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U.S. Department of Energy ORDER
Washington, D.C. DOE 5820.2A
9-26-88
SUBJECT: RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT
1. PURPOSE. To establish policies, guidelines, and minimum requirements by
which the Department of Energy (DOE) manages its radioactive and mixed
waste and contaminated facilities.
2. CANCELLATION. DOE 5820.2, RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT OF 2-6-84.
3. SCOPE. The provisions of this Order apply to all DOE elements and, as
required by law and/or contract and as implemented by the appropriate
contracting officer, all DOE contractors and subcontractors performing
work that involves management of waste containing radioactivity and/or
radioactively contaminated facilities for DOE under the Atomic Energy
Act of 1954, as amended (Public Law 83-703).
4. EXCLUSION. This Order does not apply to the management by the
Department of commercially generated spent nuclear fuel or high-level
radioactive waste, nor to the geologic disposal of high-level waste
produced by the Departments activities and operations. Such materials
are managed by the Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management under
the requirements of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982, as amended
(Public Law 97-425).
5. POLICY. Radioactive and mixed wastes shall be managed in a manner that
assures protection of the health and safety of the public, DOE, and
contractor employees, and the environment. The generation, treatment,
storage, transportation, and/or disposal of radioactive wastes, and the
other pollutants or hazardous substances they contain, shall be
accomplished in a manner that minimizes the generation of such wastes
across program office functions and complies with all applicable
Federal, State, and local environmental, safety, and health laws and
regulations and DOE requirements.
6. REFERENCES. (See Attachment 1.)
7. DEFINITIONS. (See Attachment 2.)
8. RESPONSIBILITIES.
a. Assistant Secretary for Defense Programs (DP-1) has authority for
establishing policy for the management of DOE waste and assuring
that DOE waste generated by operations and activities under DP-1
cognizance, or any other waste within the purview of DP-1, is
managed according to the requirements of this Order. DP-1 also has
general responsibility for assuring that DP-1 programmatic decisions
include waste management considerations when appropriate. Specific
responsibilities include:
(1) Assuring the safe storage and disposal of all DOE waste other
than that managed by NE-1 and RW-1;
(2) Implementing new and alternative technologies and processes to
improve management of DP waste;
(3) Developing and operating the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, a
facility near Carlsbad, New Mexico, for conducting research and
development to demonstrate the safe disposal of radioactive
waste from defense activities and programs of the United States
exempted from regulation by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission;
(4) Conducting research and development for DOE waste
transportation systems and providing for safe, efficient, and
economic transport of materials, pursuant to DOE 1540.1;
(5) Managing DP contaminated facilities, including those that are
surplus to program needs;
(6) Assuring that the environmental, safety, health,
transportation, quality assurance, unusual occurrence,
construction project management, real estate management, and
facility design requirements set forth in DOE Orders are
implemented for DP-1 waste management programs; and
(7) Supporting the information needs of the Integrated Data Base
program on defense program activities and jointly managing and
funding the program in cooperation with NE-1 and RW-1 (see
Attachment 1, page 3, paragraph 23).
b. Director of Defense Waste and Transportation Management (DP-12) is
charged with carrying out DP-1 waste management responsibilities for
oversight of the waste management complex, for interpreting waste
management policy, and for implementing the requirements of this
Order for waste management facilities and operations funded by
DP-12. Specific responsibilities include:
(1) Management of storage, treatment, and disposal operations for
defense waste;
(2) Managing defense contaminated facilities that are excess to
programmatic needs;
(3) Reviewing and approving new or alternative waste management
practices;
(4) Conducting research and development for DOE waste
transportation systems and providing for safe, efficient, and
economic transport of materials, pursuant to DOE 1540.1;
(5) Conducting independent health, safety, and quality assurance
audits of field waste management organizations, in cooperation
with EH-1, to assess compliance with the requirements of this
Order;
(6) Issuing, in consultation with EH-1, approval of exemptions from
the requirements of this Order (paragraph 9) that are proposed
by other Headquarters or field organizations;
(7) Issuing in consultation with EH-1 and Headquarters program
organizations updated waste management guidance; and
(8) Approving documents, reports, and plans, as required by this
Order, for DP programs and activities.
c. Director of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management (RW-1) is
responsible for selected research and development, siting,
construction, operation, and management activities assigned to the
Secretary of Energy by the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (Public
Law 97-425) for the interim storage and disposal of high-level waste
and spent nuclear fuel. Specific responsibilities include the
following:
(1) The long-term care, in cooperation with NE-1, of closed
commercial low-level waste sites transferred to DOE;
(2) Lead responsibility, in cooperation with NE-1 and DP-1, for the
Integrated Data Base program (see Attachment 1, page 3,
paragraph 23);
(3) Assurance that the requirements of DOE Orders are met for all
waste management activities under RW-1 purview; and
(4) Independent health, safety, and quality assurance audits of
field waste management organizations in cooperation with EH-1,
to assess compliance with the requirements of this Order.
d. Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy (NE-1) is responsible for
assuring that waste generated by operations funded by NE-1 is
managed according to the requirements of this Order and that NE-1
program decisions include waste management considerations, as
appropriate. Specific responsibilities include:
(1) Managing DOE wastes from NE-1 operations and activities,
including the breeder reactor, space nuclear, naval reactor,
and remedial action programs, as well as the Three Mile Island
and West Valley projects;
(2) Managing waste generated by DOE enrichment operations and
disposed at sites located at the Oak Ridge, Portsmouth, and
Paducah gaseous diffusion plants;
(3) Managing any greater than Class C low-level waste, as defined
in Section 3(h)(1)(D) of Public Law 99-240, which may be
accepted by the Department for disposal in cooperation with
DP-1;
(4) Developing and implementing alternative technologies and
processes to support storage and disposal of waste or spent
fuel generated by NE-1 operations;
(5) Managing NE-1 contaminated facilities, including those that are
surplus to program needs, and waste storage/disposal sites;
(6) Developing and implementing commercial applications for waste
byproducts;
(7) Assuring that environmental, safety, health, transportation,
quality assurance, unusual occurrence, construction project
management, real estate management, and facility design
requirements set forth in DOE Orders, are implemented for NE-1
waste management programs;
(8) Conducting independent health, safety, and quality assurance
audits of field waste management operations in cooperation with
EH-1 to assess compliance with the requirements of this Order;
and
(9) Supporting the information needs of the Integrated Data Base
program on civilian nuclear program activities in cooperation
with DP-1 and RW-1 (see Attachment 1, page 3, paragraph 23).
e. Assistant Secretary for Environment, Safety and Health (EH-1) is
responsible for providing an independent overview of DOE radioactive
waste management and decommissioning programs to determine
compliance with DOE environment, safety, and health requirements and
applicable Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and state
regulations. Specific responsibilities include:
(1) Advising the Secretary of the status of Departmental compliance
with the requirements of this Order and applicable provisions
of DOE 5480.1B, and EH Orders.
(2) Conducting independent appraisals and audits of DOE waste
management and decommissioning programs consistent with the
requirements of DOE 5482.1B.
(3) Reviewing site Waste Management Plans and Decommissioning
Project Plans with regard to compliance with DOE environment,
safety, and health requirements.
f. Director, Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program: Executive Order 12344,
statutorily prescribed by PL 98-525 (42 USC 7158 note), establishes
the responsibilities and authority of the Director, Naval Nuclear
Propulsion Program (who is also the Deputy Assistant Secretary for
Naval Reactors within the Department) over all facilities and
activities which comprise the Program, a joint Navy-DOE
organization. The policy principle promoted by these executive and
legislative actions is cited in the Executive Order as ...preserving
the basic structure, policies and practices developed for this
Program in the past.... Accordingly, The Naval Propulsion Program
is exempt from the provisions of this Order. The Director shall
maintain an environmental protection program to assure compliance
with applicable environmental statutes and regulation. The Director
and EH-1 shall exchange information and cooperate as appropriate to
facilitate exorcise of their respective responsibility.
g. Directors of other Headquarters Program Organizations are
responsible for implementing the requirements of this Order for all
DOE waste generated by their programs until it is transferred to a
DOE or licensed storage/disposal site. For all contaminated
facilities under their jurisdiction, they are responsible for
assuring that their programmatic decisions include waste management
considerations, as appropriate, and for implementing the
requirements of other applicable DOE Orders for their waste
management programs.
h. Office of General Counsel (GC-1) provides legal advice to program
organizations regarding DOE waste management and decommissioning
activities involving DOE-owned and privately owned sites; renders
legal opinion on DOE authority to undertake remedial action and
other waste management activities; and renders legal opinions on,
and concurs in, program actions to comply with the National
Environmental Policy Act, the Resource Conservation and Recovery
Act, the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and
Liability Act, the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act, and
other legal authorities in conjunction with proposed waste
management and decommissioning activities.
i. Assistant Secretary, Management and Administration (MA-1) is
responsible for providing contractual and business advice to program
organizations regarding DOE waste management activities, including
use of DOE management and operating contractors in such activities.
j. Heads of Field Organizations are responsible for all activities that
affect the treatment, storage, or disposal of waste in facilities
under their jurisdiction regardless of where the waste is generated.
Heads of field organizations with treatment, storage or disposal
facilities responsibility have the authority for establishing waste
management requirements at that facility (e.g., setting waste
acceptance criteria, waste certification, verification of contents
of waste shipped or to be shipped, concurring in waste reduction
plans). In addition, they are responsible for assuring that the
day-to-day waste management and surplus facility operations at their
sites are conducted in compliance with the requirements of this
Order and comply with all applicable Federal, State, and local
statutes. Specific responsibilities include the following:
(1) Preparing annual updates of the Waste Management Plans for all
operations under their purview according to the format in the
Waste Management Plan Outline, Chapter VI. These Plans shall
be submitted in December of each year and be distributed to
DP-12, EH-1, and other appropriate Headquarters organizations
for review and comment.
(2) Preparing supplements to this Order that identify specific
detailed requirements for waste management practices and
procedures conducted at their sites.
(3) Overseeing fiscal responsibility for transporting waste and
establishing of fees to recover the incremental costs for
storage and disposal of DOE waste at their sites.
(4) Establishing waste acceptance criteria and reviewing waste
minimization plans of other field organization's facilities
that generate radioactive, hazardous, or mixed waste that will
be treated, stored or disposed of at facilities under their
purview.
(5) Auditing any waste generating organization that ships waste to
their sites for treatment, storage, or disposal to assure
compliance with established waste acceptance criteria.
(6) Maintaining environmental, safety, and health programs for all
DOE waste management operations under their purview.
(7) Managing contaminated facilities under their purview according
to the requirements of this Order and guidance provided by
Headquarters program offices, providing program secretarial
officers with the necessary characterizational and engineering
data for contaminated facilities, and developing site-specific
priorities, schedules, and costs for remedial actions.
(8) Assuring that the requirements of the Order, applicable to
contractors and subcontractors whose contracts fall within the
scope of the Order, are properly reflected in the contract
document.
(9) Defining and assuring that required quality assurance
activities are established and implemented for all waste
management activities under their purview, pursuant to the
requirements of DOE 5700.6B and reporting unusual occurrences
pursuant to the requirements of DOE 5000.3.
(10) Providing information, as requested, to the Integrated Data
Base Program, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, for all types of
waste under their purview, including: high-level waste;
transuranic waste; low-level waste; naturally occurring and
accelerator produced radioactive material; mixed waste; and
wastes from decommissioning activities (see Attachment 1, page
3, paragraph 23).
k. Manager of Albuquerque Operations Office is responsible, in addition
to the responsibilities identified in paragraph 8j, for use of
certified packaging, standard containers, transportation, waste
acceptance criteria, and all other aspects related to transuranic
waste emplacement at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant. Within the
Albuquerque Operations Office, a standing committee, the Waste
Isolation Pilot Plant-Waste Acceptance Criteria Certification
Committee, is responsible for review, audit, and approval of
generator transuranic waste certification programs and activities.
The Manager of the Albuquerque Operations Office, as Head of the
Waste Isolation Pilot Plant project office, also has responsibility
for the design, construction, technology development, and
operational activities leading to permanent isolation of transuranic
waste from the biosphere.
9. EXEMPTIONS. Exemptions from the requirements of this Order may be
granted only with the approval of DP-12 in consultation with EH-1. New
or alternate waste management practices that are based on appropriate
documented safety, health protection, and economic analyses may be
proposed by field organizations and adopted with the approval of DP-12
and EH-1.
10. IMPLEMENTING PROCEDURES AND REQUIREMENTS. Within 6 months of the date
of issuance of this Order, Heads of Field Elements shall prepare and
submit to appropriate Headquarters program organizations an
implementation plan describing schedules, costs, and quality assurance
activities for compliance with the requirements of this Order with
copies to EH-1 for review and comment. Specific guidance for the plan
will be issued by DP-12 under separate cover. Thereafter, the status of
compliance with the requirements of this Order shall be reported to the
appropriate Headquarters program organization in the annual update of
the Waste Management Plans.
11. CLEARANCE UNDER THE PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT OF 1980. This directive has
been determined to contain information collections under the provisions
of 5 CFR 1320, "Controlling Paperwork Burdens on the Public." The Office
of Management and Budget (OMB) has issued a clearance to the Department
(OMB No. 1910-0900) for these information collections.
