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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2005. Tank Wastes Planned for On-Site Disposal at Three Department of Energy Sites: The Savannah River Site: Interim Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11415.
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Tank Wastes Planned for On-Site Disposal at Three Department of Energy Sites: The Savannah River Site

Interim Report

Committee on the Management of Certain Radioactive Waste Streams Stored in Tanks at Three Department of Energy Sites

Nuclear and Radiation Studies Board

Division on Earth and Life Studies

NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES

THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS
Washington, D.C.
www.nap.edu

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2005. Tank Wastes Planned for On-Site Disposal at Three Department of Energy Sites: The Savannah River Site: Interim Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11415.
×

THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS
500 Fifth Street, N.W. Washington, DC 20001

NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.

Support for this study was provided by the U.S. Department of Energy under cooperative agreement number DE-FC01-04-EW07022. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organizations or agencies that provided support for the project.

International Standard Book Number 0-309-09693-6

Cover photograph: Taken from Tank 4 Interior Photo Study - 1954 Pre-Startup. T.B. Caldwell, CBU-PIT-2005-00111. Aiken, S.C. Westinghouse Savannah River Company. May 5, 2005.

Additional copies of this report are available from the
National Academies Press,
500 Fifth Street, N.W., Lockbox 285, Washington, DC 20055; (800) 624-6242 or (202) 334-3313 (in the Washington metropolitan area); Internet, http://www.nap.edu

Copyright 2005 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States of America.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2005. Tank Wastes Planned for On-Site Disposal at Three Department of Energy Sites: The Savannah River Site: Interim Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11415.
×

THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES

Advisers to the Nation on Science, Engineering, and Medicine

The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone is president of the National Academy of Sciences.

The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. Wm. A. Wulf is president of the National Academy of Engineering.

The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Harvey V. Fineberg is president of the Institute of Medicine.

The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy’s purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone and Dr. Wm. A. Wulf are chair and vice chair, respectively, of the National Research Council

www.national-academies.org

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2005. Tank Wastes Planned for On-Site Disposal at Three Department of Energy Sites: The Savannah River Site: Interim Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11415.
×

COMMITTEE ON THE MANAGEMENT OF CERTAIN RADIOACTIVE WASTE STREAMS STORED IN TANKS AT THREE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY SITES

FRANK L. PARKER, Chair,

Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee

HADI ABU-AKEEL,

AMTENG Corp., Vienna, Virginia

JOHN S. APPLEGATE,

Indiana University School of Law, Bloomington

HOWIE CHOSET,

Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

PAUL C. CRAIG,

University of California, Davis

ALLEN G. CROFF,

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (retired), Tennessee

PATRICIA J. CULLIGAN,

Columbia University, New York City, New York

KEN CZERWINSKI,

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

RACHEL DETWILER,

Braun Intertec Corp, Minneapolis, Minnesota

EDWIN E. HERRICKS,

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

TISSA ILLANGASEKARE,

Colorado School of Mines, Golden

MILTON LEVENSON,

Bechtel International (retired), Menlo Park, California

PAUL A. LOCKE,

Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland

MICHAEL H. MOBLEY,

Mobley Radiation Consulting, Clarksville, Tennessee

DIANNE R. NIELSON,

Utah Department of Environmental Quality, Salt Lake City

KEN E. PHILIPOSE,

AECL/Chalk River Laboratories, Ontario, Canada

ALFRED P. SATTELBERGER,

Los Alamos National Laboratory, New Mexico

ANNE E. SMITH,

Charles River Associates, Washington, D.C.

LESLIE SMITH,

University of British Columbia, Canada

DONALD W. STEEPLES,

University of Kansas, Lawrence

Consultant

RODNEY C. EWING,1

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

Staff

BARBARA PASTINA, Study Director

MICAH D. LOWENTHAL, Senior Program Officer

JOHN R. WILEY, Senior Program Officer

DARLA J. THOMPSON, Research Associate

LAURA D. LLANOS, Senior Program Assistant

MARILI ULLOA, Senior Program Assistant

1  

Dr. Rodney Ewing resigned from the committee on May 10, 2005 and was appointed as a consultant.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2005. Tank Wastes Planned for On-Site Disposal at Three Department of Energy Sites: The Savannah River Site: Interim Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11415.
×

NUCLEAR AND RADIATION STUDIES BOARD

RICHARD A. MESERVE, Chair,

Carnegie Institution, Washington, D.C.

S. JAMES ADELSTEIN, Vice Chair,

Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts

HAROLD I. BECK,

Department of Energy Environmental Laboratory (retired), New York City, New York

JOEL S. BEDFORD,

Colorado State University, Fort Collins

ROBERT M. BERNERO,

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (retired), Gaithersburg, Maryland

