Low-Level Waste Disposal Capacity Report, Revision 1 - Chapter 2 VOLUMETRIC PROJECTIONS AND CAPACITY

As reported in Revision 0 of this Report, over 2.7 million m³ had been disposed in DOE low-level waste disposal facilities through 1995. In the following two years (1996-97), an additional 63,000 m³ was disposed at operating DOE low-level waste disposal facilities. DOE estimates that a total of approximately 8.1 million m³ of low-level waste will require disposal by DOE from 1998 through 2070. This includes approximately 1.5 million m³ of low-level waste to be disposed in Waste Management Program disposal facilities. Approximately 5.8 million m³ of low-level waste to be disposed by the Environmental Restoration Program in either existing Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Recovery Act (CERCLA) disposal facilities (5.4 million m³), not-yet-constructed CERCLA disposal facilities (390,000 m³), or remediation units (15,000 m³). Nearly 510,000 m³ of low-level waste to be disposed in commercial disposal facilities; and almost 330,000 m³ of low-level waste that does not yet have an identified disposal facility (i.e., the disposal facility is classified as to be determined).

In addition to the 8.1 million m³ of low-level waste identified above, DOE estimates that a total of 710,000 m³ of mixed low-level waste volume will require disposal by DOE from 1998 through 2070. This includes almost 100,000 m³ to be disposed at Waste Management Program mixed low-level waste disposal facilities. Approximately 370,000 m³ of mixed low-level waste to be disposed by the Environmental Restoration Program in either existing CERCLA disposal facilities (400 m³), not-yet-constructed CERCLA disposal facilities (35,000 m³), and remediation units (330,000 m³). Approximately 78,000 m³ of mixed low-level waste to be disposed at commercial mixed low-level waste disposal facilities; and over 170,000 m³ of mixed low-level waste that does not yet have an identified disposal facility.

Chapter 2.0 compares the Department's currently available and projected low-level and mixed low-level waste volumetric disposal capacity with the volume of waste projected to require disposal. Section 2.1 identifies the sources of the data and methodology used in the comparison. Section 2.2 presents a brief overview of the generator waste volume projections. Sections 2.3 and 2.4 present, respectively, the low-level waste and mixed low-level waste volumes projected to be disposed at each DOE facility and at commercial facilities. Section 2.5 compares the volume of low-level waste and mixed low-level waste projected to be disposed at each facility with the available volumetric capacity of the facility. Alternative scenarios for disposing of waste which has a disposal site designation of to be determined for low-level waste is presented in Section 2.6. A similar alternative scenario analysis for mixed low-level waste is presented in Section 2.7. Section 2.8 provides a summary comparison of the low-level and mixed low-level waste volume projections and disposal capacities.

This is the first revision of the Report since Revision 0 was issued on July 30, 1996. The Department's low-level waste disposal projections and facility capacities are generally consistent between Revision 0 and this Report. The following two changes are the most significant differences between the volumetric disposal projections in the two reports:

• Projections of low-level waste to be disposed at commercial facilities decreased from 1.6 million m³ to 510,000 m³, due primarily to 840,000 m³ of Oak Ridge Reservation low-level waste that is no longer projected for commercial disposal.

• The Savannah River Site capacity and projected configuration has been changed, though overall Savannah River Site capacity (about 1 million m³) is not affected. The number of vaults that had been considered previously has been reduced, and the associated space is now being considered for slit trench emplacement. This represents a flexible configuration capability that is adjusted as future needs become better defined. The majority of projected waste volumes originally considered for disposal in low-activity waste vaults is projected to be disposed in slit trenches.

Revision 0 discussed the projected volume of mixed low-level waste but did not evaluate whether DOE's available capacity was sufficient. The main change in this revision is the inclusion of such an evaluation.

2.1 Volumetric Capacity Analysis Methodology

To assess the adequacy of the Department's low-level waste and mixed low-level waste volumetric disposal capacity, the volume of waste disposed to date and projected for disposal at each facility was compared to the facility's total volumetric capacity. The comparison involved the following three types of data:

• Past Waste Disposal Volume - Data on waste volumes disposed prior to 1998 were provided by each disposal facility.

• Projected Future Waste Disposal Volume - Waste volume projections are based on data DOE compiled in early 1998 in support of the Paths to Closure strategy issued in June 1998. These data identify each low-level and mixed low-level waste stream projected to be generated, the projected disposal volume between 1998 and 2070, the waste type (either low-level or mixed low-level), and the disposal facility that is the generator expects will be used. In cases where the generator site has not identified a disposal facility, the disposition of the waste is identified as to be determined.

• Facility Disposal Capacity - The established volumetric disposal capacity of each facility was calculated from data on the dimensions of the facility. Appendix A presents the calculations used to determine each facility's total volumetric disposal capacity.

