The Department of Energy is said to be reviewing a study on options for dealing with troublesome transuranic waste from the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) in New Mexico that remains stranded at the Waste Control Specialists (WCS) site in Texas.
A source Wednesday said the feasibility study is complete and has been delivered to DOE’s Office of Environmental Management, which will decide upon future actions.
In 2014, Waste Control Specialists received hundreds of drums of TRU waste from Los Alamos that normally would have gone to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico. However, WIPP had closed earlier that year following a radiation release in the underground mine. It was subsequently determined the material had been released from a container that originated at Los Alamos, and many of the drums sent to Texas held the same incorrectly remediated nitrate salts mixture.
When the material was sent to Texas all parties involved believed the waste was compliant with safety standards enforced by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the U.S. Department of Transportation, according to a DOE procurement document.
In November 2017, DOE announced its contractor had finished treating 60 potentially combustible containers which were left at LANL and preparing them for ultimate shipment to WIPP. The drums have not yet be sent to the disposal site.
“Of the original 582 LANL waste drums/barrels stored at WCS, 305 have been shipped to the WIPP for disposal, and 277 remain at WCS,” said Texas Commission of Environmental Quality (TCEQ) spokesman Brian McGovern by email.
The remaining LANL waste is being stored in a safe environment, although the exact location and configuration can’t be revealed for security purposes. On the 277 drums, 113 consist of waste that with indications of combustibility or corrosion akin to the problem drums at LANL, McGovern added.
In March 2017, DOE contracted Idaho-based SUNSI JV, under a nearly $2 million task order, to analyze options for the waste so it can ultimately be shipped to WIPP. The contract was scheduled to expire by Sept. 8.
The department wanted four options studied. They were: stabilizing the waste on-site at WCS and shipping it to another DOE site for treatment prior to ultimate shipment to WIPP; no treatment at WCS but shipping it back to LANL for treatment; shipping it to another commercial facility for treatment and shipment to WIPP; or shipping directly to WIPP for disposal.
The study was to evaluate the pros and cons of each option, consider the availability of equipment and technology, and draw upon lessons learned from the Los Alamos experience in treating the remediated nitrate salt drums.
In December 2017, TCEQ allowed Waste Control Specialists to hold on to the material at its Andrews County facility until Dec. 23, 2018. No extension has been issued to date, McGovern said.
“The Department is working collaboratively with regulators and Waste Control Specialists to evaluate potential options and a path forward for the impacted waste containers. These containers are safely stored and carefully monitored,” said a DOE spokesperson in a Thursday email.
The DOE spokesperson did not indicate when the department might make a decision on what to do about the stranded waste.