BY ORDER OF THE SECRETARY OF ENERGY
LAWRENCE F. DAVENPORT
Assistant Secretary
Management and Administration
REFERENCES
1. DOE 1332.1A, UNIFORM REPORTING SYSTEM, of 10-15-85, establishes the
content and format of plans and reports to be obtained from the
Department's contractors and stipulated as a contract requirement.
2. DOE 1430.1A, MANAGEMENT OF THE DEPARTMENT'S SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL
INFORMATION, of 9-10-86, which establishes the policy that scientific
and technical information developed during work supported by DOE shall
be promptly and fully reported to the Technical Information Center
(MA-28), located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, for inclusion in the
Department's information data base.
3. DOE 1540.1, MATERIALS TRANSPORTATION AND TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT of 5-3-82,
establishes the Department's policies for management of materials
transportation activities.
4. DOE 1540.2, HAZARDOUS MATERIAL PACKAGING FOR TRANSPORTATION
ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES of 9-30-86, establishes administrative
procedures for the certification and use of radioactive and other
hazardous materials packaging by the Department of Energy.
5. DOE 2110.1, PRICING OF DEPARTMENTAL MATERIALS AND SERVICES of 2-16-84,
which establishes the Department's policy for establishing prices and
charges for materials and services provided to outside persons and
organizations.
6. DOE 4300.1B, REAL PROPERTY AND SITE DEVELOPMENT PLANNING of 7-1-87,
establishes Department policies and procedures for planning the
development and utilization of sites and their facilities and for the
acquisition, use, inventory, and disposal of real property or interests
therein.
7. DOE 4700.1, PROJECT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, of 3-6-87, establishes the DOE
Project Management System (PMS), provides implementing instructions,
formats and procedures and sets forth requirements which govern the
development, approval and execution of DOE's outlay program acquisition
as embodied in the PMS.
8. DOE 5000.3, UNUSUAL OCCURRENCE REPORTING SYSTEM of 11-7-84, establishes
the Department's policy and provides instructions for reporting,
analyzing, and disseminating information on programmatically significant
events.
9. DOE 5400.2, ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLIANCE ISSUE COORDINATION, of 8-13-87,
establishes DOE requirements for coordination of significant
environmental compliance issues.
10. DOE 5440.1C, NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ACT of 4-9-85, establishes
the Department's policy for implementation of the National Environmental
Policy Act of 1969 (Public Law 91-190).
11. DOE 5480.1B, ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY, AND HEALTH PROGRAM FOR DEPARTMENT OF
ENERGY OPERATIONS of 9-23-86, establishes an overall framework of
program requirements for safety, environmental, and health protection,
including criteria for radiation exposure and radioactive effluent
releases for operating facilities and sites.
12. DOE 5480.3, SAFETY REQUIREMENTS FOR THE PACKAGING AND TRANSPORTATION OF
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS, HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES AND HAZARDOUS WASTES, of
7-9-85, establishes requirements for the packaging and transportation of
hazardous materials, hazardous substances, and hazardous wastes.
13. DOE 5481.1B, SAFETY ANALYSIS AND REVIEW SYSTEM of 9-23-86, establishes
uniform requirements for the preparation and review of safety analyses
of DOE operations.
14. DOE 5482.1B, ENVIRONMENT, SAFETY AND HEALTH APPRAISAL PROGRAM of
9-23-86, establishes an environment safety and health appraisal program
for DOE.
15. DOE 5484.1, ENVIRONMENTAL, SAFETY, AND HEALTH PROTECTION INFORMATION
REPORTING REQUIREMENTS of 2-24-81, establishes requirements and
practices for reporting environmental, health, and safety information
for DOE operations.
16. DOE 5700.6B, QUALITY ASSURANCE of 9-23-86, sets forth principles and
assigns responsibilities for establishing, implementing, and maintaining
programs of plans and actions to assure quality achievement in the
Department's programs.
17. DOE 6430.1, GENERAL DESIGN CRITERIA of 12-12-83, establishes general
design criteria for use in acquisition of the Department's facilities
and to establish responsibilities and authorities for the development
and maintenance of those criteria.
18. WIPP-DOE-069, rev. 2, of 9-85, "Transuranic Waste Acceptance Criteria
for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant" of 9-81, as updated, specifies
basic requirements for disposal of contact-handled and remote-handled
transuranic waste at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant. Copies of this
and other DOE Waste Isolation Pilot Plant reports may be obtained from
the Albuquerque Operations Office.
19. WIPP-DOE-120, rev. 1, of 1-83, "Quality Assurance" establishes the
Quality Assurance requirements to ensure that each site's transuranic
waste certification program will perform satisfactorily.
20. WIPP-DOE-157, rev. 1, of 9-85, "Data Package Format for Certified
Transuranic Waste for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant" specifies the
arrangement of data which are required to be reported to the Waste
Isolation Pilot Plant for transuranic waste to be received.
21. DOE/LLW-63T of 9-87, "Guidance for Conduct of Waste Management Systems
Performance Assessment" provides information on meeting the systems
performance requirement of Chapter III 3b(2) of DOE 5820.2A.
22. DOE-JIO-025 of 9-87, "Comprehensive Implementation Plan for the DOE
Defense Buried Transuranic-Contaminated Waste Program," describes long
term management alternatives for all DOE sites with buried transuranic
waste.
23. DOE/RW-0006, rev. 3, "Integrated Data Base for 1987: Spent Fuel and
Radioactive Waste Inventories, Projections, and Characteristics" of
9-87, with annual updates, summarizes data in the Integrated Data Base
program on all domestic spent fuel and radioactive waste. Copies may be
obtained from the Office of Nuclear Energy, Germantown, or the Technical
Information Center, Oak Ridge.
24. DOE/DP/0020/1 "An Evaluation of Commercial Repository Capacity for the
Disposal of Defense High Level Waste," of 6-85, evaluates the use of
civilian repository capacity for the disposal of high level waste
resulting from Defense activities, and provided to the President as one
analytical input for his evaluation as required under the Nuclear Waste
Policy Act.
25. Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982, as amended, (Public Law 97-425)
provides for the development of repositories for the disposal of
high-level waste and spent nuclear fuel.
26. Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act of 1978 (Pubic Law 95-604)
establishes national policy for control of uranium mill tailings.
27. Energy Reorganization Act of 1974 (Public Law 93-438), in Section 202,
assigns licensing and related regulatory authority to the Nuclear
Regulatory Commission for facilities authorized for the express purpose
of long-term storage of defense high-level waste.
28. Department of Energy National Security and Military Applications of
Nuclear Energy Authorization Act of 1980 (Public Law 96-164), Section
213(a) authorizes the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant.
29. Low-Level Radioactive Waste Policy Amendments Act of 1985 (Public Law
99-240) makes the Federal Government responsible for disposal of
commercially generated greater than class C waste as defined in Section
3(b)(1)(D) of the Act.
30. Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976, as amended, (Public Law
94-580) establishes safe and environmentally acceptable management
practices for solid wastes.
31. Comprehensive Environment Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of
1980, as amended, (Public Law 96-510) to provide for liability,
compensation, cleanup, and emergency response for hazardous substances
released into the environment, and the cleanup of inactive hazardous
waste disposal sites.
32. The Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986 (Public Law
99-270) provides for a fund (Superfund) which may be utilized by the
Environmental Protection Agency, State, and local governments to clean
up hazardous waste sites listed on the National Priorities List.
33. National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (Public Law 91-190) requires
the preparation of a statement which considers environmental impacts,
alternatives, and resource commitments for any major Federal action that
significantly affects the quality of the human environment.
34. Title 5 CFR 1320, Controlling Paperwork Burdens on the Public serves as
the implementing regulation for Public Law 96-511, Paperwork Reduction
Act of 1980 and directs the identification and clearance of information
collections levied on the public, including contractors, State and local
government units, and persons who perform services for the Department on
an individual basis.
35. Title 10 CFR Part 60, of 2-25-81, Disposal of High-Level Wastes in
Geologic Repositories, prescribes rules governing the licensing of the
Department of Energy to receive and possess source, special nuclear, and
byproduct material at a geologic repository operations area.
36. Title 10 CFR Part 61, of 12-27-82, Licensing Requirements for Land
Disposal of Radioactive Waste, establishes technical requirements for
the land disposal of commercial low-level waste including site
selection, site design, and facility operation and closure.
37. Title 10 CFR Part 71, of 8-5-83, Packaging and Transportation of
Radioactive Material, establishes (1) requirements for packaging,
preparation for shipment, and transportation of licensed material and
(2) procedures and standards for NRC approval of packaging and shipping
procedures for fissile material and for a quantity of other licensed
material in excess of a Type A quantity.
38. Title 10 CFR Part 962, of 5-1-87, Radioactive Waste; Byproduct Material
establishes the policy that all DOE radioactive waste which is hazardous
under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act will be subject to
regulation under both the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and
Atomic Energy Act.
39. Title 10 CFR Part 61, of 7-1-87, National Emission Standards for
Hazardous Air Pollutants, establishes standards for atmospheric
emissions of hazardous air pollutants and radionuclides.
40. Title 40 CFR Part 191, of 9-19-85, Environmental Radioactive Protection
Standards for Management and Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel, High-Level
and transuranic Radioactive Waste, establishes radiation protection
standards governing the management and storage of spent nuclear fuel or
high-level or transuranic wastes at any disposal facility operated by
DOE.
41. Title 40 CFR Part 192, of 1-5-83, Health and Environmental Protection
Standards for Uranium and Thorium Mill Tailings, concerns the control of
residual radioactive material at designated processing or disposal
sites.
42. Title 40 CFR Part 261, of 5-19-80, Identification and Listing of
Hazardous Waste identifies those solid wastes that are subject to
regulation as hazardous waste.
43. Title 40 CFR 262, of 5-19-80, Standards Applicable to Generators of
Hazardous Waste, establishes manufacturing, packaging, labeling, record
keeping, and reporting requirements for generators of hazardous waste.
44. Title 40 CFR Part 263, of 5-19-80, Standards Applicable to Transporters
of Hazardous Waste, establishes manufacturing, record keeping, spill
reporting and cleanup requirements for transporters of hazardous waste.
45. Title 40 CFR Part 264, of 5-19-80, Standards for Owners and Operators of
Hazardous Waste Treatment, Storage and Disposal Facilities, establishes
minimum national standards defining the acceptable management of
hazardous waste.
46. Title 40 CFR Part 265, of 5-19-80, Interim Status Standards for Owners
and Operators of Hazardous Waste Treatment, Storage, and Disposal
Facilities, establishes minimum national standards that define the
acceptable management of hazardous waste during the period of interim
status and until certification of final closure.
47. Title 49 CFR Parts 100-178, of 10-1-86, Other Regulations Relating to
Transportation: Chapter I-Research and Special Programs Administration,
Department of Transportation, prescribes the requirements of the DOT
governing the transportation of hazardous material and the manufacture
and testing of packaging and containers.
48. ANSI/ASME NQA-1 "American National Standards Institute/American Society
of Mechanical Engineers Nuclear Quality Assurance-1," sets forth
requirements for the establishment and execution of quality assurance
programs for the design, construction, operation, and decommissioning of
nuclear facilities.
49. Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended 42 U.S.C. 2011-2292 (1982) which
authorizes and directs the Atomic Energy Commission to produce special
nuclear material in its own facilities to produce atomic weapons or
atomic weapons parts and to research and develop military applications
of atomic energy.
50. Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act of 1987 (part of the Budget
Reconciliation Act for FY 1988 Public Law 100-203), of December 22,
1987, streamlines and focuses the high level waste management program
established by the Nuclear Waste Policy Act.
DEFINITIONS
1. Below Regulatory Concern. A definable amount of low-level waste that
can be deregulated with minimal risk to the public.
2. Buffer Zone. The smallest region beyond the disposal unit that is
required as controlled space for monitoring and for taking mitigative
measures, as may be required.
3. Byproduct Material. (Attachment 1, pages 4 and 5, paragraphs 38 and
49.)
a. Any radioactive material (except special nuclear material) yielded
in, or made radioactive by, exposure to the radiation incident or to
the process of producing or utilizing special nuclear material. For
purposes of determining the applicability of the Resource
Conservation and Recovery Act to any radioactive waste, the term
"any radioactive material" refers only to the actual radionuclides
dispersed or suspended in the waste substance. The nonradioactive
hazardous waste component of the waste substance will be subject to
regulation under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.
b. The tailings or waste produced by the extraction or concentration of
uranium or thorium from any ore processed primarily for its source
material content. Ore bodies depleted by uranium solution
extraction operations and which remain underground do not constitute
"byproduct material."
4. Certified Waste. Waste that has been confirmed to comply with disposal
site waste acceptance criteria (e.g., the Waste Isolation Pilot
Plant-Waste Acceptance Criteria for transuranic waste) under an approved
certification program.
5. Closure.
a. Operational Closure. Those actions that are taken upon completion
of operations to prepare the disposal site or disposal unit for
custodial care, (e.g., addition of cover, grading, drainage, erosion
control).
b. Final Site Closure: Those actions that are taken as part of a
formal decommissioning or remedial action plan, the purpose of which
is to achieve long-term stability of the disposal site and to
eliminate to the extent practical the need for active maintenance so
that only surveillance, monitoring, and minor custodial care are
required.
6. Contact-Handled Transuranic Waste. Packaged transuranic waste whose
external surface dose rate does not exceed 200 mrem per hour.
7. Decommissioning. Actions taken to reduce the potential health and
safety impacts of DOE contaminated facilities, including activities to
stabilize, reduce, or remove radioactive materials or to demolish the
facilities.