2.2 Projected Volumetric Disposal Needs

This section summarizes the total volumes of the Department's low-level and mixed low-level waste projected to require disposal from 1998 through 2070. Low-level and mixed low-level waste requiring disposal is generated by a number of Department programs. For the purpose of this Report, a distinction is made between low-level and mixed low-level waste generated by the Environmental Restoration Program and all other programs. The primary reason for this distinction is that while the Environmental Restoration Program generates the largest volume of low-level and mixed low-level waste as part of cleanup activities, the Environmental Restoration Program also manages disposal of the majority of these wastes, with only a fraction being transferred to the Waste Management Program or commercial facilities for disposal.

2.2.1 Projections from Programs Other Than Environmental Restoration

DOE programs that will provide waste for disposal in Waste Management Program disposal facilities include the Waste Management, Nuclear Materials and Facility Stabilization, Defense, Energy Research, and Nuclear Energy (including the Naval Reactors program) programs. Waste provided to the Waste Management Program includes waste that was initially generated or is derived from waste initially generated by other DOE programs and transferred to the Waste Management Program for management and disposal.

The generators from other programs typically generate waste from active operations and are listed in Table 1-1. Table 2-1, column 2, (Non-ER) presents the low-level waste volume projections by generator from Programs other than Environmental Restoration and identifies the planned disposal option. These waste volumes represent the projected low-level waste disposal needs from 1998 through 2070. Table 2-2, column 2 (Non-ER) presents similar data for mixed low-level waste.

Table 2-2. Projected Mixed Low-Level Waste Disposal Volumes by Generator Site/Program (1998 - 2070) ^a

2.2.2 Environmental Restoration Generation Projections

The DOE Environmental Restoration Program generates low-level and mixed low-level waste from assessment, remediation, and facility decommissioning activities. For this analysis, DOE estimated the volume of environmental restoration low-level and mixed low-level waste requiring disposal at DOE facilities using a three-step process:

1. Contaminated Media Volume - Based on assessments of the type and extent of contamination at each site, DOE sites estimated the total volume of solid low-level and mixed low-level waste media and facilities present at each site.¹
2. Low-level and Mixed Low-Level Waste Generation Volume - Based on the estimated volume of media and facilities from Step (1) and the expected cleanup response at each site, DOE sites estimated the volume of low-level and mixed low-level waste generated from ex-situ cleanup responses.
3. Low-level and Mixed Low-Level Waste Disposal Volume - Based on the estimated volume of low-level and mixed low-level waste generated from Step (2) and the expected subsequent disposition pathway of the waste (e.g., treatment, volume reduction, DOE disposal, commercial disposal), the DOE sites estimated the volume of low-level and mixed low-level waste requiring disposal at DOE facilities.

Across the complex, the Environmental Restoration Program estimated a total of 32 million m³ of solid low-level waste media and facilities and 1.2 million m³ of solid mixed low-level waste and facilities. These estimates are "in-place" volumes and reflect the Environmental Restoration Program's current understanding of contaminated media and facilities. These in-place volumes may increase or decrease in the future as site characterization activities continue. At each site, the volume of low-level or mixed low-level waste, if any, that will be generated and eventually disposed will depend on the specific response strategies and methodologies used. These response strategies and methodologies will be developed by the Department through discussions with Federal and State regulators. Figure 2-1 outlines the general response strategies that the Environmental Restoration Program utilizes. The strategies range from "no further action" to removal of all contaminated media for disposal in a special engineered facility. Tables 2-3 and 2-4 present the volume of waste expected to be generated by the Environmental Restoration Program at each site, indicate how the waste will be managed, and present estimates of the volume of media projected to be managed in place. As presented in these tables, the volume of low-level and mixed low-level waste considered in the capacity analysis is a subset of the volumes that are either to be transferred to the Waste Management Program, treated and disposed by the Environmental Restoration Program, or are classified as to be determined.

Of the 32 million m³ of solid low-level waste media and facilities shown in Table 2-3, 6.9 million m³ of low-level waste is projected to be generated through ex-situ response strategies. Table 2-1, column 3 (ER), presents the 6.9 million m³ of projected low-level waste by generator from the Environmental Restoration Program and identifies the planned disposal option. The ex-situ response strategies include transferring the waste to the Waste Management Program (540,000 m³), treating and disposing of the waste in facilities managed by the Environmental Restoration Program (5.8 million m³), and transferring the waste to commercial disposal facilities (500,000 m³). Relatively smaller volumes of low-level waste are projected to be recycled (41,000 m³) or do not yet have a disposal option determined (27,000 m³). In-situ responses are expected to be used to manage the remaining 25 million m³ of solid low-level waste media and facilities. Of the 540,000 m³ projected to be transferred to Waste Management Program, 510,000 m³ is expected to be disposed in Waste Management Program facilities without further processing, and the remainder either does not have an identified disposal alternative (the waste is classified as to be determined) or the waste is treated prior to disposal.

