IT’S NOT JUST ACCEPTABLE, IT’S EXEMPLARY!!! A SUCCESSFUL AND WIPPCERTIFIED ACCEPTABLE KNOWLEDGE PROGRAM AT ROCKY FLATS

摘要

A successful Acceptable Knowledge (AK) program has been developed and implemented at the RockyrnFlats Environmental Technology Site (RFETS) by Rocky Mountain Remediation Services, the wasternmanagement subcontractor at Rocky Flats. During 1998, the RFETS AK program was audited by thernDepartment of Energy (DOE) Carlsbad Area Office and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),rnand the program received two Exemplary Practice citations and was certified for waste disposal at thernWaste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). The AK program at Rocky Flats is also accepted by the Nevada TestrnSite (NTS), allowing the Site to ship a large volume of low level waste for disposal at NTS, and it meetsrnthe requirements of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) for the documentation ofrnprocess knowledge characterization.rnThe AK program is actually a combination of the following four systems which work together torndocument the historical knowledge and characterization information for all waste generated at RFETS:rn1. Waste Stream and Residue Identification and Characterization (WSRIC) system - the primary AKrnsystem used to describe and characterize thousands of waste outputs since 1992.rn2. Non-Routine Waste Origination Logs (NRWOLs) - used to document unique, one-time-onlyrngenerated wastes.rn3. Backlog Waste Reassessment Baseline Book (BWRBB) and Waste Reassessments – used torncharacterize waste packages in storage at RFETS that were generated before the WSRIC andrnNRWOL programs came into existence, and to update or change AK when confirmatoryrnmeasurements provide information which is in conflict with existing AK documentation.rn4. Supplemental AK Documentation - a document which contains AK information specifically requiredrnby WIPP for transuranic (TRU) and transuranic mixed with hazardous (TRM) waste which is notrndocumented elsewhere, including radionuclide and defense waste determinations.rnThe AK program includes all waste types generated at RFETS (radioactive, nonradioactive, hazardous,rnmixed and sanitary) from all types of processes (operations, maintenance, environmental restoration, andrndecommissioning). The WSRIC, NRWOL, and Waste Reassessment elements of the AK program havernbeen in place for several years at RFETS and are being used successfully in day-to-day waste generationrnoperations. The AK program relies heavily on waste generation process knowledge provided by thernwaste generator, thereby minimizing costly sampling and analysis for waste characterization purposes.rnThe systems within the Rocky Flats AK program are continually updated with new information aboutrncurrently and previously generated waste. The AK program is maintained on a relatively slim annualrnbudget of less than $1 million, and efforts are underway to further streamline the AK program in FY99.