest volume of liquid contained in any one storage tank or treatment
facility.
(2) Transfer Equipment. Pipelines and auxiliary facilities necessary for
transfers of high activity or high hazard liquid low-level waste to
contingency storage shall be maintained in an operational condition at all
times when waste is present.
F. Corrective Actions. The following requirements are in addition to those in
Chapter I of this Manual.
(1) Order Compliance. Corrective actions shall be implemented whenever
necessary to ensure the requirements of DOE O 435.1, Radioactive Waste
Management, and this Manual are met.
(2) Operations Curtailment. Operations shall be curtailed or facilities shut
down for failure to establish, maintain, or operate consistent with an
approved radioactive waste management basis.
G. Waste Acceptance. The following requirements are in addition to those in
Chapter I of this Manual.
(1) Technical and Administrative. Waste acceptance requirements for all
low-level waste storage, treatment, or disposal facilities shall specify, at a
minimum, the following:
(a) Allowable activities or concentrations of specific radionuclides.
(b) Acceptable low-level waste form and/or package requirements that
ensure the chemical and physical stability of low-level waste under
conditions that might be encountered during transportation,
storage, treatment, or disposal.
(c) Restrictions or prohibitions on low-level waste, materials, or
packages that may adversely affect low-level waste handlers or
compromise facility or package performance.
(d) The following are additional waste acceptance requirements that
shall be specified in low-level waste disposal facility waste
acceptance requirements:
1. Low-level waste must contribute to achieving long-term
stability of the facility, minimizing the need for long-term
active maintenance, minimizing subsidence, and
minimizing contact of water with waste. Void spaces
within the waste and, if packages are used, between the
waste and its packaging shall be reduced to the extent
practical.
2. Liquid low-level waste or low-level waste containing free
liquid must be converted into a form that contains as little
freestanding liquid as is reasonably achievable, but in no
case shall the liquid exceed 1 percent of the container
volume when the low-level waste is in a disposal container,
or 0.5 percent of the waste volume after it is processed to a
stable form.
3. Low-level waste must not be readily capable of detonation
or of explosive decomposition or reaction at anticipated
pressures and temperatures, or of explosive reaction with
water. Pyrophoric materials contained in waste shall be
treated, prepared, and packaged to be nonflammable.
4. Low-level waste must not contain, or be capable of
generating by radiolysis or biodegradation, quantities of
toxic gases, vapors, or fumes harmful to the public or
workers or disposal facility personnel, or harmful to the
long-term structural stability of the disposal site.
5. Low-level waste in a gaseous form must be packaged such
that the pressure does not exceed 1.5 atmospheres absolute
at 20øC.
(e) The basis, procedures, and levels of authority required for granting
exceptions to the waste acceptance requirements, which shall be
contained in each facility's waste acceptance documentation. Each
exception request shall be documented, including its disposition as
approved or not approved.
(2) Evaluation and Acceptance. The receiving facility shall evaluate waste
for acceptance, including confirmation that the technical and
administrative requirements have been met. A process for the disposition
of non-conforming wastes shall be established.
H. Waste Generation Planning. The following requirements are in addition to those
in Chapter I of this Manual.
(1) Life-Cycle Planning. Prior to waste generation, planning shall be
performed to address the entire life cycle for all low-level waste streams.
(2) Waste With No Identified Path to Disposal. Generation of a low-level
waste stream with no identified path to disposal shall be in accordance
with the process required in Chapter I of this Manual.
I. Waste Characterization. Low-level waste shall be characterized using direct or
indirect methods, and the characterization documented in sufficient detail to
ensure safe handling and compliance with the waste acceptance requirements of
the facility receiving the waste.
(1) Data Quality Objectives. The data quality objectives process, or a
comparable process, shall be used for identifying characterization
parameters and acceptable uncertainty in characterization data.
(2) Minimum Waste Characterization Requirements. Characterization
data shall, at a minimum, include the following:
(a) Physical and chemical characteristics;
(b) Volume, including the waste and any stabilization or absorbent
media;
(c) Weight of the container and contents;
(d) Identities, activities, and concentrations of major radionuclides;
(e) Characterization date;
(f) Generating source; and
(g) Any other information which may be needed to prepare and
maintain the disposal facility performance assessment, or
demonstrate compliance with applicable performance objectives.