Of the 1.2 million m³ of solid mixed low-level waste media and facilities shown in Table 2-4, 490,000 m³ of mixed low-level waste is projected to be generated through ex-situ response strategies. Table 2-2, column 3 (ER) presents the 490,000 m³ of projected mixed low-level waste by generator from the Environmental Restoration Program and identifies the planned disposal option. The ex-situ response strategies include transferring the waste to the Waste Management Program (73,000 m³), treating and disposing of the waste in facilities managed by the Environmental Restoration Program (360,000 m³), and transferring the waste to commercial disposal facilities (54,000 m³). An additional volume (1,400 m³) does not have an identified disposal option yet determined. In-situ responses are expected to be used to manage the remaining 660,000 m³ of solid media classified as mixed low-level waste. Nearly all of the 73,000 m³ projected to be transferred to Waste Management Program is subsequently classified as to be determined.

2.3 Low-Level Waste Disposal Volumes

This section presents a summary of the projected volume of the Department's low-level waste by disposal site. The total low-level waste volume projected to require disposal in DOE facilities from 1998 through 2070 is approximately 8.1 million m³. The Department estimates that approximately 1.5 million m³ of low-level waste will be disposed in Waste Management Program disposal facilities. Approximately 5.8 million m³ of low-level waste to be disposed by the Environmental Restoration Program in either existing Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Recovery Act (CERCLA) disposal facilities (5.4 million m³), not-yet-constructed CERCLA disposal facilities (390,000 m³), or remediation units (15,000 m³). Nearly 510,000 m³ of low-level waste to be disposed in commercial disposal facilities; and almost 330,000 m³ of low-level waste that does not yet have an identified disposal facility (i.e., the disposal facility is classified as to be determined). Evaluation of commercial disposal site capacity is out of the scope for this Report.

2.3.1 Low-Level Waste Disposal in Waste Management Program Disposal Facilities

The Department projects that 1.5 million m³ of low-level waste will require disposed at Waste Management Program disposal facilities between 1998 and 2070. A further 330,000 m³ of low-level waste will require disposal at a to be determined disposal facility. To be determined low-level waste could be disposed at either Waste Management Program or commercial disposal facilities. To be determined low-level waste is discussed further in Section 2.6.

Table 2-5 presents a summary of Waste Management Program disposal sites and the low-level waste volumes corresponding to each site. These volumes include past disposal (pre-1988 and 1988 to 1997) and projected future disposal from 1988 through 2070. The future disposal includes waste from both the Environmental Restoration Program as well as non-Environmental Restoration Program waste generators. Also presented in Table 2-5 is a summary of the volume of low-level waste already disposed at each Waste Management disposal facility for two time periods, pre-1988 and 1988 to 1997. This data will be used in Section 2.5 in the evaluation of the capacity of the disposal facilities to receive the projected waste.

2.3.2 Low-Level Waste Disposal in Environmental Restoration Disposal Facilities

The Environmental Restoration Program projects a total of approximately 5.8 million m³ of low-level waste from remediation and decommissioning and dismantlement activities will be disposed in Environmental Restoration Program facilities. This includes 5.4 million m³ at existing disposal facilities at Fernald Environmental Management Project (1.6 million m³) and at the Hanford Site Environmental Restoration Disposal Facility (3.8 million m³); 390,000 m³ at not-yet-constructed disposal facilities at Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (330,000 m³) and Oak Ridge Reservation (60,000 m³); and 15,000 m³ to be returned to remediation units at Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory. In this Report, waste projected to be disposed in the not-yet-constructed facilities is grouped with the to be determined waste in the alternative scenario analysis. Table 2-6 summarizes the projected Environmental Restoration low-level waste disposal volumes by disposal site.

2.3.3 Low-Level Waste Projections for Disposal in Commercial Disposal Facilities

The Department estimates that approximately 510,000 m³ of low-level waste will be disposed in commercial (not DOE-owned) facilities from 1998 to 2070. This includes 500,000 m³ of waste from the Environmental Restoration Program and 11,000 m³ of waste from the Waste Management Program. A portion of the 330,000 m³ of low-level waste that does not have a specified disposal option (to be determined) may also be disposed at commercial sites. Evaluation of commercial disposal site capacity is outside the scope of this Report. This analysis assumes that adequate commercial disposal capacity will be available. However, Section 2.6, Alternative Scenarios, considers alternative dispositions for currently projected to be determined low-level waste.

