DOE Issues Proposed Plans for D&D, Waste Disposition
WC Monitor
11/7/2014
The Department of Energy issued this week proposed plans for D&D and waste disposition at the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant that call for an on-site disposal capability. The two formal proposed plans are a required step in the regulatory process for records of decision on cleanup of the site moving forward, which DOE developed while working with the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. In the preferred alternative, the majority of the estimated $1.5 million cubic yards of waste generated by demolition of the structures of the former Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant would be disposed of in an onsite disposal facility. Waste that doesn’t meet the acceptance criteria for that cell would be shipped to offsite disposal facilities.
The plans evaluated three potential alternatives. In the first no action, would be taken to D&D the buildings or dispose of the waste. That was rejected as being unsafe, and no future use of the structures has been identified. The preferred alternative would involve D&D of the structures. “The controlled removal of waste and demolition of the more than 200 process buildings and complex facilities is reliable over the long-term and meets all regulatory requirements,” according to the proposed plan.
Proposed On-Site Cell Would Cover Approx. 100 Acres
The disposal plan also analyzed shipping all waste generated by the D&D to approved offsite facilities, which depending on the waste could be local landfills or licensed radiological disposal facilities. However, the preferred alternative is an on-site cell covering about 100 acres in the northeast corner of the site, which would be able to accept an estimated 84 percent of the waste. Waste in the cell would have to “meet stringent acceptance criteria approved by Ohio EPA,” according to the DOE plan. “The combination of off-site shipping and on-site disposal was chosen because it is considered safe, reliable over the long term, uses proven waste containment technologies, and meets regulatory requirements. This approach is also more cost-effective, provides the shortest time for waste disposal and presents the lower transportation risk because less waste would be shipped off the site,” DOE said in a release this week.
A disposal facility must use fill material packed around the waste in order to stabilize it. The proposed plan includes using contaminated soil already at Portsmouth for fill, which could potentially have a number of advantages over purchasing the fill from offsite or taking it from other areas on site, site officials have said. The material would come from areas of known groundwater contamination, including areas where there are existing landfills. Using soil already at the site would avoid the cost of purchasing soil, as well as avoiding future costs for maintaining other existing landfills. “However, should the use of contaminated fill not be able to be done in the manner contemplated in the Proposed Plan, DOE has the option to use clean fill,” DOE said.
Public Comment Period Runs Through Jan. 10
The proposed plans are now open to a public comment period from Nov. 12 to Jan. 10, which includes a public meeting on Nov. 17. The formal record of decision is scheduled to come at some point in 2015. “All input will be considered before final remedy selections are made. Depending on comments received, the final remedy could be different than the original preferred remedy,” DOE said.
