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OCR for page 59
Appendix D
Disposal Sites and Operationsi
BARNWELL, SOUTH CAROLINA
Chem-Nuclear's Barnwell, South Carolina, low-level radioactive waste facility
has been in commercial operation since 1971. The 235-acre facility occupies property
owned by the State of South Carolina ant! leased to Chem-Nuclear Systems. The
Barnwell Waste Management Facility operates under the authority of Radioactive
Material License 097 issued by the South Carolina Department of Health and
Environmental Control (DHEC). About 28 million cubic feet or 90°/O of the available
disposal volume has been used.
Much of low-level radioactive waste looks like ordinary trash. It consists of
contaminated wood, concrete, glass, metal, fabric, paper and resins. All waste accepted
for disposal must be in a dry, solid form. No liquid waste is accepted for disposal. No
toxic chemical waste or high-level radioactive wastes, such as spent fuel Tom nuclear
reactors, are acceptable at the disposal site.
. . $.
Prior to disposal, the radioactive waste is packaged inside containers for safe
handling and transport. Once at the Barnwell site, these waste containers are placed in
large concrete vaults located in engineered earthen trenches (disposal cells) excavated up
to 25 feet below grade.
~ Information in this Appendix was based in internet material posted by each operator, as
noted herein. It has not been evaluated by the committee.
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Representative terms from entire chapter:
mixed waste
The principal disposal area is the trench itself. Just as the waste must be in a dry,
solid form, the design of the trench the vaults anr1 the methnA of filling them k'~Pr~c; the
, . ~ . .
~ A,, ^ ,, ~ ~$,~_411 1~lJ~ LIl~
waste dry. By minimizing the contact between the waste and rainwater, the disposal
system reduces the possibility of radioactive materials entering the natural environment.
The clay and sand soil of the Barnwell facility has been in place for millions of
years. Each trench excavated in this material includes a drainage collection system
sloping toward a French drain that leads to a sump. Standpipes allow monitoring of
rainwater should it enter the trench. A sand layer covers the bottom of the trench.
Technicians at the disposal site place the waste containers in large concrete containers, or
vaults. When a vault is full, its concrete lid is put in place. One to two additional vaults
may be placed on top until the vaults are stacked up to three high. Vaults provide long-
term structural stability for the completed trench. Backs soil is placed around and over
the filled concrete vaults. Finally, an engineered cap consisting of multiple layers of sand,
clay, high density polyethylene and top soil covers the trench area. Shallow rooted
grasses planted on top of the cap control erosion. This cap serves as a barrier to help
isolate the trench from rainwater infiltration.
Since 1990, Chem-Nuclear has installed engineered caps on older, filled trenches
at the disposal site. A buffer zone he.tw~n the tr`~n~hPc ulna the n~ar-ct Err Fir AWAY ^
additional margin of safety.
~~ _- ~~ ~~—·~1~ ~lw~lt,y Aces> all
The Barnwell site is one of the world's most heavily studied and monitored
parcels of land. A comprehensive environmental monitoring program includes air,
surface water, groundwater, vegetation and soil samples. In addition to an extensive
network of monitoring wells both on and off-site, an on-site weather station records wind
speed, temperature and humidity.
Low-level radioactive waste decays relatively quickly to insignificant levels. The
rate of decay and the concentration of radionucTides varies widely from one kind of low-
leve] waste to another. Of the waste disposed at the Barnwell facility, about 90 percent of
the radioactivity will have decayed within 100 years after the site closes. A long term
care fund is set up and held in escrow by the state to pay for monitoring and maintenance
during the institutional control period.
SOURCE:
CLIVE, UTAH
Envirocare of Utah disposes of waste material in above-ground, engineered
disposal cells located near Clive, Utah. The cells are patterned after DOE and EPA
specifications that meet 40 CFR 264 and NRC disposal requirements. Mixed waste
materials are placed using the same procedures as for low level radioactive and NORM
materials.
Disposal Practices
Debris Waste
.
Regular Debris. Envirocare's procedures for placement of all non-soil like or
solid debris material is designed to minimize the possibility of voids that would
compromise cell integrity through settlement. Regular sized debris is placed in 12-inch
lifts, each of which is compacted to 90 percent of its optimum density in a continuous cut
ant! cover process.
. Oversized Debris. Materials that exceed the dimensions specified as "regular" in
~ . ~ .. . . . .