2.4 Mixed Low-Level Waste Disposal Volumes

This section presents a summary of the projected volume of Department's mixed low-level waste by disposal site. DOE estimates that a total of 710,000 m³ of mixed low-level waste volume will require disposal by DOE from 1998 through 2070. This includes almost 100,000 m³ to be disposed at Waste Management Program mixed low-level waste disposal facilities. Approximately 370,000 m³ of mixed low-level waste to be disposed by the Environmental Restoration Program in either existing CERCLA disposal facilities (400 m³), not-yet-constructed CERCLA disposal facilities (35,000 m³), and remediation units (330,000 m³). Approximately 78,000 m³ of mixed low-level waste to be disposed at commercial mixed low-level waste disposal facilities; and over 170,000 m³ of mixed low-level waste that does not yet have an identified disposal facility.

2.4.1 Mixed Low-Level Waste Disposal in Waste Management Program Disposal Facilities

The Department projects that approximately 100,000 m³ of mixed low-level waste will require disposal at Waste Management Program disposal facilities between 1998 and 2070. A further 170,000 m³ of mixed low-level waste will require disposal at a to be determined disposal facility. To be determined mixed low-level waste could be disposed at either Waste Management Program or commercial disposal facilities. To be determined mixed low-level waste is discussed further in Section 2.7.

Table 2-7 presents a summary of Waste Management Program disposal sites and the mixed low-level waste volumes corresponding to each site. These volumes include past disposal (pre-1988 and 1988 to 1997) and projected future disposal from 1988 through 2070. At present, Waste Management Program disposal sites accepting mixed low-level waste are located at Hanford Site and Nevada Test Site. Nevada Test Site is only allowed to dispose of mixed low-level waste generated within the State of Nevada. The projected future disposal volumes presented in Table 2-7 include waste from both the Environmental Restoration Program as well as non-Environmental Restoration Program waste generators. Also presented in Table 2-7 is a summary of the volume of mixed low-level waste already disposed at each Waste Management disposal facility. This data will be used in Section 2.6 in the evaluation of the capacity of the disposal facilities to receive the projected waste.

2.4.2 Mixed Low-Level Waste Disposal in Environmental Restoration Disposal Facilities

The Environmental Restoration Program projects a total of 370,000 m³ of mixed low-level waste will be disposed in Environmental Restoration Program disposal facilities. This includes 330,000 m³ to be returned to remediation units at Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory, 400 m³ to be disposed at the Hanford Site Environmental Restoration Disposal Facility, and 35,000 m³ to be disposed at not-yet-constructed disposal facilities at Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (5,900 m³) and Oak Ridge Reservation (29,000 m³). In this Report, waste projected to be disposed in the not-yet-constructed facilities is grouped with the to be determined waste in the alternative scenario analysis. Table 2-8 summarizes the projected Environmental Restoration Program mixed low-level waste disposal volumes by disposal facility and site.

2.4.3 Mixed Low-Level Waste Projections for Disposal in Commercial Disposal Facilities

The Department estimates that approximately 78,000 m³ of mixed low-level waste will be disposed in commercial (not DOE-owned) facilities from 1998 to 2070. This includes 53,000 m³ of waste from the Environmental Restoration Program and 25,000 m³ of waste from the Waste Management Program. A portion of the 170,000 m³ of mixed low-level waste that does not have a specified disposal option (to be determined) may also be disposed at commercial sites. Evaluation of commercial disposal site capacity is outside the scope of this Report. This analysis assumes that adequate commercial disposal capacity will be available. However, Section 2.7, Alternative Scenarios, considers alternative dispositions for currently projected to be determined mixed low-level waste.

2.5 Base Case Comparison of Facility-Specific Volumetric Projections and Disposal Capacity

This section compares the volume of low-level and mixed low-level waste projected to be sent to each disposal facility discussed in Sections 2.3 and 2.4 with the disposal capacity of the facility. For Waste Management Program disposal facilities, the capacity of each facility was evaluated based on that facility's Performance Assessment and other technical documents including site waste acceptance criteria. Table 2-11 summarizes the currently available capacities of the Waste Management Program low-level and mixed low-level waste disposal facilities. In the comparison of waste volumes and facility capacities presented in the following subsections, Waste Management Program mixed low-level waste disposal facilities are discussed separately from the low-level waste disposal facilities because mixed low-level waste cannot be disposed in low-level waste facilities. Similarly, Environmental Restoration Program disposal facilities, including existing and planned facilities and remediation units, are discussed separately because, unlike Waste Management Program facilities that are generally developed to accommodate a variety of wastes from unspecified generators, Environmental Restoration Program facilities are developed to receive waste from only on-site sources resulting from specifically identified environmental restoration activities, and the facilities are designed and sized to accommodate these wastes.