8. Decontamination. The removal of radioactive contamination from
facilities, equipment, or soils by washing, heating, chemical or
electrocronical action, mechanical cleaning, or other techniques.
9. Department of Energy Waste. Radioactive waste generated by activities
of the Department (or its predecessors) waste for which the Department
is responsible under law or contract, or other waste for which the
Department is responsible. Such waste may be referred to as DOE waste.
10. Disposal. Emplacement of waste in a manner that assures isolation from
the biosphere for the foreseeable future with no intent of retrieval and
that requires deliberate action to regain access to the waste.
11. Dial Facility. The land, structures, and equipment used for the
disposal of waste.
12. Disposal Site. That portion of a disposal facility which is used to
dispose of waste. For low-level waste, it consists of disposal units
and a buffer zone.
13. Disposal Unit. A discrete portion (e.g., a pit, trench, tumulus, vault,
or bunker) of the disposal site into which waste is placed for disposal.
14. DOE Reservation. A location consisting of a DOE-controlled land area
including DOE-owned facilities (e.g., the Oak Ridge Reservation) in some
cases referred to as a Site, such as the Nevada Test Site, the Hanford
Site; or as a Laboratory, such as the Idaho National Engineering
Laboratory; or as a Plant, such as Rocky Flats Plant; or as a Center,
such as the Feed Materials Production Center.
15. Free Liquids. Liquids which readily separate from the solid portion of
a waste under ambient temperature and pressure.
16. Engineered Barrier. A man-made structure or device that is intended to
improve the performance of a disposal facility.
17. Hazardous Wastes. Those wastes that are designated hazardous by EPA
regulations (40 CFR 261).
18. High-Level Waste. The highly radioactive waste material that results
from the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel, including liquid waste
produced directly in reprocessing and any solid waste derived from the
liquid, that contains a combination of transuranic waste and fission
products in concentrations requiring permanent isolation.
19. Institutional Control. A period of time, assumed to be about 100 years,
during which human institutions continue to control waste management
facilities.
20. Low-Level Waste. Waste that contains radioactivity and is not
classified as high-level waste, transuranic waste, or spent nuclear fuel
or 11e(2) byproduct material as defined by this Order. Test specimens
of fissionable material irradiated for research and development only,
and not for the production of power or plutonium, may be classified as
low-level waste, provided the concentration of transuranic is less than
100 nCi/g.
21. Monitoring. The making of observations and measurements to provide data
to evaluate the performance of a waste management operation.
22. Mixed Waste. Waste containing both radioactive and hazardous components
as defined by the Atomic Energy Act and the Resource Conservation and
Recovery Act, respectively.
23. Natural Barrier. The physical, chemical, and hydrological
characteristics of the geological environment at the disposal site that,
individually and collectively, act to retard or preclude waste
migration.
24. Naturally Occurring and Accelerator Produced Radioactive Material. Any
radioactive material that can be considered naturally occurring and is
not source, special nuclear, or byproduct material or that is produced
in a charged particle accelerator.
25. Near Surface Disposal. Disposal in the upper 30 meters of the earth's
surface, (e.g. shallow land burial).
26. Performance Assessment. A systematic analysis of the potential risks
posed by waste management systems to the public and environment, and a
comparison of those risks to established performance objectives.
27. Pyrophoric Material. A material which under normal conditions is liable
to cause fires through friction, retained heat from manufacturing or
processing, or which can be ignited readily and when ignited burns so
vigorously and persistently as to create a serious transportation,
handling or disposal hazard.
28. Quality Assurance. All those planned and systematic actions necessary
to provide adequate confidence that a facility, structure, system, or
component will perform satisfactorily and safely in service. Quality
assurance includes quality control, which comprises all those actions
necessary to control and verify the features and characteristics of a
material, process, product, or service to specified requirements.
29. Radioactive Waste. Solid, liquid, or gaseous material that contains
radionuclides regulated under the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended
and of negligible economic value considering costs of recovery.
30. Remedial Action. Activities conducted at DOE facilities to reduce
potential risks to people and/or harm to the environment from
radioactive and/or hazardous substance contamination.
31. Remote-Handled Transuranic Waste. Packaged transuranic waste whose
external surface dose rate exceeds 200 mrem per hour. Test specimens of
fissionable material irradiated for research and development purposes
only and not for the production of power or plutonium may be classified
as remote-handled transuranic waste.
32. Repository. A facility for the permanent deep geologic disposal of High
Level or Transuranic Waste.
33. Spent Nuclear Fuel. Fuel that has been withdrawn from a nuclear reactor
following irradiation, but that has not been reprocessed to remove its
constituent elements.
34. Storage. Retrievable retention of waste pending disposal.
35. Storage Facility. Land area, structures, and equipment used for the
storage of waste.
36. Storage Unit. A discrete part of the storage facility in which waste is
stored.
37. Surplus Facility. Any facility or site (including equipment) that has
no identified or planned programmatic use and is contaminated with
radioactivity to levels that require controlled access.
38. Transuranium Radionuclide. Any radionuclide having an atomic number
greater than 92.
39. Transuranic Waste. Without regard to source or form, waste that is
contaminated with alpha-emitting transuranium radionuclides with
half-lives greater than 20 years and concentrations greater than 100
nCi/g at the time of assay. Heads of Field Elements can determine that
other alpha contaminated wastes, peculiar to a specific site, must be
managed as transuranic waste.
40. Treatment. Any method, technique, or process designed to change the
physical or chemical character of waste to render it less hazardous,
safer to transport, store or dispose of, or reduced in volume.
41. Treatment Facility. The specific area of land, structures, and
equipment dedicated to waste treatment and related activities.
42. Waste Container. A receptacle for waste, including any liner or
shielding material that is intended to accompany the waste in disposal.
43. Waste Management. The planning, coordination, and direction of those
functions related to generation, handling, treatment, storage,
transportation, and disposal of waste, as well as associated
surveillance and maintenance activities.
44. Waste Package. The waste, waste container, and any absorbent that are
intended for disposal as a unit. In the case of surface contaminated,
damaged, leaking, or breached waste packages, any overpack shall be
considered the waste container, and the original container shall be
considered part of the waste.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER I HIGH-LEVEL WASTE Page
1. PURPOSE.........................................................I-1
2. POLICY..........................................................I-1
3. REQUIREMENTS....................................................I-1
a. Design......................................................I-1
b. Storage Operations - Doubly Contained Systems...............I-2
c. Storage Operations - Singly Contained Tank
Systems.....................................................I-6
d. Disposal....................................................I-7
CHAPTER II MANAGEMENT OF TRANSURANIC WASTE
1. PURPOSE.........................................................II-1
2. POLICY..........................................................II-1
3. REQUIREMENTS....................................................II-1
a. Waste Classification........................................II-1
b. Transuranic Waste Generation and Treatment.................II-2
c. Transuranic Waste Certification.............................II-3
d. Transuranic Waste Packaging.................................II-4
e. Transuranicy Storage at Generating Sites....................II-4
f. Transportation/Shipping to the Waste Isolation
Pilot Plant.................................................II-5
g. Interim Storage.............................................II-6
h. Waste Isolation Pilot Plant.................................II-9
i. Buried Transuranic-Contaminated Waste.......................II-10
j. Quality Assurance...........................................II-11
CHAPTER III MANAGEMENT OF LOW-LEVEL WASTE
1. PURPOSE.........................................................III-1
2. POLICY..........................................................III-1
3. REQUIREMENTS....................................................III-1
a. Performance Objectives......................................III-1
b. Performance Assessment......................................III-2
c. Waste Generation............................................III-2
d. Waste Characterization......................................III-3
e. Waste Acceptance Criteria...................................III-3
f. Waste Treatment.............................................III-4
g. Shipment....................................................III-5
h. Long Term Storage...........................................III-5
i. Disposal....................................................III-6
j. Disposal Site Closure/Post Closure..........................III-9
k. Environmental Monitoring....................................III-9
l. Quality Assurance...........................................III-10
m. Records and Reports.........................................III-10
CHAPTER IV MANAGEMENT OF WASTE CONTAINING NATURALLY OCCURRING
AND ACCELERATOR PRODUCED RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL
1. PURPOSE.........................................................IV-1
2. POLICY..........................................................IV-1
3. REQUIREMENTS....................................................IV-1
a. Waste Management............................................IV-1
b. Quality Assurance...........................................IV-2
CHAPTER V DECOMMISSIONING OF RADIOACTIVELY CONTAMINATED
FACILITIES
1. PURPOSE.........................................................V-1
2. POLICY..........................................................V-1
3. REQUIREMENTS....................................................V-1
a. General.....................................................V-1
b. Facility Design.............................................V-2
c. Post-Operational Activities.................................V-2
d. Decommissioning Project Activities..........................V-3
e. Quality Assurance...........................................V-6
CHAPTER VI WASTE MANAGEMENT PLAN OUTLINE
1. PURPOSE.........................................................VI-1
2. DISCUSSION......................................................VI-1
3. FORMAT FOR WASTE MANAGEMENT PLANS...............................VI-1
a. Executive Summary...........................................VI-1
b. General Site Information....................................VI-2
c. Radioactive and Mixed Waste Management......................VI-2
d. Hazardous Waste Management (DP Facilities)..................VI-3
e. Schedule and Cost Summary...................................VI-4
f. Environmental Monitoring Programs...........................VI-4
h. Related Subjects............................................VI-4
ATTACHMENT VI-1 - WASTE MANAGEMENT
DOCUMENTATION REQUIREMENTS.......................VI-5
CHAPTER I
HIGH-LEVEL WASTE
1. PURPOSE. To establish policies and guidelines for managing the
Department of Energy's (DOE) high-level waste and any other materials
which, because of their highly radioactive nature (level of health risk,
longevity of health risk and thermal activity), require similar
handling. (Unless demonstrated to the contrary, all high-level waste
shall be considered to be radioactive mixed waste and subject to the
requirements of the Atomic Energy Act, as amended, and the Resource
Conservation and Recovery Act.)
2. POLICY. All high-level waste generated by DOE operations shall be
safely stored, treated, and disposed of according to requirements set
forth in this Order. Storage operations shall comply with applicable
EPA standards and EPA/State regulations. Geologic disposal shall comply
with both Nuclear Regulatory Commission regulations and EPA standards.
3. REQUIREMENTS.
a. Design.
(1) Requirements for New Facilities.
(a) Design objectives for new facilities will assure
protection of the public and operating personnel from
hazards associated with normal high-level waste
operations, accident conditions, and the effects of
natural phenomena. Other objectives are compliance with
DOE policies regarding nuclear safety, quality assurance,
fire protection, pollution control, and safeguards and
security protection for high-level waste and protection of
essential operations from the effects of potential
accidents.
(b) Designs for new storage and treatment facilities shall
meet the requirements of DOE 6430.1, applicable EM Orders
and 40 CFR 264.
(c) Designs for new storage facilities shall incorporate
features to facilitate retrieval capability.
(2) Design Review for Existing Facilities. Uniform requirements
for the preparation of safety analysis reports for high-level
waste operations, detailed in DOE 5481.1B, include the review
of existing operational facilities based on current technical
criteria. When hazards are identified that should be
eliminated, controlled, or mitigated, appropriate upgrading,
actions in accordance with paragraph 3a(1) above, shall be
identified and implemented according to the requirements of DOE
5481.1B.
b. Storage Operations - Doubly Contained Systems.
(1) Waste Characterization.
(a) Liquid and solidified high-level waste shall be
characterized consistent with radiation protection
requirements to determine its hazardous components, per 40
CFR 261 and 40 CFR 264. Characterization shall satisfy
requirements of paragraph 3b(1)(b) and may reflect
knowledge of waste generating processes, laboratory
testing results, and/or the results of periodic sampling
and analysis. Examples of required information are
chemical composition, physical properties, radionuclide
concentrations, and pH.
(b) Waste characteristics and compatibility information shall
be documented in a safety analysis report (see DOE
5481.1B) and be used as a basis for designing new
facilities.
(2) Storage and Transfer Operations.
(a) All new high-level waste handling, transfer, and storage
facilities (e.g., tanks, bins, pipelines, and capsules)
shall be doubly contained.
(b) Singly contained pipelines may be used routinely for
liquid waste that has a total radioactivity concentration
of less than 0.05Ci/gal (4.9 x 10 /11 Bq/m3). They may be
used on a temporary basis for higher activity waste, if
appropriate design and administrative controls are in
place to mitigate adverse effects from a pipeline failure.
(c) Leaking waste storage systems shall not be used to receive
waste unless secondary containment is maintained (e.g.,
liquid level maintained below leak point) and it can be
shown with the support of formal documentation (e.g.,
Safety Analysis Reports, Operational Safety Requirements,
Operating Standards) that temporary operation can be
performed without releasing radioactive liquid to the
environment.
(d) Secondary containment systems shall be capable of
containing liquids that leak into them from the primary
system and shall be equipped with transfer capability to
retrieve the leaked liquid. Secondary containment systems
for solidified high-level waste shall provide for physical
isolation of the waste from the environment.
(e) To the extent practical, waste shall be segregated by type
(sludge, salt, high activity, and low activity) to make
accessibility for future processing easier.
(f) Where required, ventilation and filtration systems shall
be provided to maintain radionuclide releases within the
guidelines specified in DOE 5481.1B and applicable EM
Orders. Ventilation systems shall be provided where the
possibility exists for generating flammable and explosive
mixtures of gases (e.g., hydrogen/air or organic/air).