Envirocare s Radioactive Materials License (at this date, 12' x 12' x 10") and/or materials
with density greater than 70 pounds per cubic foot, are handled one of two ways: 1)
Materials are placed in the lift and soil is compacted in and around the debris to eliminate
voids; 2) Materials are placed in forms in the cell, after which a controlled low strength
material (CESM) or "flowable fill" is poured to create a monolithic form to fill the void
spaces.
Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (NORM!
Disposal operations for material have been performed in accordance with
Envirocare's Radioactive Material License (UT 2300249~. Envirocare accepts and
disposes of NORM material for direct disposal. NORM material is mainly shipped bulk
via rail. Envirocare currently has the capacity to dispose of 2 Million cubic yards of
NORM waste.
Low-I~evel Radioactive Waste
.
Envirocare is licensed to accept Class A Low-Level Radioactive Waste for
disposal. The State of Utah, an NRC-Agreement State, maintains the licensing
responsibility for low-level waste management under the Envirocare Radioactive
Materials License.
1 le.(2! Byproduct Material
The disposal of 1 le.~2) waste is in accordance with Envirocare's 1 le.~2)
materials license (SMC-15 59) issued by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Envirocare accepts and disposes of 1 le.~2) byproduct material for direct disposal.
Interim Report
61
Mixed Waste
Envirocare's Clive, Utah site is a Resource Conservation Recovery Act (RCRA)
facility that is licensed by the State of Utah and the EPA to receive, possess, use, treat,
and dispose of mixed radioactive materials. Envirocare's RCRA Part B permit authorizes
the disposal of both characteristic and listen! wastes meeting land disposal restrictions.
Treatment Practices
Envirocare has constructed additional structures to expand its mixed waste
operations. A second building now houses a large treatment ant! storage area, drum
stabilization process, and large mixed waste stabilization technology, in addition to PCB
and Organics removal technologies. The building is designed as a multi-purpose RCRA
containment facility. The mixed waste treatment facility incorporates treatment
technologies designed to reduce toxicity of waste materials prior to disposal. Current
mixed waste technologies are shown below; future capabilities, currently in development,
include treatment for mercury and organic s.
Stabilization
Deactivation
Neutralization
Re due ti on/Ox) date on
Chemical Fixation
Polymer Encapsulation
Envirocare's stabilization facility is permitted to treat ~ 50 tons of material per
day, while the permits do not restrict the macroencapsulation facility to particular
capacity. Each treatment process involves development of a treatment formula, which is
created by conducting bench-scale testing of the waste material using commercially
available treatment chemicals. Disposal of the treated residue occurs after verification
that the material meets applicable treatment standards.
SOURCE: ~http://envirocareutah.com~
RICHLAND, WASHINGTON
U.S. Ecology disposes of USNRC Class A, B and C low-level
radioactive waste at its site near Richiand, Washington. This site has
successfully operated on the Department of Energy's Hanford
Reservation since 1965. The facility also
o ffers permanent isolation of exempt
source and byproduct material, as well as
naturally occurring and accelerator-
pro~u`;~u raa~oac~ve materials (NARM) from customers
worldwide, including universities, nuclear power plants,
mining companies, medical centers, manufacturing,
petrochemical and biotechnology companies, military
installations and numerous other government agencies. The
RichIand site offers more than 45 million cubic feet of unused
62
Interim Report
disposal capacity sufficient to accept large quantities of waste well into the 21 st century.
GRAND VIEW, IDAHO
U.S. Ecology Idaho operates a fully permitted treatment and disposal facility for
chemically hazardous wastes near Grand View, Idaho. The Army Corps of Engineers is
currently disposing of FUSRAP wastes at this site.
The site offers industry-standard ant! patented processes to safely treat and
dispose of a broad range of RCRA hazardous waste, certain naturally occurring
radioactive materials, and PCB wastes. Services include:
Hazardous, PCB and NORM waste disposal
Stabilization of metal bearing wastes
Encapsulation of debris
Full PCB transformer processing
Liquid waste evaporation
Patented K06 ~ steel mill waste "delisting" treatment
The site is located in the Owyhee Desert of southwestern Idaho, a region with an
arid climate, deep groundwater, and favorable geology the right conditions for
permanent waste isolation. Located on a major rail line, US Ecology Idaho's rail transfer
facility offers cost-effective access. Wastes arrive by railcar from throughout theUnited
States. At the on-site railhead, gondola and hopper car shipments can be received and
unloaded around the clock. Intermodal containers can be received by truck or rail.
U.S. Ecology Idaho also accepts waste in drums, super sacks, roll-off containers,
intermodal containers and dump trucks.
SOURCE: ~http://www.americanecology.com~
Interim Report
.. ..
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