2.5.1 Waste Management Program Low-Level Waste Disposal Facilities

2.5.1.1 Hanford Site 200 Area Low-Level Burial Grounds

The Waste Management Program disposal facilities at Hanford Site accept both on-site and off-site low-level waste for disposal. These facilities are divided geographically into two groups; the 200-East facilities and the 200-West facilities. Only those facilities that were still open in 1995 or that had an available design are considered in the following discussion about disposal capacity and disposal volumes.

Hanford has two different design strategies for their disposal facilities. The current method, designated the standard trench design, uses unlined, sloped (about 45⁰) trenches that are about 6 m to 7 m deep and vary in length up to approximately 500 m. Trenches are either "V-shaped" (about 3 m wide) or wide-bottomed (about 8 m wide). Based on the standard trench design, the 200 East and 200 West facilities have a combined disposal capacity of over 2 million m³. A proposed alternative disposal method for this facility is a deep trench design which would use unlined, sloped trenches about 26 meters deep. Based on the deep trench design, the 200 East and 200 West facilities would have a combined disposal capacity of 12.8 million m³.

Figure 2.2 compares the volumetric capacity of the 200-East and 200-West facilities assuming the standard trench design against the volume of waste projected to be disposed at these facilities. A total of 520,000 m³ of low-level waste is projected to be disposed in the 200-East and 200-West facilities through 2070. This includes 130,000 m³ of low-level waste disposed prior to 1988, 110,000 m³ disposed from 1988 to 1997, and an estimated 280,000 m³ projected to be disposed from 1998 through 2070. The waste volume projected for future disposal includes approximately 14,000 m³ from the Environmental Restoration Program and approximately 270,000 m³ from other generators.

2.5.1.2 Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory Radioactive Waste Management Complex

One low-level waste disposal facility, the Radioactive Waste Management Complex, is presently operating at Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory. The Radioactive Waste Management Complex disposes of on-site waste only and is currently scheduled to be closed by 2006. The facility includes a number of individual disposal units; however, the capacity analysis presented here only considers those units that were open in 1995: Pits 17, 18, 19, and 20, and the Concrete Vaults. The disposal capacity of these units is about 97,000 m³ .

The Department estimates that a total of 50,000 m³ of low-level waste will be disposed at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory Radioactive Waste Management Complex. This includes 13,000 m³ disposed prior to 1988, 13,000 m³ disposed from 1988 to 1997, and 24,000 m³ projected to be disposed from 1998 through 2006. Approximately 140 m³ of the projected waste is expected to come from the Environmental Restoration Program. Figure 2-3 illustrates this information.

2.5.1.3 Los Alamos National Laboratory Technical Area-54

Los Alamos National Laboratory Technical Area-54 accepts primarily on-site low-level waste for disposal. Off-site waste is accepted only in special cases from Defense Programs sites. The Waste Management Program disposal facility in Technical Area-54 is located at Material Disposal Area G. The units at this facility that were open as of 1995 or had an available design at that time include pits 15, 31, 37, 38, and 39. An additional 24 acres immediately adjacent to Material Disposal Area G is dedicated for expansion of the disposal facility and is considered in this analysis. Los Alamos National Laboratory is preparing an environmental impact statement that addresses the development of additional disposal capacity in this area. This disposal expansion would increase low-level waste disposal capacity at the site by approximately ********* m³ to a total capacity of approximately 1.1 million m³. If the entire Technical Area-54 mesa was developed for low-level waste disposal, the total disposal capacity of the area would be about 3 million m³.

The Department estimates that a total of approximately 750,000 m³ of low-level waste will be disposed at this facility. This includes 150,000 m³ disposed prior to 1988, 43,000 m³ disposed from 1988 to 1997, and an estimated 560,000 m³ projected to be disposed from 1998 to 2070. The waste volume projected for future disposal includes 37,000 m³ from the Environmental Restoration Program and 520,000 m³ from other generators. Figure 2-4 illustrates this information.

2.5.1.4 Nevada Test Site Area 3 and Area 5 Radioactive Waste Management Sites

The Waste Management Program disposal facilities at the Nevada Test Site accept both on-site and off-site low-level waste for disposal. The Waste Management Program operates two disposal facilities at the Nevada Test Site: the Area 3 and Area 5 Radioactive Waste Management Sites. Only the portions of these facilities that were open in 1995 or that had an available design are considered in the comparison of disposal volumes and capacity. Area 3 includes sites U3ahat, U3bh, U3bg, and U3az. These craters represent the current design capacity in Area 3 of 553,000 m³. Area 5 which contains current design capacity includes Pit 3, Pit 5, Pit 6 upper, Pit 6 lower, and Pit 7, with a disposal capacity of 165,000 m³. The current design capacity at the NTS is 718,000 m³.

