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Commercial Low Level Radioactive Waste Disposal
The state Department of Health issues a license for the receipt and disposal of low-level and naturally occurring and accelerator produced material. The license is issued for five years and was placed in timely renewal in 1997. The existing license will remain in effect while the renewal application is reviewed and an EIS is completed. The commercial low-level radioactive waste disposal facility opened in 1965 on 100 acres of land subleased from the state. In 1964, Washington leased the land for 100 years from the federal government. US Ecology, Inc., operates the facility. It is located on the Hanford site in an area known as the central plateau about 20 miles north of Richland. It has safely disposed of more than 13 million cubic feet of low-level radioactive waste. Low-level radioactive waste is material used in medical practices, scientific research, industrial processes, and nuclear power plants. A significant portion of the waste consists of contaminated tools, clothing, and process waste. It does not include spent fuel from nuclear energy reactors. The state departments of Health and Ecology regulate US Ecology, Inc. Department of Health licenses and regulates radioactive materials. Ecology issues permits for radioactive waste disposal, regulates hazardous waste, and is the landlord. A permanent onsite Health inspector and a US Ecology, Inc. representative independently review all shipping documents, survey transport vehicles for radiation levels, ensure packages are properly sealed and appropriately labeled, and verify compliance with state and federal requirements. Containers of low-level radioactive waste are packaged and shipped for burial at US Ecology, Inc., according to requirements set by the federal Department of Transportation, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and the state. The containers are placed in trenches typically 150 feet wide, 45 feet deep and 850 feet long, and covered with at least eight feet of soil. Permanent monuments placed over the trenches describe the contents, boundaries, date of use, and other information. In more than 30 years of operation, US Ecology, Inc., has filled 17 trenches. Another three now are receiving waste. At the end of the lease, the company must ensure that each trench is permanently closed to minimize contamination of the environment. US Ecology, Inc. expects to close the site by 2056. State supervises burial of radioactive wastes The disposal facility operated by US Ecology, Inc. uses shallow land burial technology. The waste is placed in trenches that are typically 850 feet long, 150 feet wide, and 45 feet deep. To date, the site has received about 13.5 million cubic feet of radioactive waste that contains about 3.9 million curies. (One curie equals the radioactivity in one gram of radium.) The remaining capacity of the facility is approximately 44 million cubic feet. Annual disposal volume various greatly. For example, in 1997 the facility accepted 91,084 cubic feet of low-level radioactive waste and 11,586 cubic feet of naturally-occurring and accelerator-produced radioactive material. In 1998, volumes were 144,824 cubic feet of low-level radioactive waste and 17,608 cubic feet of naturally-occurring and accelerator-produced radioactive material. When a shipment arrives, facility staff review shipping papers, survey and inspect the truck, and survey and inspect the individual packages during unloading, to make sure all the regulations have been met. Waste is generally packaged in metal drums or metal boxes, and is usually put directly into the trenches. It is classified as A, B, or C. These classifications signify increasing degrees of need for secure disposal. Class A has the least stringent disposal requirements, and Class C has the most stringent. About 95 percent of the waste received is Class A. A Department of Health inspector examines each shipment of waste prior to disposal in the trench. Each shipment is checked for compliance with regulations and requirements of the U.S. Department of Transportation, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and the state. Packages are randomly selected and opened to ensure contents comply with all requirements. Shipping violations range from minor paperwork errors to unacceptable waste forms. Depending on the severity of the violation, and past history, penalties can range from warning calls to permanent revocation of site use permits. In 1997, the on-site inspector issued 11 warning calls, 5 warning letters, and six suspensions of site use privileges. In 1998, there were 15 warning calls, three warning letters, and one suspension. Naturally-occurring and accelerator-produced radioactive materials Naturally-occurring and accelerator-produced radioactive materials are not the same as low-level waste. Examples include radium deposited when oil and gas pass through well casings and refinery pipes, when steam is generated in geothermal equipment, or mines are ventilated. Both low-level radioactive waste and naturally-occurring and accelerator-produced radioactive materials can be disposed of at US Ecology, Inc. However, low-level radioactive waste can only be received from 11 Northwest and Rocky Mountain states. Naturally-occurring and accelerator-produced radioactive materials can be received from anywhere in the country. In response to growing amounts of NARM waste coming to the state in the early '90's, a citizen and industry task force was formed to study the issue and make recommendations. The task force concluded there should be an upper volume limit based on site capacity. In July 1995, the Department of Health amended its regulations to set a limit of 1,000 cubic feet per generator and a site volume limit of 8,600 cubic feet per year. Later that year, US Ecology, Inc. filed a civil suit challenging these changes. In May 1996, a court order suspended the 1995 amendments until new amendments take effect, or a decision is reached not to change them. During this time, a 100,000 cubic-foot annual volume limit applies. The commercial low-level radioactive waste facility has always operated in compliance with existing regulations. As waste disposal laws were enacted and strengthened, the state has adjusted waste acceptance and other operating rules to stay abreast of current standards. In earlier years, wastes that are now prohibited were received for disposal. Typically, these were solvents, such as benzene or toluene, mixed with radioactive materials in laboratory vials. The further back in time, the less specific information was kept about the chemical contained in the wastes. From 1968 to 1972, nonradioactive waste was disposed of at the site in a specific trench called the "chemical trench." A detailed inventory for this trench also is not available. Chemicals listed as hazardous or dangerous under federal and state laws and mixed with radioactive materials have not been accepted for disposal in any form since 1986. The trenches that took chemical wastes have been covered with clean dirt. It's not known what threat these chemicals pose, but it is thought to be low. During 1998, the departments of Health and Ecology plan oversaw a field investigation to determine if soils under some of the old trenches have been contaminated with hazardous materials. Results of this investigation are still pending. Ground water monitoring has never found hazardous materials coming from any trenches. The following links are to other related pages:
Links to external resources are provided as a public service and do not imply endorsement by the Washington State Department of Health. Mikel J. Elsen, Supervisor |
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