(g) Facilities using cathodic corrosion protection systems
shall include engineered features that protect against
abnormal conditions such as stray currents or system
failure. The cathodic protection systems shall be
calibrated annually, and all sources of impressed current
shall be inspected and/or tested at least every other
month.
(h) Engineering controls shall be incorporated to provide
liquid volume inventory data and to prevent spills, leaks,
and overflows from tanks or containment systems. Examples
are level-sensing devices, liquid level alarms, and
maintenance of sufficient freeboard. The high-level waste
shall be stored at pressures lower than those of ancillary
systems (e.g., cooling water).
(i) Nuclear criticality safety considerations and controls
shall be evaluated for normal operations and, before any
significant operational changes are made, to protect
against an uncontrolled nuclear criticality incident
(e.g., dissolution of sludges for removal from tank).
(j) Each facility shall utilize remote maintenance features
and other appropriate techniques to minimize personnel
radiation exposure in accordance with DOE 5481.1B.
(k) Upon loss and subsequent recovery of normal electrical
power, high-level waste transfer equipment shall not have
the capability to restart without active operator action.
(3) Monitoring, Surveillance, and Leak Detection.
(a) Monitoring and lead detection capability shall be
incorporated in the engineering systems (e.g., liquid
level sensing devices and alarms for high-level waste
liquid systems) to provide rapid identification of failed
containment, and measurement of abnormal temperatures.
The following, at a minimum, shall be monitored;
temperature; pressure; radioactivity in ventilation
exhaust; and liquid effluent streams associated with
high-level waste facilities. Where the possibility exists
for the generation of flammable and explosive mixtures of
gases, monitoring shall be conducted. For facilities
storing liquid high-level waste, the following should also
be monitored: liquid levels; sludge volume; tank
chemistry; condensate and cooling water.
(b) Leak detection systems (e.g., conductivity probes) shall
be designed and operated so that they will detect the
failure of the primary containment boundary, the
occurrence of waste release, or accumulated liquid in the
secondary containment system.
(c) A method for periodically assessing waste storage system
integrity (e.g., coupons for corrosion testing,
photographic and periscopic inspections, leak detectors,
liquid level devices) shall be established, documented,
and reported as required in the Waste Management Plan.
(d) Electrical monitoring and leak detection devices essential
to safe operations shall be provided with backup power, as
appropriate, to ensure operability under emergency
conditions.
(e) Surface water systems associated with the high-level waste
storage area shall be monitored according to applicable
National Pollution Discharge Elimination System permits
and EM Order requirements.
(f) A system of ground water or vadose zone monitoring wells
meeting the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
requirements per 40 CFR 264 shall be installed, as a
minimum, around clusters of liquid waste storage tanks.
(4) Contingency Actions.
(a) A tank or secondary containment system from which there
has been a leak or a spill to the surrounding soil, or
which is otherwise unfit for use, shall be removed from
service until conditions can be evaluated fully.
(b) Upon detection of released radioactive materials, steps
shall be taken to prevent further migration of the release
to soil or surface water. Major contamination in the soil
shall be removed or stabilized unless compliance with this
requirement would cause greater harm to human health or
the environment.
(c) If a release results from a spill and the integrity of the
system is not damaged, the system may be returned to
service as soon as action to correct the condition is
completed.
(d) For emergency situations involving liquid high-level
waste, spare capacity with adequate heat dissipation
capability shall be maintained to receive the largest
volume of liquid contained in any one tank. Adequate
transfer pipelines also shall be maintained in operational
condition. Interconnected tank farms with adequate
transfer capabilities and spare capacity may be considered
as a single tank farm for purposes of this requirement.
(e) A schedule and procedure shall be developed for
monitoring, surveillance, and calibration checks. The
frequency of these activities shall be based on the
potential rate of equipment deterioration and the
possibility of an environmental or human health incident,
assuming that a malfunction from equipment failure or
human error is not detected between checks. Schedules,
procedures, and performance requirements shall be
documented in the operating and maintenance documentation.
(f) Each high-level waste facility shall have response
procedures for credible emergencies, as identified in the
Safety Analysis Reports.
(5) Training.
(a) Operator training and qualification standards shall be
developed and an up-to-date record of training status
shall be maintained.
(b) Worker safety training must comply with the requirements
of DOE 5480.1B and applicable EM Orders.
(6) Quality Assurance. Consistent with DOE Order 5700.6B,
high-level waste operations shall be conducted in accordance
with applicable requirements of the American National Standards
Institute/American Society of Mechanical Engineers Nuclear
Quality Assurance-1 and other appropriate national consensus
standards. (See Attachment 1, page 5, paragraph 48).
(7) Waste Treatment and Minimization.
(a) For the purpose of economy and enhancing the safety of
high-level waste storage, processing programs shall be
developed and implemented at the generating site to reduce
the quantity of waste being sent to storage, and
techniques (e.g., evaporation) shall be implemented to
reduce further the waste volume in storage.
(b) Programs should be developed and implemented to treat
high-level waste in storage to prepare it for eventual
conversion to suitable disposal forms, as such forms are
developed. This may include separation of high-level
waste into other waste categories, such as transuranic
waste or low-level waste.
(c) The chemistry of liquid high-level waste shall be adjusted
to control corrosion within design limits for the storage
system.
(d) Treatment reagents shall not be placed in a tank system
without proven effective mitigative action if they could
cause the tank, its ancillary equipment, or the
containment system to rupture, leak, or otherwise fail.
(e) Waste generation and waste management systems that
significantly change the chemical and physical forms of
the waste shall be technically assessed to assure
compatibility and retrievability.
c. Storage Operations - Singly Contained Tank Systems.
(1) Waste Characterization. The contents of singly contained tank
systems shall be characterized consistent with radiation
protection requirements and the needs associated with safe
storage to determine its hazardous components consistent with
40 CFR 261, 40 CFR 264, and State requirements.
Characterization may reflect knowledge of waste generating
processes, laboratory testing results, and/or the results of
periodic sampling and analysis.
(2) Storage and Transfer Operations.
(a) Singly contained tank systems shall not be used to store
fresh high-level waste from fuel reprocessing operations
except under emergency conditions as determined by the
Operations Office Manager.
(b) Storage and transfer operations shall be conducted within
the limits defined in the Safety Analysis Reports
according to DOE 5481.1B.
(c) Engineered systems shall be incorporated to provide waste
volume inventory data, consistent with the nature of the
specific waste stored in singly contained tanks. Examples
are surface level sensing devices and interstitial liquid
level sensing devices.
(d) Singly contained pipelines: (see paragraph 3b(2)(b)).
(e) Where active ventilation is required, systems shall be
provided to maintain radionuclide releases at the point of
discharge within the guidelines specified in applicable EH
Orders for offsite concentrations and DOE 5480.1B for
onsite dose commitment considerations.
(f) Nuclear criticality safety (see paragraph 3b(2)(i)).
(g) Each facility shall use remote maintenance features and
other appropriate techniques to maintain personnel
radiation exposure as low as reasonably achievable.
(h) Electrical power loss (see paragraph 3b(2)(k)).
(3) Monitoring, Surveillance, and Leak Detection.
(a) Monitoring and surveillance capability shall exist to
provide liquid volume, waste inventory data, and
identification of failed containment.
(b) A method for periodically assessing waste storage tank
integrity (e.g., coupons, photographic inspections, leak
detectors, liquid level devices) shall be established and
documented.
(c) Emergency power (see paragraph 3b(3)(d)).
(d) Monitoring wells (see paragraph 3b(3)(f)).
(4) Contingency Action.
(a) A contingency action plan shall be maintained to respond
to spills or leaks and other credible emergencies as
identified in the Safety Analysis Reports.
(b) Leak mitigation (see paragraph 3b(4)(b)).
(c) For emergency situations involving pumpable liquid in
singly contained tanks, appropriate equipment (e.g.,
pumps) shall be maintained to provide removal of liquid.
(5) Training. (See paragraphs 3b(5)(a) and (b)).
(6) Quality Assurance. (See paragraphs 3b(6)(a)).
d. Disposal. New and readily retrievable waste shall be processed and
the high-level waste fraction disposed of in a geologic repository
according to the requirements of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of
1982 (Public Law 97-425) as amended. Options for permanent disposal
of other waste, such as single shell tank waste, shall be evaluated
and include such methods as in-place stabilization as well as
retrieval and processing, as required for new and readily
retrievable waste. Analytic predictions of disposal system
performance shall be prepared and incorporated in the National
Environmental Policy Act process.
(1) New and Readily Retrievable. New and readily retrievable
existing high-level waste shall be processed to a final
immobilized form in facilities such as the Defense Waste
Processing Facility and the Hanford Waste Vitrification Plant
preparatory to permanent disposal in a deep geologic
repository.
(a) Waste acceptance specifications and criteria based upon
the requirements outlined in 10 CFR 60.113, 10 CFR
60.131(b)(7), 10 CFR 60.135, 10 CFR 71.8, and 40 CFR 191
shall be developed for high-level waste forms prior to
startup of facilities that generate the disposal waste
form. Specifications and criteria shall be approved by
RW-20 and DP-12 for Defense Programs high-level waste
forms and by RW-20 and NE-20 for West Valley Demonstration
Project product. As examples, specifications and criteria
for the Defense Waste Processing Facility vitrified
high-level waste form are documented in DOE/RW-0125; those
for the West Valley Demonstration Project high-level waste
form are documented in DOE/RW-0136.
(b) Interim storage for solidified high-level waste awaiting
transport to the designated geologic repository shall
comply with applicable requirements in paragraph 3b.
(2) Other Waste. High-level waste that is not readily retrievable
shall be monitored periodically in site. Field offices shall
reevaluate the safety of such waste to determine the need for
corrective measures as necessary. Options for permanent
disposal of singly contained tank waste shall be evaluated and
include such methods as in-place stabilization as well as
retrieval and processing, as required for new and readily
retrievable waste in paragraph 3d(1).
CHAPTER II
MANAGEMENT OF TRANSURANIC WASTE
1. PURPOSE. To establish policies and guidelines for managing DOE
transuranic waste starting with its generation, continuing through
closure of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, and finally the management
of buried transuranic waste as defined in Attachment I, page 3,
paragraph 22. Transuranic wastes that are also mixed wastes are subject
to the requirements of the Atomic Energy Act and the Resource
Conservation and Recovery Act. Additionally, buried transuranic wastes
are subject to the requirements of the Comprehensive Environmental
Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, and the Superfund Amendments
and Reauthorization Act.
2. POLICY. Transuranic waste shall be managed to protect the public and
worker health and safety, as well as the environment, and performed in
compliance with applicable radiation protection standards and
environmental regulations. Practical and cost effective methods shall
be used to reduce the volume and toxicity of transuranic waste.
a. Transuranic waste shall be certified in compliance with the Waste
Isolation Pilot Plant-Waste Acceptance Criteria, placed in interim
storage (if required), and sent to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant.
b. Transuranic waste that the Department of Energy has determined, with
the concurrence of the EPA Administrator, does not need the degree
of isolation provided by a geologic repository or, transuranic waste
that cannot be certified or otherwise approved for acceptance at the
Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, shall be disposed of by alternative
methods. Alternative disposal methods shall be approved by DOE
Headquarters (DP-12 and EH-1) and shall comply with the National
Environmental Policy Act requirements and EPA/State regulations.
3. REQUIREMENTS.
a. Waste Classification.
(1) Any material that is known to be, or suspected of being
contaminated with transuranium radionuclides shall be evaluated
as soon as possible in the generating process, and determined
to be either recoverable material, transuranic waste, low-level
waste, mixed waste, or non-radioactive trash in order to avoid
commingling the various material streams.
(2) The lower concentration limit for transuranic waste (100 nCi/g
of waste) shall apply to the contents of any single waste
package at the time of assay. The mass of the waste container
including shielding shall not be used in calculating the
specific activity of the waste.
(3) Radioactive wastes with quantities of transuranic radionuclides
in concentrations of 100 nCi/g of waste or less shall be
considered to be low-level waste, and shall be managed
according to the requirements of Chapter III of this Order.
(4) Mixed transuranic waste:
(a) Mixed transuranic waste meeting the requirements of the
Waste Isolation Pilot Plant-Waste Acceptance Criteria
shall be sent to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant.
(b) The Data Package prepared by the generators for the Waste
Isolation Pilot Plant shall include information on the
kinds and quantities of hazardous components contained in
a waste package in accordance with applicable Resource
Conservation and Recovery Act regulations.
(c) The determination whether the transuranic waste exhibits
any hazardous characteristics or contains listed hazardous
components may be based on knowledge of the waste
generating process when the performance of a chemical
analysis would significantly increase the radiation hazard
to personnel.
b. Transuranic Waste Generation and Treatment.
(1) Technical and administrative controls shall be directed to
reducing the gross volume of waste generated and/or the amount
of radioactivity requiring disposal. Transuranic waste
reduction efforts shall be based on the implementation of
techniques such as process modification, process optimization,
materials substitution, decontamination, assay of suspect
waste, and new technology development. Volume reduction
techniques, such as incineration, compaction, extraction, and
shredding, shall be implemented wherever cost effective and
practical. Treatment facilities shall be permitted by the
appropriate regulatory authority.
(2) Transuranic waste shall be assayed or otherwise evaluated to
determine the kinds and quantities of transuranic radionuclides
present prior to storage. Additionally, hazardous waste
components shall be estimated or analyzed, whichever is
appropriate.