J. Waste Certification. A waste certification program shall be developed,
documented, and implemented to ensure that the waste acceptance requirements
of facilities receiving low-level waste for storage, treatment, and disposal are met.
(1) Certification Requirements. The waste certification program shall
designate the officials who have the authority to certify and release waste
for shipment; and specify what documentation is required for waste
generation, characterization, shipment, and certification. The program
shall provide requirements for auditability, retrievability, and storage of
required documentation and specify the records retention period.
(2) Certification Before Transfer. Low-level waste shall be certified as
meeting waste acceptance requirements before it is transferred to the
facility receiving the waste.
(3) Maintaining Certification. Low-level waste that has been certified as
meeting the waste acceptance requirements for transfer to a storage,
treatment, or disposal facility shall be managed in a manner that maintains
its certification status.
K. Waste Transfer. The following requirements are in addition to those in Chapter I
of this Manual.
(1) Data. Low-level waste characterization and packaging data shall be
documented for each transfer.
(2) Authorization. Low-level waste shall not be transferred to a storage,
treatment, or disposal facility until personnel responsible for the facility
receiving the waste authorize the transfer.
(3) Documented Process. A documented process for transferring
responsibility for maintaining the integrity of the waste packages, waste
characterization and packaging data, and waste treatment, storage,
transportation, and disposal information during and between transfers
shall be established.
L. Packaging and Transportation. The following requirements are in addition to
those in Chapter I of this Manual.
(1) Packaging. If packages are used:
(a) Low-level waste shall be packaged in a manner that provides
containment and protection for the duration of the anticipated
storage period and until disposal is achieved or until the waste has
been removed from the packaging.
(b) When waste is packaged, vents or other measures shall be provided
if the potential exists for pressurizing containers or generating
flammable or explosive concentrations of gases within the waste
package.
(c) Low-level waste packages shall be marked such that their contents
can be identified.
(2) Transportation. To the extent practical, the volume of waste and number
of low-level waste shipments shall be minimized.
M. Site Evaluation and Facility Design. The following requirements are in addition
to those in Chapter I of this Manual.
(1) Site Evaluation. Proposed locations for low-level waste facilities shall be
evaluated to identify relevant features that should be avoided or must be
considered in facility design and analyses.
(a) Each site proposed for a new low-level waste facility or expansion
of an existing low-level waste facility shall be evaluated
considering environmental and geotechnical characteristics.
(b) Proposed sites with environmental or geotechnical characteristics
for which adequate protection cannot be provided through facility
design shall be deemed unsuitable for the location of the facility.
(c) Low-level waste disposal facilities shall be sited to achieve long-
term stability and to minimize, to the extent practical, the need for
active maintenance following final closure.
(2) Low-Level Waste Treatment and Storage Facility Design. The
following facility requirements and general design criteria, at a minimum,
apply:
(a) Confinement. Low-level waste systems and components shall be
designed to maintain waste confinement.
(b) Monitoring. Monitoring and leak detection capabilities shall be
incorporated in the design and engineering of low-level waste
treatment and storage facilities to provide rapid identification of
failed confinement and/or other abnormal conditions.
(c) Instrumentation and Control Systems. Engineering controls
shall be incorporated in the design and engineering of low-level
waste treatment and storage facilities to provide volume inventory
data and to prevent spills, leaks, and overflows from tanks or
confinement systems.
(d) Ventilation.
1. Design of low-level waste treatment and storage facilities
shall include ventilation through an appropriate filtration
system to maintain the release of radioactive material in
airborne effluents within the requirements and guidelines
specified in applicable regulations and DOE Orders.
2. When conditions exist for generating gases in flammable
and explosive concentrations, ventilation systems or other
measures shall be provided to keep the concentrations in a
non-flammable and non-explosive condition. Where
concentrations of explosive or flammable gases are
expected to approach the lower flammability limit,
measures shall be taken to prevent deflagration/detonation.
(e) Consideration of Decontamination and Decommissioning.