Total estimated capacity in Area 5 is approximately 2,600,000 m³. Total available low-level waste disposal capacity at Nevada Test Site is 3,150,000 m³. Additionally, Nevada Test Site has the capability of expanding disposal operations to accommodate disposal larger volumes of low-level waste. Given the site conditions and performance attributes of disposal facilities at the Nevada Test Site, the maximum expandable volumetric capacity is limited only by the size of the usable disposal land at the Nevada Test Site.

The Department estimates that a total of approximately 670,000 m³ of low-level waste will be disposed at the Area 3 and Area 5 facilities. This includes no waste disposed prior to 1988, 190,000 m³ disposed from 1988 to 1997, and an estimated 480,000 m³ projected to be disposed from 1998 to 2070. The waste volume projected for future disposal includes 420,000 m³ from the Environmental Restoration Program and 65,000 m³ from other generators. Figure 2-5 illustrates this information.

2.5.1.5 Oak Ridge Reservation Solid Waste Storage Area-6, Interim Waste Management Facility

The Waste Management Program disposal facility at Oak Ridge Reservation considered in this report is the Interim Waste Management Facility at Solid Waste Storage Area 6. This facility accepts only on-site low-level waste for disposal. This was the only low-level waste disposal facility operating at the Oak Ridge Reservation as of 1997. The facility has a disposal capacity of approximately 5,000 m³.

The Interim Waste Management Facility at Oak Ridge Reservation received 3,300 m³ of low-level waste between 1988 and 1997. It did not receive waste prior to 1988, and the Department does not project that additional waste will be disposed at the facility. Figure 2-6 illustrates this information.

2.5.1.6 Savannah River Site Waste Management Program Low-Level Waste Disposal Facilities

Savannah River Site accepts both on-site and off-site low-level waste for disposal. The Waste Management Program operates three disposal facilities in E-Area at Savannah River Site: the Low-Activity Waste Vaults, the Intermediate-Level (IL) Vault, and the shallow land burial Slit Trenches. Only those facilities that were open in 1995 or that had an available design are considered in the discussion of disposal volumes and capacity. For the purposes of this Report, it is assumed that off-site low-level waste is disposed in the Low-Activity Waste vaults.

2.5.1.6.1 Low Activity Waste Vaults

The total capacity of the Low-Activity Waste Vaults is 110,000 m³. This includes two vaults with a capacity of 32,000 m³ each, and one vault with a capacity of 48,000 m³.

The Department estimates that a total of approximately 27,000 m³ of low-level waste will be disposed at the Low-Activity Waste Vaults. This includes no waste disposed prior to 1988, 10,000 m³ disposed from 1988 to 1997, and an estimated 17,000 m³ projected to be disposed from 1998 to 2070. None of the future projected waste is expected to come from the Environmental Restoration Program. Figure 2-7 illustrates this information.

2.5.1.6.2 Intermediate Level Vault

One Intermediate Level vault for disposal of waste contaminated by more than trace amounts of tritium was considered in this evaluation. The Intermediate Level Vault has a disposal capacity of 7,300 m³.

The Department estimates that a total of approximately 3,600 m³ of low-level waste will be disposed at the Intermediate Level Vault. This includes no waste disposed prior to 1988, 550 m³ disposed from 1988 to 1997, and an estimated 3,000 m³ projected to be disposed from 1998 to 2070. None of the future projected waste is expected to come from the Environmental Restoration Program. Figure 2-8 illustrates this information.

2.5.1.6.3 Slit Trenches

Eleven slit trenches with a combined disposal capacity of 290,000 m³ were considered in this evaluation. The Department estimates that a total of approximately 130,000 m³ of low-level waste will be disposed in the Slit Trenches. This includes no waste disposed prior to 1988, 770 m³ disposed from 1988 to 1997, and an estimated 130,000 m³ projected to be disposed from 1998 to 2070. The waste volume projected for future disposal includes 46,000 m³ from the Environmental Restoration Program and 86,000 m³ from other generators. Figure 2-9 illustrates this information.

2.5.2 Waste Management Program Mixed Low-Level Waste Disposal Facilities

2.5.2.1 Hanford Radioactive Mixed Waste Trenches 31 and 34

The Radioactive Mixed Waste Trenches 31 and 34 is a Resource Conservation and Recovery Act-compliant facility for disposal of mixed low-level waste. This facility, which is located at the western end of the 218-W-5 Burial Ground in the 200 West Area, consists of two trenches with an estimated disposal capacity of 42,000 m³.