SUE B. CLARK,

Washington State University, Pullman

JAMES E. CLEAVER,

University of California, San Francisco

ALLEN G. CROFF,

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (retired), Tennessee

DAVID E. DANIEL,

University of Texas at Dallas

SARAH C. DARBY,

Clinical Trial Service Unit (CTSU), Oxford, United Kingdom

SHARON L. DUNWOODY,

University of Wisconsin, Madison

RODNEY C. EWING,

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

ROGER L. HAGENGRUBER,

University of New Mexico, Albuquerque

DANIEL KREWSKI,

University of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

KLAUS KÜHN,

Technische Universität Clausthal, Germany

SUSAN M. LANGHORST,

Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri

NIKOLAI P. LAVEROV,

Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow

MILTON LEVENSON,

Bechtel International (retired), Menlo Park, California

C. CLIFTON LING,

Memorial Hospital, New York City, New York

PAUL A. LOCKE,

Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland

WARREN F. MILLER,

Los Alamos National Laboratory (retired), New Mexico

ANDREW M. SESSLER,

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California

ATSUYUKI SUZUKI,

Nuclear Safety Commission of Japan, Tokyo

JOHN C. VILLFORTH,

Food and Drug Law Institute (retired), Derwood, Maryland

PAUL L. ZIEMER,

Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana

Staff

KEVIN D. CROWLEY, Senior Board Director

EVAN DOUPLE, Scholar

RICK JOSTES, Senior Program Officer

MICAH D. LOWENTHAL, Senior Program Officer

BARBARA PASTINA, Senior Program Officer

JOHN R. WILEY, Senior Program Officer

CATHERINE S. BERKLEY, Financial and Administrative Officer

TONI GREENLEAF, Financial and Administrative Associate

DARLA J. THOMPSON, Research Associate

LAURA D. LLANOS, Senior Program Assistant

MARILI ULLOA, Senior Program Assistant

COURTNEY GIBBS, Program Assistant

JAMES YATES, JR., Office Assistant

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2005. Tank Wastes Planned for On-Site Disposal at Three Department of Energy Sites: The Savannah River Site: Interim Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11415.
×

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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2005. Tank Wastes Planned for On-Site Disposal at Three Department of Energy Sites: The Savannah River Site: Interim Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11415.
×

List of Reviewers

This report has been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the National Research Council’s Report Review Committee. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institution in making its published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The content of the review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process. We wish to thank the following individuals for their review of this report:

Edward L. Albenesius, Consultant, Aiken, South Carolina

Michael J. Bell, Consultant, Bethany Beach, Delaware

Robert M. Bernero, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (retired), Gaithersburg, Maryland

Sue B. Clark, Washington State University, Pullman

Edward Lahoda, Westinghouse Electric Company, LLC, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Fred J. Molz III, Clemson University, Anderson, South Carolina

John M. Palms, University of South Carolina, Columbia

Ben Rusche, Management & Technical Resources, Inc., West Columbia, South Carolina

Barry Scheetz, Pennsylvania State University, University Park

Charles D. Shackelford, Colorado State University, Fort Collins

Chris G. Whipple, ENVIRON International Corporation, Emeryville, California

Although the reviewers listed above have provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the report’s conclusions or recommendations, nor did they see the final draft of the report before its release. The review of this report was overseen by Richard A. Conway, Union Carbide Corporation (retired), Charleston, West Virginia, and John F. Ahearne, Sigma Xi and Duke University, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. Appointed by the National Research Council, they were responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content of this report rests entirely with the authoring committee and the institution.

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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2005. Tank Wastes Planned for On-Site Disposal at Three Department of Energy Sites: The Savannah River Site: Interim Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11415.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2005. Tank Wastes Planned for On-Site Disposal at Three Department of Energy Sites: The Savannah River Site: Interim Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11415.
×
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2005. Tank Wastes Planned for On-Site Disposal at Three Department of Energy Sites: The Savannah River Site: Interim Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11415.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2005. Tank Wastes Planned for On-Site Disposal at Three Department of Energy Sites: The Savannah River Site: Interim Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11415.
×
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2005. Tank Wastes Planned for On-Site Disposal at Three Department of Energy Sites: The Savannah River Site: Interim Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11415.
×
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2005. Tank Wastes Planned for On-Site Disposal at Three Department of Energy Sites: The Savannah River Site: Interim Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11415.
×
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2005. Tank Wastes Planned for On-Site Disposal at Three Department of Energy Sites: The Savannah River Site: Interim Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11415.
×
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2005. Tank Wastes Planned for On-Site Disposal at Three Department of Energy Sites: The Savannah River Site: Interim Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11415.
×
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2005. Tank Wastes Planned for On-Site Disposal at Three Department of Energy Sites: The Savannah River Site: Interim Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11415.
×
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2005. Tank Wastes Planned for On-Site Disposal at Three Department of Energy Sites: The Savannah River Site: Interim Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11415.
×
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Page viii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2005. Tank Wastes Planned for On-Site Disposal at Three Department of Energy Sites: The Savannah River Site: Interim Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11415.
×
Page R8
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2005. Tank Wastes Planned for On-Site Disposal at Three Department of Energy Sites: The Savannah River Site: Interim Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11415.
×
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2005. Tank Wastes Planned for On-Site Disposal at Three Department of Energy Sites: The Savannah River Site: Interim Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11415.
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In response to a request from Congress, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) asked the National Academies to evaluate its plans for managing radioactive wastes from spent nuclear fuel at sites in Idaho, South Carolina, and Washington. This interim report evaluates storage facilities at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina, with a particular focus on plans to seal the tanks with grouting. The report finds that tanks at the site do not necessarily need to be sealed shut as soon as the bulk of the waste has been removed. Postponing permanent closure buys more time for the development and application of emerging technologies to remove and better immobilize residual waste, without increasing risks to the environment or delaying final closure of the "tank farms." The report also recommends alternatives to address the lack of tank space at the site, as well as the need for focused R&D activities to reduce the amount and improve the immobilization of residual waste in the tanks and to test some of the assumptions used in evaulating long-term risks at the site.

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