CHARACTERIZATION THROUGH DATA QUALITY OBJECTIVES AND CERTIFICATION OF REMOTE-HANDLED TRANSURANIC WASTE GENERATOR/STORAGE SITES FOR SHIPMENT TO THE WIPP

摘要

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) is operating to receive and dispose of contact-handled (CH) transuranic (TRU) waste. The Department of Energy (DOE) Carlsbad Field Office (CBFO) is seeking approval from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) of the remote-handled (RH) TRU characterization plan to allow disposal of RH TRU waste in the WIPP repository. In addition, the DOE-CBFO has received approval from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to use two shipping casks for transporting RH TRU waste. Each regulatory agency (I.e., EPA, NMED, and NRC) has different requirements that will have to be met through the use of information collected by characterizing the RH TRU waste. Therefore, the DOE-CBFO has developed a proposed characterization program for obtaining the RH TRU waste information necessary to demonstrate that the waste meets the applicable regulatory requirements. This process involved the development of a comprehensive set of Data Quality Objectives (DQOs) comprising the various regulatory requirements. The DOE-CBFO has identified seven DQOs for use in the RH TRU waste characterization program. These DQOs are defense waste determination, TRU waste determination, RH TRU determination, activity determination, RCRA physical and chemical properties, prohibited item determination, and EPA physical and chemical properties. The selection of the DQOs were based on technical, legal and regulatory drivers that assure the health and safety of the workers, the public, to protect the environment, and to comply with the requirements of the regulatory agencies. The DOE-CBFO also has the responsibility for the certification of generator/storage sites to ship RH TRU mixed waste to the WIPP for disposal. Currently, thirteen sites across the DOEcomplex are generators of RH TRU waste or store the waste at their location for other