Areas in new and modifications to existing low-level waste
management facilities that are subject to contamination with
radioactive or other hazardous materials shall be designed to
facilitate decontamination. For such facilities a proposed
decommissioning method or a conversion method leading to reuse
shall be considered.
(3) Low-Level Waste Disposal Facility Design. The following facility
requirements and general design criteria, at a minimum, apply:
(a) Stability. Low-level waste disposal facilities shall be designed to
achieve long-term stability and to minimize to the extent practical,
the need for active maintenance following final closure.
(b) Control of Water. Low-level waste disposal facilities shall be
designed to minimize to the extent practical, the contact of water
with waste during and after disposal.
N. Storage and Staging. The following requirements are in addition to those in
Chapter I of this Manual.
(1) Storage.
(a) Low-level waste that has an identified path to disposal shall not be
stored longer than one year prior to disposal, except for storage for
decay.
(b) Low-level waste that does not have an identified path to disposal
shall be characterized as necessary to meet the data quality
objectives and minimum characterization requirements of this
Chapter, to ensure safe storage, and to facilitate disposal.
(c) Characterization information for all low-level waste in storage
shall be maintained as a record in accordance with the
requirements for Records Management in Chapter I of this
Manual.
(d) A process for low-level waste package inspection(s) and
maintenance shall be developed and implemented to ensure
package integrity.
(e) Low-level waste storage shall be managed to identify and
segregate low-level waste from mixed low-level waste.
(2) Staging. Staging of low-level waste shall be for the purpose of the
accumulation of such quantities of waste as necessary to facilitate
transportation, treatment, and disposal. Staging longer than 90 days shall
meet the requirements for storage above and in Chapter I of this Manual.
O. Treatment. Low-level waste treatment to provide more stable waste forms and to
improve the long-term performance of a low-level waste disposal facility shall be
implemented as necessary to meet the performance objectives of the disposal
facility.
P. Disposal. Low-level waste disposal facilities shall meet the following
requirements.
(1) Performance Objectives. Low-level waste disposal facilities shall be
sited, designed, operated, maintained, and closed so that a reasonable
expectation exists that the following performance objectives will be met:
(a) Dose to representative members of the public shall not exceed
25 mrem (0.25 mSv) in a year total effective dose equivalent from
all exposure pathways, excluding the dose from radon and its
progeny in air.
(b) Dose to representative members of the public via the air pathway
shall not exceed 10 mrem (0.10 mSv) in a year total effective dose
equivalent, excluding the dose from radon and its progeny.
(c) Release of radon shall be less than an average flux of 20 pCi/m2/s
(0.74 Bq/m2/s) at the surface of the disposal facility. Alternatively,
a limit of 0.5 pCi/1 (0.0185 Bq/l) of air may be applied at the
boundary of the facility.
(2) Performance Assessment. A site-specific radiological performance
assessment shall be prepared and maintained for DOE low-level waste
disposal facilities which received waste after September 26, 1988. The
performance assessment shall include calculations for a 1,000 year period
after closure of potential doses to representative future members of the
public and potential releases from the facility to provide a reasonable
expectation that the performance objectives identified in this Chapter are
not exceeded as a result of operation and closure of the facility.
(a) Analyses performed to demonstrate compliance with the
performance objectives in this chapter, and to establish limits on
concentrations of radionuclides for disposal based on the
performance measures for inadvertent intruders in this Chapter
shall be based on reasonable activities in the critical group of
exposed individuals. Unless otherwise specified, the assumption
of average living habits and exposure conditions in representative
critical groups of individuals projected to receive the highest doses
is appropriate. The likelihood of inadvertent intruder scenarios
may be considered, if adequate justification is provided.
(b) The point of compliance shall correspond to the point of highest
projected dose or concentration beyond a 100 meter buffer zone
surrounding the disposed waste. A larger or smaller buffer zone
may be used if adequate justification is provided.
(c) Performance assessments shall address reasonably foreseeable
natural processes that might disrupt barriers against release and
transport of radioactive materials.
(d) Performance assessments shall use DOE-approved dose
coefficients (dose conversion factors) for internal and external
exposure of reference adults.
(e) The performance assessment shall include a sensitivity/uncertainty
analysis. The analysis shall include an estimate of the maximum
projected dose, flux, or concentration beyond the 1,000 year
period.