(3) Mixed transuranic waste shall be treated, where feasible and
practical, to destroy the hazardous waste component.
(4) Transuranic waste that is classified for security reasons shall
be treated to remove or destroy the classified
characteristic(s) prior to certification. Declassification
should be performed by the generator.
c. Transuranic Waste Certification.
(1) Transuranic waste shall be certified, pursuant to the Waste
Isolation Pilot Plant-Waste Acceptance Criteria, placed in
interim storage, and sent to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant
when it becomes operational.
(2) Uncertified transuranic waste shall not be sent to the Waste
Isolation Pilot Plant except by special permission granted in
response to a formal, documented request to the Waste Isolation
Pilot Plant-Waste Acceptance Criteria Certification Committee
and the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Waste Operations.
(3) All transuranic waste certification sites shall prepare a
certification plan which describes how the waste meets each
waste acceptance criterion described in the WIPP-DOE-069 (see
Attachment 1, page 3, paragraph 18).
(4) Each certification plan shall define controls and other
measures to ensure that each element of the certification plan
is performed adequately as described. Requirements for these
quality assurance activities are described in the WIPP-DOE-120
(see Attachment 1, page 2, paragraph 19).
(5) Certification plans, including associated quality assurance
plans, shall be submitted for review, comment, and approval by
the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant-Waste Acceptance Criteria
Certification Committee.
(6) The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant-Waste Acceptance Criteria
Certification Committee shall submit certification and
associated quality assurance plans to the state of New Mexico's
Environmental Evaluation Group for review and comment prior to
granting formal approval of such plans.
(7) The Environmental Evaluation Groups's comments on certification
and associated quality assurance plans shall be resolved
between the affected site and the Waste Isolation Pilot
Plant-Waste Acceptance Criteria Certification Committee prior
to granting formal approval of the plans.
(8) Approved certification and associated quality assurance plans
shall be implemented by the generating sites using specific,
written operational procedures.
(9) Certification activities conducted under approved plans and
procedures shall be audited periodically, in accordance with a
written audit program plan on a continuing basis by the Waste
Isolation Pilot Plant-Waste Acceptance Criteria Certification
Committee. An Environmental Evaluation Group representative
may accompany the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant-Waste Acceptance
Criteria Certification Committee audit team as an observer
during site audits. The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant-Waste
Acceptance Criteria Certification Committee may grant
certifying authority to the site following successful
completion of an audit.
(10) The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant-Waste Acceptance Criteria
Certification Committee shall issue a formal audit report to
the responsible field organization following the completion of
an audit. The audit report shall describe the activities of
the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant-Waste Acceptance Criteria
Certification Committee audit team and include a record of any
findings, observations, and recommendations. Corrective
actions taken as a result of a finding shall be verified on
subsequent audits. The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant-Waste
Acceptance Criteria Certification Committee shall institute a
tracking system to ensure timely resolution of findings,
observations, recommendations, and the resultant corrective
actions.
(11) Failure to resolve and close out previous audit findings and
recommendations or sending noncomplying waste to the Waste
Isolation Pilot Plant when judged by the Waste Acceptance
Criteria Certification Committee to be a serious violation,
shall result in suspension of certifying authority, pending
satisfactory resolution.
d. Transuranic Waste Packaging.
(1) Newly generated transuranic waste shall be placed in
noncombustible packaging that meets DOT requirements.
(2) All Type A transuranic waste containers shall be equipped with
a method to prevent pressure buildup. Acceptable
pressure-relief devices include permeable gaskets, vent clips,
and filtered vents.
(3) The waste packages shall be marked, labeled, and sealed in
accordance with the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant-Waste
Acceptance Criteria, EPA, and DOT requirements, as defined in
the WIPP-DOE-O69, 40 CFR 262, Subpart C, and 49 CFR 172,
Subparts D, E, and 49 CFR 173, Subpart I, where applicable,
prior to shipping.
e. Temporary Storage at Generating Sites. The following activities
shall be performed to assure the safe storage of transuranic wastes
consistent with the requirements of applicable Resource Conservation
and Recovery Act regulations:
(1) Transuranic waste shall be segregated or otherwise clearly
identified to avoid the commingling of transuranic waste
streams with high-level waste or low-level waste.
(2) Certified transuranic waste shall not be commingled with
noncertified transuranic waste and shall be stored in a manner
unlikely to alter its certification status.
(3) Transuranic waste in storage areas shall be protected from
unauthorized access.
(4) Transuranic wastes in storage shall be monitored periodically
to ensure that the wastes are not releasing their radioactive
and/or hazardous constituents.
(5) Transuranic waste storage facilities shall be designed,
constructed, maintained, and operated to minimize the
possibility of fire, explosion, or accidental release of
radioactive and/or hazardous components of the waste to the
environment.
(6) Facilities which store transuranic waste shall have a
contingency plan designed to minimize the adverse impacts of
fire, explosion, or accidental release of hazardous components
of the waste to the environment.
(7) Transuranic waste shall be stored in such a way so as to
maintain radiation exposures as low as reasonably achievable.
f. Transportation/Shipping to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant.
(1) Transuranic waste shipments shall comply with the provisions of
DOE and DOE regulations, pursuant to DOE 1540.1.
(2) Transuranic waste shipments by truck shall be by a
DOE-controlled carrier system. All transuranic waste shall be
transported in certified Type B packaging.
(3) Shipping papers shall provide the information required by DOT
(49 CFR 172, Subpart C), the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Data
Package (WIPP DOE-157), and, as necessary, the manifest
required by EPA (40 CFR 261, and 262).
(4) Distribution of the shipping papers shall be as follows:
(a) Shipper - one copy (or more);
(b) Carrier - one copy; and
(c) Waste Isolation Pilot Plant - two copies.
A copy of the papers will be returned by the Waste Isolation
Pilot Plant to the shipper after emplacement of the waste at
the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant.
(5) Appropriate EPA and State authorizations/permits shall be
obtained for the transport system, as applicable.
(6) Placarding of shipments shall be carried out, as required by
the regulations of DOT (contained in 49 CFR 172, Subpart F).
(7) All shipments of transuranic waste shall be in or on "exclusive
use" vehicles, as defined in 49 CFR 173. Shipments shall be
made as expeditiously as possible and shall be tracked from
origin to destination using a real-time tracking communications
system. Deviations from "preferred routes," delays and other
irregularities detected by the system shall be investigated by
the responsible traffic manager and a report sent to the Waste
Isolation Pilot Plant within 90 days.
(8) The Albuquerque Operations Office shall develop a transuranic
waste transportation management and operations plan which
addresses, but is not limited to, the following considerations:
(a) Communication between transport vehicle and traffic
management;
(b) Shipment tracking in transit;
(c) Security;
(d) Emergency notification/response;
(e) Shipment routing;
(f) Shipment notification as appropriate;
(g) Driver training and qualifications;
(h) Vehicle maintenance and inspection;
(i) State surveillance and inspection; and
(j) Inspection and recertification of transport packagings.
g. Interim Storage.
(1) Interim storage sites have been designated for storage of:
(a) Waste certified by off site generators;
(b) Waste certified by on site generators;
(c) Waste certified by interim storage personnel; and
(d) Uncertified waste received from on site and/or off site
generators that is awaiting processing and certification.
(2) New interim storage facilities shall be sited, designed,
constructed, and operated consistent with the requirements of
applicable Resource Conservation and Recovery Act regulations
and in a manner which satisfactorily addresses the following
considerations at a minimum:
(a) Proximity to ground water and areas of seismic activity or
flood plains shall be identified, and potential impacts
shall be evaluated.
(b) The facility shall be designed and operated to minimize
the run on and run off of precipitation. The run off
control system shall provide for collecting and sampling
run off, which may come in contact with the waste
packages, prior to releasing the water for discharge.
(c) An environmental monitoring system shall be provided to
detect any release and migration of major radioactive and
hazardous components. Background levels of primary
radioactive and hazardous waste components shall be
determined.
(d) The storage facility design shall minimize the possibility
for the unauthorized entry of persons.
(e) Incompatible wastes types shall be placed in separate
packages and stored in segregated areas to prevent
accidental ignition or chemical reaction.
(f) Waste storage facilities shall be designed and operated to
minimize the exposure of personnel to radiation and
chemicals.
(g) The storage facility operator shall inspect or verify
routinely the condition of waste packages at the storage
site for deterioration that may threaten human health or
cause release of hazardous or radioactive components to
the environment.
(h) The storage facility operator shall prepare plans that
identify and describe how the site will be closed at the
end of its active life. These plans shall address
sampling, testing, and monitoring for major radioactive
and hazardous waste components in soil and groundwater.
(i) Sites that use underground storage tanks for the storage
of transuranic waste shall comply with the requirements of
the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, as applicable.
(j) Permits shall be acquired, as necessary, from appropriate
regulatory entities for all the interim storage facility
activities listed above.
(3) Existing interim storage sites shall be reviewed for
consistency with the items in paragraph 3g(2). Any necessary
corrective actions shall be performed based on a compliance
schedule approved by appropriate regulatory authorities.
(4) Certified waste shall be stored in a manner unlikely to alter
the certification of the waste package.
(5) Operators of interim storage facilities shall receive data
package information (see Attachment 1, page 2, paragraphs 18
and 20) for each waste package from the generator. The
operator shall store the waste generator's data and shall use
the data to prepare a new Data Package at the time of shipment
to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant.
(6) Certified waste from off site generators does not require
additional waste analysis or interim inspection, either upon
receipt at the storage site or at the time of shipment to the
Waste Isolation Pilot Plant. The generator of the certified
waste is responsible for describing the waste form and waste
package content.
(7) Waste that has been certified by a generator and shipped to an
interim storage site shall be reshipped to the Waste Isolation
Pilot Plant by the interim storage site in the following
manner:
(a) The generator/certifier shall be identified as the
generator/certifier and shipping originator.
(b) The interim storage site shall be identified as the
reshipper.
(c) The shipping originator is responsible for certifiability
of the waste form, waste package content, waste container
procurement documentation, related Data Package
information, and proper marking, labeling and placarding
of the shipment. The shipping originator is responsible
for any problems or discrepancies relating to the
above-mentioned items that may occur during shipment to or
emplacement at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant.
(d) The reshipper is responsible for complete data package
assembly, transmittal, proper marking, labeling,
placarding, verifying the adequacy of the exterior
condition of the container (e.g., no significant
deterioration, bulging) and for proper shipment loading.
The reshipper shall perform radiation dose rate and
contamination surveys on each package. The reshipper is
responsible for any problems or discrepancies involving
the items mentioned above.
(8) The interim storage site is the shipping originator for stored
waste certified at that site. Agreements may need to be
developed between offsite waste generators and interim storage
site operators/certifiers to define clearly their respective
responsibilities.
h. Waste Isolation Pilot Plant.
(1) The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant is a defense activity of the
DOE for the express purpose of providing a research and
development facility to demonstrate the safe disposal of
radioactive wastes resulting from defense activities.
(2) After the successful demonstration of the safe disposal of
defense transuranic wastes, the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant
will be the planned destination for all certified
contact-handled and remote-handled transuranic waste, including
mixed transuranic waste.
(3) Prior to shipment of waste, the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant
shall validate the data package for that waste shipment.
(4) Upon receipt of waste, Waste Isolation Pilot Plant activities
shall include, but not be limited to, the following:
(a) Verification of the package or assembly identification
numbers against the Data Package;
(b) Measurement of the external radiation dose rate of the
package and shipping container;
(c) Verification that contamination levels on the package and
shipping container surfaces are within acceptable limits;
and
(d) Review and proper processing of all shipping papers and
manifests.
(5) During a period of up to 5 years from the first emplacement of
waste in the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, the waste shall be
stored retrievably. This phase is called the Operations
Demonstration Period.
(6) The decision for or against permanent disposal will be made at
the end of the Operations Demonstration Period. If the
decision is against using the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant as
the repository, the stored waste shall be retrieved,
repackaged, if necessary, and handled as directed by DOE. At
that time, the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant shall be
decontaminated, decommissioned, and closed, per agreement with
the State of New Mexico.
(7) If the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant is designated a repository,
the underground portion of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant
shall be sealed upon completion of all planned transuranic
waste disposal activities. Surface facilities shall be
decontaminated and decommissioned, and the Waste Isolation
Pilot Plant will be closed, per agreement with the state of New
Mexico.
(8) Following closure, the salt tailings will be disposed of on an
environmentally acceptable manner and the site shall be
returned to its natural state. Waste burial record shall be
stored securely, and permanent markers shall be installed to
minimize the possibility or future human intrusion.
i. Buried Transuranic-Contaminated Waste.
(1) Alternatives for the long term management of buried transuranic
contaminated waste at inactive DOE waste sites are addressed in
Attachment 1, page 3, paragraph 22. The inactive waste sites
are located at Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, Los
Alamos National Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory,
Savannah River Plant, and the Hanford Site. The program will
lead to the closure of each waste site, in compliance with the
National Environmental Policy Act requirements, the
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and
Liability Act, the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization
Act, and other applicable DOE, EPA, and State requirements.
(2) Each waste site shall be characterized to include information
on types and quantities of radioactive and hazardous chemicals.
This information shall be verified by appropriate sampling/
analysis/monitoring techniques. The characterization and
verification activities will also include determination of
waste migration from the burial sites and potential
environmental and health impacts.