No mixed low-level waste has been disposed in Mixed Waste Trenches to date. In the future, the Department estimates that a total of 99,000 m³ of mixed low-level waste will be disposed in this facility. None of this waste is expected to come from the Environmental Restoration Program. While the existing capacity of this facility is not large enough for all waste expected to be received, there is a potential readily expandable area available to increase the capacity of the facility by another 100,000 m³. Alternative designs also may be used to increase the existing capacity at this facility. Additionally, Hanford also possesses a completely unused burial ground which conceptually could accept up to 80,000 m³ of mixed low-level waste. Finally, it is also expected that some portion of the waste projected to be disposed at this facility either may not be generated or could be disposed at other DOE or commercial sites with adequate disposal capacity for mixed low-level waste.

2.5.2.2 Nevada Test Site Mixed Waste Disposal Unit

The Nevada Test Site Mixed Waste Disposal Unit, located at the Area 5 Radioactive Waste Management Site, is under Resource Conservation and Recovery Act interim status disposal facility that is currently only allowed to accept wastes generated in the State of Nevada. The Mixed Waste Disposal Unit consists of 10 landfill cells with each cell designed to contain approximately 12,000 m³ of mixed low-level waste, for a total capacity of approximately 120,000 m³. No mixed low-level waste has been disposed in the Mixed Waste Disposal Unit to date. In the future, the Department estimates that only 0.1 m³ of mixed low-level waste will be disposed in this facility. None of this waste is expected to come from the Environmental Restoration Program.

2.5.3 Environmental Restoration Program Disposal Facilities

The Environmental Restoration Program is currently using two facilities located at the Fernald Environmental Management Project and Hanford Site for disposal of low-level waste. One of these facilities (at Hanford Site) is also expected to receive mixed low-level waste. In addition, two other not-yet-constructed facilities projected to be developed at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory and the Oak Ridge Reservation are expected to be used for low-level waste in the future. Finally, some low-level waste is expected to be returned to remediation units at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory. The capacities of the two existing Environmental Restoration Program disposal facilities are discussed in the following subsections. However, because the capacities of the not-yet-constructed disposal facilities and the remediation units have not yet been established, they have not been included in the comparison of facility capacities and waste disposal volumes.

2.5.3.1 Fernald Environmental Management Project

Low-level waste generated at the Fernald Environmental Management Project is disposed in an on-site facility constructed under a Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act Record of Decision. Fernald began disposing of waste in this facility in 1997. The total volume of Environmental Restoration Program low-level waste projected to require disposal at Fernald is 1.6 million m³, and the on-site facility is designed to contain this volume. The on-site facility is expected to be filled at project completion, currently scheduled for 2007. This disposal facility has been excluded from the analyses of this Report because it is specifically designed to accommodate the volume and radiological content of the waste it is projected to receive, and cannot receive off-site waste or waste from non-cleanup activities.

2.5.3.2 Hanford Environmental Restoration Disposal Facility

The Hanford Environmental Restoration Disposal Facility is designed to dispose of on-site contaminated media generated as part of Environmental Restoration projects at the Hanford Site. The capacity of the facility is designed to equal the final disposal volume which is projected at 3.8 million m³ . The Environmental Restoration Disposal Facility's initial two cells have a combined usable capacity of about 920,000 m³ and began receiving waste in July 1996. Additional cells will be commissioned as needed. This facility is also being operated under a Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act Record of Decision. This disposal facility has also been excluded from the analysis of this Report because it is specifically designed to accommodate the volume and radiological content of the waste it is projected to receive and cannot receive off-site waste or waste from non-cleanup activities.

2.6 Alternative Scenario Comparison of Volumetric Projections and Disposal Capacity for To Be Determined Low-Level Waste and Waste to be Disposed in Not-Yet-Constructed Facilities

As discussed in Section 2.2, the Department has classified 330,000 m³ of the low-level waste projected to require disposal from 1998 through 2070 as to be determined waste, meaning that specific disposal alternatives have not been identified for this waste. In addition, the Department projects that 390,000 m³ of low-level waste will be disposed in Environmental Restoration Program disposal facilities that have not yet been constructed. In the Alternative Scenario comparison presented here, the four sites with existing facilities which each have excess disposal capacity of at least excess of 100,000 m³ are evaluated to determine whether they have sufficient capacity to accommodate the 720,000 m³ of low-level waste described above.

The four DOE sites considered in this Alternative Scenario analysis are Hanford Site (200 Area), Nevada Test Site (Areas 3 and 5), Savannah River Site (Slit Trenches), and Los Alamos National Laboratory (Technical Area-54).