(f) Performance assessments shall include a demonstration that
projected releases of radionuclides to the environment shall be
maintained as low as reasonably achievable (ALARA).
(g) For purposes of establishing limits on the concentration of
radionuclides that may be disposed of near-surface, the
performance assessment shall include an assessment of impacts
calculated for a hypothetical person assumed to inadvertently
intrude for a temporary period into the low-level waste disposal
facility. For intruder analyses, active institutional controls shall be
assumed to be effective in deterring intrusion for at least 100 years
following closure. The intruder analyses shall use performance
measures for chronic and acute exposure scenarios, respectively, of
100 mrem (1 mSv) in a year and 500 mrem (5 mSv) total effective
dose equivalent excluding radon in air.
(3) Composite Analysis. For disposal facilities which received waste after
September 26, 1988, a site-specific radiological composite analysis shall
be prepared and maintained that accounts for all sources of radioactive
material that may be left at the DOE site and may interact with the low-
level waste disposal facility, contributing to the dose projected to a
hypothetical member of the public from the existing or future disposal
facilities. Projections of release and dose shall be used for planning,
radiation protection activities, and future use commitments. Performance
measures shall be consistent with DOE public and environmental
protection requirements and evaluated for a 1,000 year period following
disposal facility closure. Performance measures shall include measures
that address protection of water resources consistent with applicable
Federal, state, and local requirements and the DOE-required groundwater
protection management program considering future use commitments.
(4) Performance Assessment and Composite Analysis Maintenance. The
performance assessment and composite analysis shall be maintained to
evaluate changes that could affect the performance, design, and operating
bases for the facility. Performance assessment and composite analysis
maintenance shall include the conduct of research, field studies, and
monitoring needed to address uncertainties or gaps in existing data. The
performance assessment shall be updated to support the final facility
closure. Additional iterations of the performance assessment and
composite analysis shall be conducted as necessary during the post-closure
period.
(a) Performance assessments and composite analyses shall be
reviewed and revised when changes in waste forms or packaging,
radionuclide inventories, facility design and operations, closure
concepts, or the improved understanding of the performance of the
waste disposal facility in combination with the features of the site
on which it is located alter the conclusions or the conceptual
model(s) of the existing performance assessment or composite
analysis.
(b) A determination of the continued adequacy of the performance
assessment and composite analysis shall be made on an annual
basis, and shall consider the results of data collection and analysis
from research, field studies, and monitoring.
(c) Annual summaries of low-level waste disposal operations shall be
prepared with respect to the conclusions and recommendations of
the performance assessment and composite analysis and a
determination of the need to revise the performance assessment or
composite analysis.
(5) Disposal Authorization. A disposal authorization statement shall be
obtained prior to construction of a new low-level waste disposal facility.
Field Elements with existing low-level waste disposal facilities shall
obtain a disposal authorization statement in accordance with the schedule
in the Complex-Wide Low-Level Waste Management Program Plan. The
disposal authorization statement shall be issued based on a review of the
facility's performance assessment, composite analysis, performance
assessment and composite analysis maintenance, preliminary closure plan,
and preliminary monitoring plan. The disposal authorization statement
shall specify the limits and conditions on construction, design, operations,
and closure of the low-level waste facility based on these reviews. A
disposal authorization statement is a part of the radioactive waste
management basis for a disposal facility. Failure to obtain a disposal
authorization statement by the effective date of this Order shall result in
shutdown of the disposal facility.
(6) Disposal Facility Operations. The disposal facility design and operation
must be consistent with the disposal facility closure plan and lead to
disposal facility closure that provides a reasonable expectation that
performance objectives will be met. Low-level waste shall be disposed in
such a manner that achieves the performance objectives stated in this
Chapter, consistent with the disposal facility radiological performance
assessment. Additional requirements include:
(a) Operating procedures shall be developed and implemented for
low-level waste disposal facilities that protect the public, workers,
and the environment; ensure the security of the facility; minimize
subsidence during and after waste emplacement; achieve long-term
stability and minimize the need for long-term active maintenance;
and meet the requirements of the closure/post-closure plan.
(b) Permanent identification markers for disposal excavations and
monitoring wells shall be emplaced.