(3) Each DOE site will develop a closure strategy for the waste
site(s), utilizing the waste characterization data. Basic
site-closure strategies which could be a combination of (a),
(b), and (c) depending on site-specific and regulatory
requirements, are as follows:
(a) Leave waste in place with enhanced monitoring.
(b) Leave waste in place, use enhanced confinement or in-situ
immobilization techniques, and provide enhanced
monitoring.
(c) Retrieve, process, and dispose of the transuranic waste at
the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant.
(4) Each DOE site will develop a site closure plan, which will
include, as a minimum, the following:
(a) National Environmental Policy Act requirements;
(b) Applicable Federal, State and local regulations (e.g.,
DOE, EPA, State);
(c) Permits required;
(d) Selected closure strategy and justification;
(e) A waste retrieval strategy:
1 Methodology for segregating transuranic and low-level
waste,
2 Identification of mixed waste components,
3 Certification of transuranic waste for disposal at the
Waste Isolation Pilot Plant,
4 Management of low-level waste and mixed waste, and
5 Plans for maintaining exposures as low as reasonably
achievable;
(f) Budget requirements by fiscal year;
(g) Schedule for closure strategy completion; and
(h) Post-closure monitoring and controls.
j. Quality Assurance. Consistent with DOE Order 5700.6B, transuranic
waste operations shall be conducted in accordance with applicable
requirements of the American National Standards Institute/American
Society of Mechanical Engineers Nuclear Quality Assurance-1 (see
Attachment 1, page 5, paragraph 48) and other appropriate national
consensus standards.
CHAPTER III
MANAGEMENT OF LOW-LEVEL WASTE
1. PURPOSE. To establish policies, requirements and guidelines, for
managing the Department's solid low-level waste.
2. POLICY.
a. DOE-low-level waste operations shall be managed to protect the
health and safety of the public, preserve the environment of the
waste management facilities, and ensure that no legacy requiring
remedial action remains after operations have been terminated.
b. DOE-low-level waste shall be managed on a systematic basis using the
most appropriate combination of waste generation reduction,
segregation, treatment, and disposal practices so that the
radioactive components are contained and the overall system cost
effectiveness is maximized.
c. DOE-low-level waste shall be disposed of on the site at which it is
generated, if practical, or if on-site disposal capability is not
available, at another DOE disposal facility.
d. DOE-low-level waste that contains non-radioactive hazardous waste
components (mixed waste) shall conform to the requirements of this
order, applicable EH Orders, and shall also be regulated by the
appropriate regional authorities under the Resource Conservation and
Recovery Act.
3. REQUIREMENTS.
a. Performance Objectives. DOE-low-level waste that has not been
disposed of prior to issuance of this Order shall be managed on the
schedule developed in the Implementation Plan (See page 7, paragraph
10) to accomplish the following:
(1) Protect public health and safety in accordance with standards
specified in applicable EH Orders and other DOE Orders.
(2) Assure that external exposure to the waste and concentrations
of radioactive material which may be released into surface
water, ground, water, soil, plants and animals results in and
effective dose equivalent that does not exceed 25 mrem/yr to
any member of the public. Releases to she atmosphere shall
meet the requirements of 40 CFR 61. Reasonable effort should
be made to maintain releases of radioactivity in effluents to
the general environment as low as is reasonably achievable.
(3) Assure that the committed effective dose equivalents received
by individuals who inadvertently may intrude into the facility
after the loss of active institutional control (100 years) will
not exceed 100 mrem/yr for continuous exposure or 500 mrem for
a single acute exposure.
(4) Protect ground water resources, consistent with Federal, State
and local requirements.
b. Performance Assessment.
(1) Field organizations with disposal sites shall prepare and
maintain a site specific radiological performance assessment
for the disposal of waste for the purpose of demonstrating
compliance with the performance objectives stated in paragraph
3a.
(2) Each field organization shall, for each DOE reservation within
its cognizance, prepare and maintain an overall waste
management systems performance assessment supporting the
combination of waste management practices used in generation
reduction, segregating, treatment, packaging, storage, and
disposal. Background and guidance on waste management systems
performance assessment is provided in Attachment 1, page 3,
paragraph 21.
(3) Where practical, monitoring measurements to evaluate actual and
prospective performance should be made at locations as
required, within and outside each facility and disposal site.
Monitoring should also be used to validate or modify the models
used in performance assessments.
c. Waste Generation.
(1) Technical and administrative controls shall be directed to
reducing the gross volume of waste generated and/or the amount
of radioactivity requiring disposal. Waste reduction efforts
shall include consideration of process modification, process
optimization, materials substitution and decontamination.
(2) Waste Generation Reduction. All DOE-low-level waste generators
shall establish auditable programs (goals, incentives,
procedures, and reports) to assure that the amount of low-level
waste generated and/or shipped for disposal is minimized.
(3) Waste Segregation. Each DOE-low-level waste generator shall
separate uncontaminated waste from low-level waste to
facilitate cost effective treatment and disposal.
(4) Waste Minimization. Each DOE-low-level waste generator
preparing a design for a new process or process change shall
incorporate principles into the design that will minimize the
generation of low-level waste.
d. Waste Characterization.
(1) Low-level waste shall be characterized with sufficient accuracy
to permit proper segregation, treatment, storage, and disposal.
This characterization shall ensure that, upon generation and
after processing, the actual physical and chemical
characteristics and major radionuclide content are recorded and
known during all stages of the waste management process.
(2) Waste characterization data shall be recorded on a waste
manifest, as required by paragraph 3m, and shall include:
(a) The physical and chemical characteristics of the waste.
(b) Volume of the waste (total of waste and any solidification
or absorbent media).
(c) Weight of the waste (total of waste and any solidification
or absorbent media).
(d) Major radionuclides and their concentrations.
(e) Packaging date, package weight, and external volume.
(3) The concentration of a radionuclide may be determined by direct
methods or by indirect methods such as use of scaling factors
which relate the inferred concentration of one radionuclide to
another that is measured, or radionuclide material
accountability, if there is reasonable assurance that the
indirect methods can be correlated with actual measurements.
e. Waste Acceptance Criteria.
(1) Waste shipped from one field organization to another for
treatment, storage or disposal shall be done in accordance with
the requirements established by the operations office having
responsibility for operations of the receiving facility.
(2) Waste acceptance criteria shall be established for each
low-level waste treatment, storage, and disposal facility, and
submitted to the cognizant field organization.
(3) Generators of waste shall implement a low-level waste
certification program to provide assurance that the waste
acceptance criteria for any low-level waste treatment, storage,
or disposal facility used by the generator are met. Generators
and facilities receiving the waste are jointly responsible for
assuring compliance with waste acceptance criteria. Generators
are financially responsible for actions required due to
nonconformance.
(4) Generator low-level waste certification programs shall be
subject to a periodic audit by operators facilities to which
the waste is sent by the generator.
(5) The waste acceptance criteria for storage, treatment, or
disposal facilities shall address the following issues:
(a) Allowable quantities/concentrations of specific
radioisotopes to be handled, processed, stored or disposed
of;
(b) Criticality safety requirements (waste forms and
geometries);
(c) Restrictions regarding low-level waste classified for
security reasons;
(d) External radiation and internal heat generation;
(e) Restrictions on the generation of harmful gases, vapors,
or liquids in waste;
(f) Chemical and structural stability of waste packages,
radiation effects, microbial activity, chemical reactions,
and moisture;
(g) Restrictions for chelating and complexing agents having
the potential for mobilizing radionuclides; and
(h) Quantity of free liquids.
f. Waste Treatment.
(1) Waste shall be treated by appropriate methods so that the
disposal site can meet the performance objectives stated in
paragraph 3a.
(2) Waste treatment techniques such as incineration, shredding, and
compaction to reduce volume and provide more stable waste forms
shall be implemented as necessary to meet performance
requirements. Use of waste treatment techniques to increase
the life of the disposal facility and improve long-term
facility performance, by improved site stability and reduction
of infiltrating water, is required to the extent it is cost
effective.
(3) The development of large scale waste treatment facilities shall
be supported by the appropriate National Environmental Policy
Act documentation in addition to the following:
(a) A document shall be prepared that analyzes waste streams
needing treatment, treatment options considered and a
rationale for selection of proposed treatment processes;
(b) A construction design report including projected waste
throughputs and treatment methods, construction and
operating cost estimates; and
(c) A Safety Analysis Report.
(4) Operation of waste treatment facilities shall be supported by
adequate documentation including the following:
(a) Operation and maintenance procedures;
(b) Personnel training and qualification procedures;
(c) Monitoring and emergency response plans; and
(d) Records shall be maintained for each package of low-level
waste that enters and leaves the treatment facility.
g. Shipment.
(1) The volume of waste and number of shipments of low-level waste
shall be minimized and the shipments will be conducted based on
plans developed by field organizations. Off site shipment of
low-level waste shall be in compliance with DOE 1540.1.
(2) Generators shall provide an annual forecast in the third
quarter of the fiscal year to the field organizations managing
the off-site disposal facility to which the waste is to be
shipped.
(3) Generators must receive advance approval from the receiving
facility and shall certify prior to shipment that waste meets
the receiving facility waste acceptance criteria. The
certification program shall be auditable and able to withstand
independent review.
(4) Each package of waste must comply with the labeling
requirements of DOE 1540.1.
h. Long-Term Storage.
(1) Low-level waste shall be stored by appropriate methods, to
achieve the performance objectives stated in paragraph 3a.
(2) Records shall be maintained for all low-level waste that enters
and leaves the storage facility, (see paragraph 3m).
(3) The development and operation of a waste storage facility shall
be supported by the following documentation (two or more of
these may be combined for convenience):
(a) An analysis which identifies the need for the storage
facility;
(b) A Construction Design Report, including projected waste
planned for storage; construction and operating cost
estimates;
(c) A Safety Analysis Report and appropriate National
Environmental Policy Act documentation; and
(d) Operational procedures and plans.
(4) Storage of waste to allow for nuclides to decay or storage of
wastes until they can be disposed of by approved methods are
acceptable.
i. Disposal.
(1) Low-level waste shall be disposed of by methods appropriate to
achieve the performance objectives stated in paragraph 3a,
consistent with the disposal site radiological performance
assessment in paragraph 3b.
(2) Engineered modifications (stabilization, packaging, burial
depth, barriers) for specific waste types and for specific
waste compositions (fission products, induced radioactivity,
uranium, thorium, radium) for each disposal site shall be
developed through the performance assessment model (see
paragraph 3b(1)). In the course of this process, site specific
waste classification limits may be developed if operationally
useful in determining how specific wastes should be stabilized
and packaged for disposal.
(3) An Oversight and Peer Review Panel of DOE, contractor, and
other specialists in performance assessments will be selected
by DP-12, with participation by EH-1 and operations office
representatives. Through consultation and review, this panel
shall ensure consistency and technical quality around the DOE
complex in the development and application of performance
assessment models that include site specific geohydrology and
waste composition.
(4) Disposition of waste designated as greater-than-class C, as
defined in 10 CFR 61.55, must be handled as special cases.
Disposal systems for such waste must be justified by a specific
performance assessment through the National Environmental
Policy Act process and with the concurrence of DP-12 for all
DP-1 disposal facilities and of NE-20 for those disposal
facilities under the cognizance of NE-1.
(5) The following are additional disposal requirements intended
either to improve stability of the disposal site or to
facilitate handling and provide protection of the health and
safety of personnel at the disposal site:
(a) Waste must not be packaged for disposal in cardboard or
fiberboard boxes, unless such boxes meet DOE requirements
and contain stabilized waste with a minimum of void space.
For all types of containers, void spaces within the waste
and between the waste and its packaging shall be reduced
as much as practical.
(b) Liquid wastes, or wastes containing free liquid, must be
converted into a form that contains as little freestanding
and noncorrosive liquid as is reasonably achievable, but,
in no case, shall the liquid exceed 1 percent of the
volume of the waste when the waste is in a disposal
container, or 0.5 percent of the volume of the waste
processed to a stable form.
(c) Waste must not be readily capable of detonation or of
explosive decomposition or reaction at normal pressures
and temperatures, or of explosive reaction with water.
(d) Waste must not contain, or be capable of generating,
quantities of toxic gases, vapors, or fumes harmful to
persons transporting, handling, or disposing of the waste.
This does not apply to radioactive gaseous waste packaged
as identified in paragraph 3i(5)(e).
(e) Waste in a gaseous form must be packaged at a pressure
that does not exceed 1.5 atmospheres at 20C.
(f) Waste must not be pyrophoric. Pyrophoric materials
contained in waste shall be treated, prepared, and
packaged to be nonflammable.
(6) Waste containing amounts of radionuclides below regulatory
concern, as defined by Federal regulations, may be disposed
without regard to radioactivity content.
(7) Disposal Site Selection.
(a) Disposal site selection criteria (based on planned waste
confinement technology) shall be developed for
establishing new low-level waste disposal sites.
(b) Disposal site selection shall be based on an evaluation of
the prospective site in conjunction with planned waste
confinement technology, and in accordance with the
National Environmental Policy Act process.
(c) The disposal site shall have hydrogeologic characteristics
which, in conjunction with the planned waste confinement
technology, will protect the groundwater resource.
(d) The potential for natural hazards such as floods, erosion,
tornadoes, earthquakes, and volcanoes shall be considered
in site selection.
(e) Site selection criteria shall address the impact on
current and projected populations, land use resource
development plans and nearby public facilities,
accessibility to transportation routes and utilities, and
the location of waste generation.