2.6.1 Hanford 200 Area Low-Level Burial Grounds

As discussed in Section 2.5.1.1, the Hanford 200 Area disposal facility has a low-level waste disposal capacity of about 2 million m³ and is projected to receive 520,000 m³ (including both past and future disposal volumes), leaving an estimated excess capacity of about 1.5 million m³. This facility, therefore, has enough excess volumetric disposal capacity to accommodate all of the 720,000 m³ of low-level waste considered in the Alternative Scenario.

2.6.2 Nevada Test Site Areas 3 and 5 Radioactive Waste Management Sites

As discussed in Section 2.5.1.4, the Nevada Test Site Areas 3 and 5 have a low-level waste disposal capacity of about 3.1 million m³ and are projected to receive 670,000 m³ (including both past and future disposal volumes), leaving an estimated excess capacity of about 2.4 million m³. These facilities, therefore, have enough excess volumetric disposal capacity to accommodate all of the 720,000 m³ of low-level waste considered in the Alternative Scenario.

2.6.3 Savannah River Site Slit Trenches

As discussed in Section 2.5.1.6, the Savannah River Site Slit Trenches have a low-level waste disposal capacity of about 290,000 m³ and are projected to receive 130,000 m³ (including both past and future disposal volumes), leaving an estimated excess capacity 160,000 m³. This facility, therefore, has enough excess volumetric capacity to accommodate approximately 22 percent of the 720,000 m³ of low-level waste considered in the Alternative Scenario.

2.6.4 Los Alamos National Laboratory Technical Area-54

As discussed in Section 2.5.1.3, Los Alamos National Laboratory Technical Area-54 has a low-level waste disposal capacity of about 1.1 million m³ and is projected to receive 750,000 m³ (including both past and future disposal volumes), leaving an estimated excess capacity of about 350,000 m³. This facility, therefore, has enough excess volumetric disposal capacity to accommodate approximately 49 percent of the 720,000 m³ of low-level waste considered in the Alternative Scenario. If the disposal capacity at Technical Area-54 were fully expanded (to about 3 million m³), then the facility would have enough volumetric disposal capacity to accommodate all of the low-level waste considered in the Alternative Scenario.

2.7 Alternative Scenario Comparison of Volumetric Projections and Disposal Capacity for Mixed Low-Level Waste

As discussed in Section 2.2, the Department has classified 170,000 m³ of the mixed low-level waste projected to require disposal from 1998 to 2070 as to be determined waste. In addition, the Department projects that 35,000 m³ of mixed low-level waste will be disposed in Environmental Restoration Program disposal facilities that have not yet been constructed. In the Alternative Scenario comparison presented here, the two sites with existing facilities for mixed waste are evaluated to determine whether they have sufficient capacity to accommodate the 200,000 m³ of mixed low-level waste described above.

2.7.1 Hanford Radioactive Mixed Waste Trenches 31 and 34

As previously discussed in Section 2.5.2.1, the current capacity of the Radioactive Mixed Waste Trenches 31 and 34 facility at Hanford is about 42,000 m³, which is too small to accommodate the 99,000 m³ of mixed low-level waste that the Department projects will be disposed at that facility. However, there is also a potential expandable area for increased mixed low-level waste disposal of approximately 100,000 m³, and Hanford possesses a completely unused burial ground which conceptually could accept up to 80,000 m³ of mixed low-level waste. This expansion would increase the total capacity of the facility to about 220,000 m³, which would be large enough to accommodate disposal of both the volume of waste currently projected to be disposed at the facility (42,000 m³) and about 60 percent of the 200,000 m³ of mixed low-level waste considered in the Alternative Scenario. Decisions concerning expansion of mixed low-level waste disposal capacity at Hanford will not be considered until records of decision for mixed low-level waste disposal are issued for the Department's Waste Management Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement.

2.7.2 Nevada Test Site Mixed Waste Disposal Unit

As previously discussed in Section 2.5.5.2, the current capacity of the Nevada Test Site Mixed Waste Disposal Unit is about 120,000 m³, all of which is essentially available for disposal of mixed low-level waste. This facility, therefore, has enough excess volumetric disposal capacity to accommodate approximately 60 percent of the 200,000 m³ of mixed low-level waste considered in the Alternative Scenario. However, as noted, the Nevada Test Site has enough expandable capacity to dispose of all the Department's projected mixed low-level waste projected and could be developed to do so if such a decision were supported by the mixed low-level waste disposal record of decision to be issued under the Waste Management Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement.

_______________________________________

¹The Environmental Restoration Program classifies in-situ environmental media and facilities according to waste type for purposes of response planning and coordination. These media and facilities do not become waste unless or until they are removed. The volumes of media and waste used in this analysis include only solid materials and exclude groundwater and surface water.