Two small quantity transuranic (TRU) waste generator sites have gained considerable experiencein navigating through a changing regulatory landscape in their efforts to remove the TRU wastefrom their sites and proceed with site remediation. The Battelle Columbus LaboratoriesDecommissioning Project (BCLDP) has the objectives of decontaminating nuclear researchbuildings and associated grounds and remediating to a level of residual contamination allowingfuture use without radiological restrictions. As directed by Congress, BCLDP must completedecontamination and decommissioning activities by the end of Fiscal Year (FY) 2006. Thisschedule requires the containerization of all TRU waste in 2002. BCLDP will generate a total ofapproximately 27 cubic meters (m3) of remote-handled (RH) TRU waste. Similarly, the EnergyTechnology Engineering Center (ETEC) is scheduled to close in 2006 pursuant to an agreementbetween the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and Boeing Canoga Park, the management andoperating contractor for ETEC. ETEC had 11.0 m 3 of RH-TRU and contact-handled (CH) TRUwaste in storage, with the requirement to remove this waste in 2002 in order to meet their siteclosure schedule.The individual milestones for BCLDP and ETEC necessitated the establishment of site-specificprograms to direct packaging and characterization of RH-TRU waste before the regulatoryframework for the WIPP disposal of RH-TRU waste is finalized. The lack of large infrastructurefor characterization activities, as well as the expedited schedules needed to meet regulatorymilestones, provided both challenges and opportunities that are unique to small quantity sites.Both sites have developed unique programs for waste characterization based on the samepremise, which directs comprehensive waste data collection efforts such that additionalcharacterization will not be required following the finalization of the WIPP RH-TRU wasteprogram requirements.
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