[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 194 (Friday, October 7, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Page 58698]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-20257]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Office of Environmental Management; Notice of Availability of
Draft Section 3116 Determination Concerning Disposal of Residual Tank
Wastes in Tanks 18 and 19 at the Savannah River Site
AGENCY: Office of Environmental Management, Department of Energy.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Energy (DOE) announces the availability of a
draft determination concerning the permanent, in-situ disposal of
residual tank wastes (including tank structure and equipment) in liquid
radioactive waste tanks 18 and 19 at the F-Tank Farm (FTF) at the
Savannah River Site (SRS) near Aiken, South Carolina. DOE prepared the
draft determination pursuant to Section 3116 of the Ronald W. Reagan
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2005, which
authorizes the Secretary of Energy, in consultation with the Nuclear
Regulatory Commission, to determine that certain waste from
reprocessing is not high-level waste (HLW) if the provisions set forth
in section 3116 are satisfied. Although not required by the Act, DOE is
making the draft determination available for public review and comment.
DATES: The comment period will end on November 21, 2005. Comments
received after this date will be considered to the extent practicable.
ADDRESSES: The draft waste determination is available on the Internet
at http://apps.em.doe.gov/swd, and is publicly available for review at
the following locations: U.S. Department of Energy, Public Reading
Room, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585, Phone: (202)
586-5955, or Fax: (202) 586-0575; and U.S. Department of Energy,
Savannah River Operations Office, Public Reading Room, 171 University
Parkway, Aiken, SC 29801, Phone: (803) 641-3320, or Fax: (803) 641-
3302. Written comments should be addressed to: Mr. Matthew Duchesne,
U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Environmental Management, EM-2,
1000 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585. Alternatively,
comments can be filed electronically by e-mail to
[email protected], or by Fax at (202) 586-4314.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Since 1954, SRS Tank Farms F and H have
received over 140 million gallons (Mgal) of waste from SRS nuclear
material processing facilities. Much of this waste resulted from the
reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel for defense purposes, which has been
commingled with non-reprocessing waste. The waste tanks contain two
distinct types of radioactive waste material, approximately 3 Mgal of
radioactive sludge and approximately 34 Mgal of salt waste. DOE's plans
call for stabilizing and disposing of retrieved sludge in a deep
geologic repository for spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive
waste. Regarding the salt waste, DOE contemplates removing fission
products and actinides from these materials using a variety of
technologies and solidifying the remaining low-activity salt stream
into a grout matrix, known as saltstone grout, suitable for disposal in
vaults at the Saltstone Disposal Waste Determination.
This Determination addresses only the permanent disposal of the
residual materials contaminating Tank 18 and Tank 19, as well as the
structure of the tanks themselves and ancillary equipment. Both tanks
have a nominal operating capacity of 1.3 Mgal. Waste removal operations
for Tank 18 were initiated in 1985 and completed in 2003. Tank 18 now
holds approximately 4.3 thousand gallons (Kgal) of residual material.
Waste removal operations for Tank 19 were initiated in 1981 and
completed in 2001, and it now holds approximately 15.1 Kgal of residual
material. DOE plans to fill both tanks with a reducing grout designed
to stabilize and solidify the residual material. This method was chosen
as the least hazardous and most environmentally preferable alternative.
It will reduce migration of contaminants into the environment; prevent
inadvertent intrusion; minimize free-standing liquids; and minimize
void spaces in the tank. After final pouring of the stabilizing grout,
a layer of higher-strength grout will be poured into the tanks to
further discourage human/animal inadvertent intrusion. In addition,
institutional controls (access restriction and groundwater monitoring)
will be implemented and maintained in accordance with Federal and State
agreements.
Final Determination: Section 3116 authorizes the Secretary of
Energy, in consultation with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC),
to determine that certain waste from reprocessing is not HLW if the
provisions set forth in Section 3116 are satisfied. DOE will issue a
final waste determination for Tanks 18 and 19 following the completion
of consultation with the NRC, and consideration of any public comments.
Issued in Washington, DC, on October 3, 2005.
Mark A. Gilbertson,
Deputy Assistant, Secretary for Environmental Cleanup and Acceleration.
[FR Doc. 05-20257 Filed 10-6-05; 8:45 am]
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