(8) Disposal Facility and Disposal Site Design.
(a) Design criteria shall be established prior to selection of
new disposal facilities, new disposal sites, or both.
These design criteria shall be based on analyses of
physiographic, environmental, and hydrogeological data to
assure that the policy and requirements of this Order can
be met. The criteria shall be also based on assessments
of projected waste volumes, waste characteristics, and
facility and disposal site performance.
(b) Disposal units shall be designed consistent with disposal
site hydrology, geology, and waste characteristics and in
accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act
process.
(9) Disposal Facility Operations.
(a) Field organizations shall develop and implement operating
procedures for low-level waste disposal facilities that
protect the environment, health and safety of the public,
and facility personnel; ensure the security of the
facility; minimize the need for long-term control; and
meet the requirements of the closure/post-closure plan.
(b) Permanent identification markers for disposal excavations
and monitoring wells shall be emplaced.
(c) Operating procedures shall include training for disposal
facility operating personnel, emergency response plans,
and a system of reporting unusual occurrences according to
DOE 5000.3.
(d) Waste placement into disposal units should minimize voids
between containers.
(e) Operations are to be conducted so that active waste
disposal operations will not have n adverse effect on
filled disposal units.
j. Disposal Site Closure/Post Closure.
(1) Field organizations shall develop site-specific comprehensive
closure plans for new and existing operating low level waste
disposal sites. The plan shall address closure of disposal
sites within a 5-year period after each is filled and shall
conform to the requirements of the National Environmental
Policy Act process. Performance objectives for existing
disposal sites shall be developed on a case-by-case basis as
part of the National Environmental Policy Act process.
(2) During closure and post closure, residual radioactivity levels
for surface soils shall comply with existing DOE
decommissioning guidelines.
(3) Corrective measures shall be applied to new disposal sites or
individual disposal units if conditions occur or are forecasted
that could jeopardize attainment of the performance objectives
of this Order.
(4) Inactive disposal facilities, disposal sites, and disposal
units shall be managed in conformance with the Resource
Conservation and Recovery Act, the Comprehensive Environmental
Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, and the Superfund
Amendments and Reauthorization Act, or, if mixed waste is
involved, may be included in permit applications for operation
of contiguous disposal facilities.
(5) Closure plans for new and existing operating low-level waste
disposal facilities shall be reviewed and approved by the
appropriate field organization.
(6) Termination of monitoring and maintenance activity at closed
facilities or sites shall be based on an analysis of site
performance at the end of the institutional control period.
k. Environmental Monitoring.
(1) Each operational or non-operational low-level waste treatment,
storage, and disposal facility shall be monitored by an
environmental monitoring program that conforms with DOE 5484.1
and, at a minimum, meet the requirements of paragraph 3K(2)
through 3K(4).
(2) The environmental monitoring program shall be designed to
measure: (a) operational effluent releases; (b) migration of
radionuclides; (c) disposal unit subsidence; and (d) changes in
disposal facility and disposal site parameters which may affect
long-term site performance.
(3) Based on the characteristics of the facility being monitored,
the environmental monitoring program may include, but not
necessarily be limited to, monitoring surface soil, air,
surface water, and, in the subsurface, soil and water, both in
the saturated and the unsaturated zones.
(4) The monitoring program shall be capable of detecting changing
trends in performance sufficiently in advance to allow
application of any necessary corrective action prior to
exceeding performance objectives. The monitoring program shall
be able to ascertain whether or not effluents from each
treatment, storage, or disposal facility or disposal site meet
the requirements of applicable EH Orders.
l. Quality Assurance. Consistent with DOE 5700.6B, the low-level waste
operational and disposal practices shall be conducted in accordance
with applicable requirements of American National Standards
Institute/American Society of Mechanical Engineers Nuclear Quality
Assurance-1 (See Attachment 1, page 5, paragraph 48) and other
appropriate national consensus standards.
m. Records and Reports.
(1) Each field organization shall develop and maintain a record
keeping system that records the following: a historical record
of waste generated, treated, stored, shipped, disposed of, or
both, at the facilities under its cognizance. The data
maintained shall include all data necessary to show that the
waste was properly classified, treated, stored, shipped, and/or
disposed of. The data maintained in the system shall be based
on the data recorded on waste manifests.
(2) Waste Manifest. Records shall be kept and accompany each waste
package from generator through final disposal. The manifest
shall contain data necessary to document the proper
classification, and assist in determining proper treatment,
storage, and disposal of the waste. Waste manifests will be
kept as permanent records. At a minimum, the following data
will be included:
(a) Waste physical and chemical characteristics,
(b) Quantity of each major radionuclide present,
(c) Weight of the waste (total of waste and any solidification
or absorbent media),
(d) Volume of the waste (total of waste and any solidification
or absorbent media), and
(e) Other data necessary to demonstrate compliance with waste
acceptance criteria.
CHAPTER IV
MANAGEMENT OF WASTE CONTAINING AREA 11e(2) BYPRODUCT MATERIAL AND
NATURALLY OCCURRING AND ACCELERATOR PRODUCED RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL
1. PURPOSE. To establish policies and guidelines for managing DOE waste
containing byproduct material, as defined by section 11e(2) of the
Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended, and Naturally Occurring and
Accelerator Produced Radioactive Material.
2. POLICY. DOE waste containing naturally occurring and accelerator
produced radioactive material or byproduct material as defined by
section 11e(2) of the Atomic Energy Act, as amended, or similarly
contaminated residues derived from DOE remedial actions, shall be
stored, stabilized in-place, and/or disposed of consistent with the
requirements of the residual radioactive material guidelines contained
in 40 CFR 192. Small volumes of DOE waste containing 11e(2) byproduct
material or naturally occurring and accelerator produced radioactive
material may be managed as low-level waste in accordance with the
requirements of Chapter III of this Order. If the waste is classified
as mixed waste, management also must be in compliance with the
requirements of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.
3. REQUIREMENTS.
a. Waste Management.
(1) Waste covered under this chapter in quantities too large for
acceptance at DOE low-level waste disposal sites shall be
managed according to the requirements of 40 CFR 192, and
disposed of at specially designated DOE sites or tailing
disposal sites established under the Uranium Mill Tailings
Radiation Control Act of 1978 (Public Law 95-604). These
disposal site should be identified and developed as needed in
support of DOE remedial actions, and will normally be located
in the State in which the wastes are generated.
(2) With the approval of the appropriate field organization, small
volumes of 11(e) byproduct material and naturally occurring and
accelerator produced radioactive material waste may be disposed
at DOE low-level waste sites in accordance with the
requirements of Chapter III of this Order.
(3) All DOE waste containing:
(a) Naturally occurring and accelerator produced radioactive
material mixed with the Resource Conservation and Recovery
Act hazardous chemicals shall be managed as hazardous
waste under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.
(b) Byproduct 11e(2) (or a combination of 11e(2) byproduct and
naturally occurring and accelerator produced radioactive
material) mixed with the Resource Conservation and
Recovery Act hazardous chemicals, shall be managed
consistent with both the Resource Conservation and
Recovery Act and 40 CFR Part 192.
b. Quality Assurance. Consistent with DOE 5700.6B, waste management
practices shall be conducted in accordance with applicable
requirements of American National Standards Institute/American
Society of Mechanical Engineers Nuclear Quality Assurance-1
(reference 48) and other appropriate national consensus standards.
CHAPTER V
DECOMMISSIONING OF RADIOACTIVELY CONTAMINATED FACILITIES
1. PURPOSE. To establish policies and guidelines for the management,
decontamination, and decommissioning of radioactively contaminated
facilities under DOE ownership or control.
2. POLICY. Radioactively contaminated facilities for which DOE is
responsible shall be managed in a safe, cost-effective manner to assure
that release of, and exposure to, radioactivity and other hazardous
materials comply with Federal and State standards. Facilities,
equipment, and valuable materials shall be recovered and reused when
practical.
3. REQUIREMENTS. DOE organizations shall develop and document their
programs to provide for the surveillance, maintenance, and
decommissioning of contaminated facilities. The decommissioning
programs shall be implemented as follows:
a. General.
(1) Each field organization shall prepare and maintain a complete
list of contaminated facilities both operational and excess
under its jurisdiction. A continuous record of jurisdictional
program responsibility for all contaminated facilities shall be
maintained by the cognizant field organization for use in
assigning decommissioning responsibility.
(2) Operational records (e.g., facility design drawings and
modifications, characterization data on contamination levels,
prior decontamination activities, and incident reports required
by DOE Orders) for all contaminated facilities shall be
maintained by the cognizant field organization for use in
preparing decommissioning plans.
(3) Planning for facility decommissioning shall be initiated during
the design phase for new facilities and prior to termination of
operations for existing operational facilities. Such plans
shall consider the 2-year budget cycle to assure adequate
funding availability.
(4) Program offices shall be responsible for placing the facility
in a safe storage condition, providing surveillance and
maintenance, and decommissioning the facilities under their
jurisdiction when they become excess to programmatic needs, or
for finding another programmatic sponsor for them. For
multiple user facilities, the program office shall determine
decommissioning liability for user program offices based on
each program's overall contribution to the contamination or
some other mutually acceptable basis. This cost sharing
formula may be applied when the facility is placed in safe
storage or during surveillance and maintenance, when
appropriate.
(5) Responsibility for contaminated facilities may be transferred
from one program organization to another by mutual agreement of
the programs involved. The program organization to which a
facility is transferred shall accept full responsibility for
surveillance, maintenance, and decommissioning of the facility
according to the requirements of this Order. Agreements to
transfer facilities for functional purposes shall be in writing
and shall identify explicitly the concurrent transfer of
responsibility for surveillance, maintenance, and
decommissioning.
(6) The DP and NE decommissioning programs exist for the primary
purpose of managing and decommissioning the contaminated
facilities currently assigned to them. Other contaminated
facilities that have no programmatic sponsor, or that are
excess to program needs and have a current sponsor, shall be
assigned to the DP and NE programs for management and
decommissioning with the approval of the program secretarial
officers involved or their designees.
(7) Decommissioning expertise gained by DOE and its contractors is
available at most major DOE facilities, and should be utilized
by DOE programs. A computerized Decommissioning Technology
data base is maintained at the Richland Operations Office.
Published reports on nuclear facility decommissioning may be
obtained from the Remedial Action Program Information Center at
Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
b. Facility Design. Facilities in which radioactive or other hazardous
materials are utilized shall be designed to simplify decontamination
and decommissioning and/or increase the potential for reuse.
Features and procedures that simplify and facilitate decommissioning
shall be identified during the planning and design phase based upon
a proposed decommissioning method or conversion to other use.
Examples of features to be incorporated are identified in DOE
6430.1.
c. Post-Operational Activities.
(1) DOE Program organizations shall identify contaminated
facilities under their jurisdiction, document the potential for
reuse and recovery of materials and equipment, and develop
schedules for decommissioning them. Projects consisting of one
or more facilities shall be identified as appropriate, and
priorities shall be developed based on:
(a) Maintaining employee and public health and safety,
(b) Protection of the environment,
(c) Compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act, the
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, the Comprehensive
Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act,
the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act, and
other contractual or legal requirements,
(d) Cost effective program management (e.g., maintaining
manpower pools, selecting economical decommissioning
alternatives), and
(e) Future site plans.
(2) Program organizations shall assure that, prior to initiation of
decommissioning activities, adequate surveillance and
maintenance is performed for their surplus facilities to meet
applicable radiation protection (DOE 5480.1B), hazardous
chemical and safety standards, to maintain physical safety and
security, and to reduce potential public and environmental
hazards. All high-level waste and stored hazardous materials
should be removed by the operator as part of the last
operational activities prior to entering into the
decommissioning phase.
d. Decommissioning Project Activities.
(1) Characterization. Baseline data for each project shall be
collected to support a thorough physical, chemical, and
radiological characterization to fulfill the requirements of
the National Environmental Policy Act reviews, the Resource
Conservation and Recovery Act, and the Comprehensive
Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, the
Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act preliminary
assessment/site investigations, and detailed engineering. The
baseline data shall include:
(a) Drawings, photographs, and other records reflecting the
as-built and as-modified condition of the facility and
grounds;
(b) The condition of all structures, existing protective
barriers, and systems installed to ensure public,
occupational, and environmental safety;
(c) The type, form, quantity, and location of hazardous
chemical and radioactive material from past operations at
the site; and
(d) Information on factors that could influence the selection
of decommissioning alternatives (safe storage, entombment,
dismantlement) such as potential future use, long-range
site plans required by DOE 4300.1B, facility condition,
and potential health, safety, and environmental hazards.
(2) Environmental Review Process. The Comprehensive Environmental
Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, the Superfund
Amendments and Reauthorization Act and/or the Resource
Conservation and Recovery Act status of each project shall be
identified and a remedial investigation/feasibility study
performed if required. Based on the results of the remedial
investigation/feasibility study and any additional data deemed
necessary by the responsible field organization, an appropriate
environmental review shall be performed according to the
requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act, the
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, the Comprehensive
Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, and
the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act. Candidate
decommissioning alternatives shall be identified, assessed, and
evaluated, and a preferred decommissioning alternative selected
based on the results of the environmental review.
(3) Engineering. Technical engineering planning for each project
shall be conducted during the environmental review process to
assure that alternative actions and associated environmental
issues are identified and assessed, and to support preparation
of environmental documentation. Detailed engineering will be
initiated after a preferred alternative is selected. A
Decommissioning Project Plan shall be prepared for approval by
the appropriate program office in compliance with DOE 4700.1.