(c) Low-level waste placement into disposal units shall minimize
voids between packages. Voids within disposal units shall be
filled to the extent practical. Unpackaged bulk waste shall also be
placed in a manner that minimizes voids and subsidence.
(d) Operations are to be conducted so that active waste disposal
operations will not have an adverse effect on any other disposal
units.
(e) Operations shall include a process for tracking and documenting
low-level waste placement in the facility by generator source.
(7) Alternate Requirements for Low-Level Waste Disposal Facility
Design and Operation. Requirements other than those set forth in this
Section for the design and operation of a low-level waste disposal facility
may be approved on a specific basis if a reasonable expectation is
demonstrated that the disposal performance objectives will be met.
Q. Closure. The following requirements are in addition to those in Chapter I of this
Manual.
(1) Disposal Facility Closure Plans. A preliminary closure plan shall be
developed and submitted to Headquarters for review with the performance
assessment and composite analysis. The closure plan shall be updated
within one year following issuance of the disposal authorization statement
to incorporate conditions specified in the disposal authorization statement.
Closure plans shall:
(a) Be updated as required during the operational life of the facility.
(b) Include a description of how the disposal facility will be closed to
achieve long-term stability and minimize the need for active
maintenance following closure and to ensure compliance with the
requirements of DOE O 5400.5, Radiation Protection of the Public
and the Environment, (or 10 CFR 834, when promulgated).
(c) Include the total expected inventory of wastes to be disposed of at
the facility over the operational life of the facility.
(2) Disposal Facility Closure. Closure of a disposal facility shall occur
within a five-year period after it is filled to capacity, or the facility is
otherwise determined to be no longer needed.
(a) Prior to facility closure, the final inventory of the low-level waste
disposed in the facility shall be prepared and incorporated in the
performance assessment and composite analysis which shall be
updated to support the closure of the facility.
(b) A final closure plan shall be prepared based on the final inventory
of waste disposed in the facility and the updated performance
assessment and composite analysis prepared in support of the
facility closure.
(c) Institutional control shall continue until the facility can be released
pursuant to DOE O 5400.5, Radiation Protection of the Public and
the Environment, (or 10 CFR 834, when promulgated).
(d) The location and use of the facility shall be filed with the local
authorities responsible for land use and zoning.
R. Monitoring. The following requirements are in addition to those in Chapter I of
this Manual.
(1) All Facilities. Parameters that shall be sampled or monitored, at a
minimum, include: temperature, pressure (for closed systems),
radioactivity in ventilation exhaust and liquid effluent streams, and
flammable or explosive mixtures of gases. Facility monitoring programs
shall also include physical inspections to verify that control systems have
not failed.
(2) Storage Facilities. For facilities storing liquid low-level waste, the
following shall also be monitored: liquid level and/or waste volume, and
significant waste chemistry parameters.
(3) Disposal Facilities. A preliminary monitoring plan for a low-level waste
disposal facility shall be prepared and submitted to Headquarters for
review with the performance assessment and composite analysis. The
monitoring plan shall be updated within one year following issuance of
the disposal authorization statement to incorporate conditions specified in
the disposal authorization statement.
(a) The site-specific performance assessment and composite analysis
shall be used to determine the media, locations, radionuclides, and
other substances to be monitored.
(b) The environmental monitoring program shall be designed to
include measuring and evaluating effluent releases, migration of
radionuclides, disposal unit subsidence, and changes in disposal
facility and disposal site parameters which may affect long-term
performance.
(c) The environmental monitoring programs shall be capable of
detecting changing trends in performance to allow application of
any necessary corrective action prior to exceeding the performance
objectives in this Chapter. DOE M 435.1 Attachment 2
DRAFT XX-XX-XX Page (and Page 2)
CONTRACTOR REQUIREMENTS DOCUMENT
1. In the performance of this contract, the contractor is required to:
A. Comply with the requirements in DOE M 435.1, Radioactive Waste Management
Manual, unless such activities are conducted under the authority of the Director,
Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program, as described in Public Law 98-525.
B. Incorporate these requirements into the contracts of all sub-contractors which are
involved in the management of DOE radioactive waste.
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