The Plan shall include the following:
(a) Physical, chemical, and radiological characterizational
data or references to such data;
(b) A summary evaluation of decommissioning alternatives for
the facility including the preferred alternative;
(c) Plans for meeting requirements from the environmental
review process (National Environmental Policy Act, the
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, the Comprehensive
Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act,
and the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act) and
all necessary permits;
(d) Radiological criteria to be used (modifications, if any,
to guidance presented in applicable EH Orders must be
approved by the Headquarters program organization and
EH-1);
(e) Projections of occupational exposure:
(f) Estimated quantities of radioactive waste to be generated;
and
(g) Detailed administrative, cost, schedule, and management
information.
(4) Decommissioning Operations.
(a) The decommissioning project shall be conducted in
accordance with guidance from Headquarters program offices
and the Decommissioning Project Plan. Significant
deviations shall be approved by the responsible field
organization in consultation with the appropriate program
office.
(b) Approval of MA-22 (Office of Project and Facilities
Management) shall be obtained before initiating activities
to demolish a DOE-owned facility, per the requirements of
DOE 4300.1B.
(c) Status reports on project activities shall be prepared in
accordance with the requirements of DOE 1332.1A or 4700.1,
as appropriate.
(d) Information on waste generation shall be provided to the
Integrated Data Base Program, as required.
(e) Decommissioning operations shall be considered a waste
generator and shall meet generator requirements contained
in the previous chapters of this Order.
(5) Post Decommissioning Activities.
(a) After decommissioning operations have been completed, a
final radiological and chemical survey report (or an
independent verification survey report, at remote sites)
and a project final report shall be prepared. The final
report shall include a description of the project, the
final status of the property, and the lessons learned from
the project.
(b) The responsible field organization shall compile a Project
Data Package consisting of, as a minimum: the Record of
Completion; the final radiological and chemical survey
report; the Project Final Report; and for remote sites, an
independent verification survey report, Certification
Docket, and appropriate public notices. The Project Data
Package shall be retained permanently in the field
organization archives.
(c) The responsible program organization shall assure that any
necessary long-term maintenance and surveillance or other
safety controls are provided for the decommissioned
property.
(d) The decommissioned property may be released from DOE
ownership according to the requirements of DOE 4300.1B, if
the responsible program organization, in consultation with
the Office of the Assistant Secretary EH-1, certifies that
the property meets applicable release criteria for
residual radioactivity and hazardous chemicals, and the
property is identified properly by notation in the legal
land records of the local government entity.
(e) The decommissioned property may be reused for other
program activities that may or may not involve
radioactivity or hazardous chemicals. If appropriate
release criteria are not met, the property may be reused
for other program activities that may or may not involve
radioactivity or hazardous chemicals provided that
adequate safety controls are maintained.
e. Quality Assurance. Consistent with DOE 5700.6B, waste management
practices shall be conducted in accordance with applicable
requirements of American National Standards Institute/American
Society of Mechanical Engineers Nuclear Quality Assurance-1
(Attachment 1, page 5, paragraph 48) and other appropriate national
consensus standards.
CHAPTER VI
WASTE MANAGEMENT PLAN OUTLINE
1. PURPOSE. To provide guidance on the development and maintenance of a
waste management plan for each site that generates, treats, stores, or
disposes of DOE waste.
2. DISCUSSION. The Order for radioactive waste management emphasizes
accountable operational requirements set forth in a prescriptive style.
Each site that generates, treats, stores, or disposes of DOE radioactive
waste, or decommissions contaminated facilities, is responsible for
complying with these requirements in terms of how operations are
conducted and how these activities are documented. The documentation
serves as the written word that the actual operations are being
conducted within the framework of the Order.
The primary purpose of the Waste Management Plan is to compile and
consolidate an annual report on how waste management operations are
conducted, what facilities are being used to manage wastes, what forces
are acting to change current waste management systems, and what plans
are in store for the coming fiscal year. The scope of the plan includes
the management of both radioactive and hazardous constituents in the
Department's waste, whether these are separated or mixed. The body of
the Waste Management Plan should not include descriptions of
Environmental Restoration activities, as this information is provided
under a separate program. However, several documents prepared with
Environmental Restoration funding may be cited in Attachment VI-1 to the
Waste Management Plan; this preserves consistency in accounting for
documentation. Also, the Waste Management Plan includes the management
of the DOE's liquid low-level waste which is not governed specifically
by this Order.
The waste management plan provides a vehicle to report current waste
management practices and plans for the coming year. It serves as the
core document in the sites waste management operations and should
reference supporting documentation as appropriate. The attachment to
the Waste Management plan allows sites to amount for major documentation
as required by the Order.
3. FORMAT FOR WASTE MANAGEMENT PLANS.
a. Executive Summary. An Executive Summary is mandatory for each Waste
Management Plan.
(1) As a rule of thumb, limit the length of the executive summary
to 10 percent or less of the length of the Waste Management
Plan. Summarize the past year in waste management including
the principal regulatory/environmental issues and the degree to
which planned activities were accomplished.
(2) Provide a forecast of the coming year and discuss project
startups, facility modifications, regulatory issues, and the
waste management budget.
b. General Site Information.
(1) Organization and Administration. Indicate the DOE field
organization(s) and contractor(s) responsible for managing
waste treatment, storage and disposal operations; discuss
approval authorities, and clarify DOE/contractor interfaces.
Include relationships between contractor's operations if
multiple contractors are involved.
(a) Use charts to enhance text descriptions of organizational
structure. Describe lead responsibilities of functional
groups including the organization responsible for
preparing this plan.
(b) Show the relationships, in a separate section, between
documents that guide and support the waste management
program at the site. Identify the organization
responsible for maintaining up-to-date copies of all
reference documents at the field organization level.
(2) Site Description. Include a brief description of site
location, demography size, geographic features, climate,
geologic and hydrogeologic conditions, and primary mission
where waste management operations are conducted.
c. Radioactive and Mixed Waste Management. This section of the plan
describes radioactive and mixed waste management operations at the
site and includes descriptions of the waste management systems and
facilities, the characteristics of wastes managed, and discussion of
the problems, recommendations, and the future direction of the site
operations. The top-level divisions of this section should be by
waste type; i.e., high-level, transuranic, and low-level. These
categories should be subdivided further by waste phase, liquid,
solid, or gaseous (where appropriate).
(1) System and Facility Descriptions.
(a) Overview. For each of the categories of waste provide an
overview of the systems that treat, store, and dispose of
these wastes. Use flowcharts to indicate waste sources,
intermediate processing steps, and ultimate disposition of
waste streams. Identify which waste streams are
classified as mixed waste.
(b) Facility Descriptions. Identify the facilities that
comprise the waste management systems according to waste
type and waste phase and describe the facilities in the
following order: Treatment Facilities; Storage
Facilities; and Disposal Facilities. Detailed
descriptions of facility operations are not required, but
enough explanation should be given to support the
discussion of planned activities. Examples of appropriate
information include location maps, radiological and
chemical characteristics of waste treated/stored/disposed,
facility operating parameters, unique or special equipment
used, and status of permitting activities. Include
facility layout drawings and flow sheets where
appropriate.
(2) Current and Future Plans. This section is used to document the
planning efforts at the site and indicate the direction of
radioactive and mixed waste management activities. It should
be organized to reflect site-specific situations. In general,
it should: define problems with, and/or new requirements for,
waste management systems; cite specific recommendations and
strategy for making improvements; identify actions to achieve
compliance with regulations; and discuss plans to modify
current waste management systems such as construction of new
facilities, plant upgrades, facility decommissioning/closure.
Remedial actions should indicate how the findings of system
performance assessments were factored into recommendations and
plans. They should clearly indicate the driving forces behind
their stated plans, such as: to achieve disposal of waste
currently in storage; to enhance systems performance; to meet
regulatory requirements; and to increase worker protection/
safety.
(3) Implementation Requirements. This section is used to document
the implementation status by updating the "Implementation
Summary Table" from the Implementation Plan. It should present
these data in similar tabular format. It should also report
progress realized during the past year, remaining actions to
complete, remaining costs, and estimated completion dates. In
addition it should indicate any variances from original cost
and schedule projections in the Implementation Plan, and
discuss reasons for variances.
d. Hazardous Waste Management (DP Facilities).
(1) System and Facility Descriptions.
(a) Overview. Provide an overview of the system used to
treat, store, and dispose of hazardous wastes at the site.
Use flow sheets and location maps where appropriate.
(b) Facility Description. Organize according to treatment
facilities, storage facilities, and disposal. Describe
the combination of facilities used to manage hazardous
wastes at the site and include a discussion of current
methods of disposal. Indicate the kinds of hazardous
wastes generated and their sources. (Facility drawings
and location maps should be included as appropriate.)
Indicate status of permitting activities and other actions
to achieve compliance with the Resource Conservation and
Recovery Act and the Comprehensive Environmental Response,
Compensation, and Liability Act, and the Superfund
Amendments and Reauthorization Act.
(2) Current and Future Plans. Indicate recent and planned changes
in waste management practice as well as actions to minimize
hazardous waste generation; e.g., materials substitution and
treatment to render waste nonhazardous. Identify plans for new
facility construction, modifications, upgrades, or closures.
e. Schedule and Cost Summary. Show current FY costs and operational
schedule for the waste management program. In a separate set of
tables, show a 5-year (FY + 4) cost and schedule projection and
indicate major milestones to be accomplished during that period.
f. Environmental Monitoring Process. Describe the status of
environmental monitoring that supports waste management operations,
with discussion of monitoring installations, media sampled, and
constituents analyzed. (This section of the plan should focus on
the environmental monitoring systems installed to meet regulatory
compliance at the individual waste management facilities. It is not
necessary to describe the site-wide monitoring program that reports
directly to EH.) Provide descriptions of planned system upgrades
and modifications and key these to applicable discussions in
paragraphs 3c and d. Include facility maps where appropriate.
g. Related Subjects. Use this section to report on related topics of
significant interest to waste management planning efforts at the
site. Examples include preparation/review of major National
Environmental Policy Act documentation; personnel training; quality
assurance; technology demonstrations; and decommissioning projects.
WASTE MANAGEMENT DOCUMENTATION REQUIREMENTS
DISCUSSION. To identify principal documentation requirements as identified,
sites are required to list and describe (where appropriate) the waste
management documentation indicated below. Each of the following paragraphs
refer to specific sections of this Order that require the preparation of
waste management documentation. Reporting is limited to documents issued in
the previous FY, unless the most recent revision of an existing document was
issued earlier. Where possible, this Attachment should retain a standard
bibliographical format.
(1) Chapter I - High-Level Waste.
(a) Paragraph 3a. List titles and dates of issue of Safety
Analysis Reports. Forecast schedule for preparation and issue
date of planned Safety Analysis Reports.
(b) Paragraph 3b(3)(c). List titles and dates of documents
supporting the periodic assessment of waste storage tank
integrity.
(c) Paragraph 3b(4). Cite documentation of contingency actions of
the past year. List schedule for completion of corrective
actions.
(2) Chapter II - Transuranic Waste.
(a) Paragraph 3c(3). Cite the Transuranic Waste Certification
Plan and date of issue. If not issued, give schedule for
preparation.
(b) Paragraph 3g(2)(h). Cite the closure plan for interim storage
facilities. If not issued, give schedule for preparation.
(c) Paragraph 3(i). Index major documentation developed under the
Buried Transuranic - Contaminated Waste Program. Show
schedule for preparation of documents in the current fiscal
year.
(3) Chapter III - Low-Level Waste.
(a) Paragraph 3b(1). Cite documentation on radiological
performance assessment of disposal facilities. If not issued,
provide schedule for preparation in paragraph 3 of the Waste
Management Plan.
(b) Paragraph 3e(1). Cite Waste Acceptance Criteria for each
low-level waste treatment storage and disposal facility.
List anticipated additions to this list for the current
fiscal year.
(c) Paragraph 3e(3). Report the status of audits of certification
activities by operators of disposal facilities. Report
status of follow-up reports.
(d) Paragraph 3g(2). List document(s) forecasting waste to be
shipped by generators to off-site disposal facilities.
(e) Paragraph 3i(4)(d). List reports justifying on-site disposal
of waste exceeding Class C limits. Such disposal cases
anticipated for the next year should be forecast.
(f) Paragraph 3i(8). Cite major National Environmental Policy Act
documentation (e.g., Environmental Impact Statement,
Environmental Assessment) supporting selection of any new
disposal sites. Give schedule of preparation for appropriate
documentation for the next year.
(g) Paragraph 3j(1). Cite closure plans for low-level waste
disposal sites and dates of issue. Give schedule of
preparation for anticipated reports.
(4) Decommissioning of Radioactively Contaminated Facilities.
(a) Paragraphs 3a(1). Cite field organization documentation
where the complete listing and the jurisdictional program
responsibility for all contaminated facilities is recorded.
(b) Paragraph 3c(1). Cite the post-operational documentation
that records the potential for reuse and recovery of
materials and equipment and the schedule for decommissioning
contaminated facilities.
(c) Paragraph 3d(3). List Decommissioning Project Plans and
dates of issue. Show a schedule for preparation of Plans in
the current fiscal year.
(d) Paragraph 3d(5). List final radiological and chemical survey
reports and project final reports, and show dates of issue.
Show anticipated additions to this list for the coming year.
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