The U.S. Energy Department’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico has improved its emergency planning and preparation, but work remains to correct shortcomings identified in a 2016 report, according to a newly released report from DOE’s internal watchdog.
The Office of Emergency Management Assessments, within the department’s independent Office of Enterprise Assessments (EA), studied WIPP emergency preparation for a month last fall to see how site prime contractor Nuclear Waste Partnership had resolved the issues identified two years ago.
The DOE office concluded in a Feb. 16 report that Nuclear Waste Partnership had closed most of the findings from the 2016 report “without fully resolving the original issues.” Here’s a brief rundown:
- WIPP has only “partially implemented” procedures for an effective site evaluation plan, including details on controlling contamination as workers are moved to offsite locations. NWP plans to have a detailed plan in place this year.
- NWP didn’t “fully resolve” holes in its “consequence assessments” – which includes items including accurate projections on any radiological plumes, and radioactive dose estimates.
- WIPP didn’t go far enough to fill gaps in its emergency training program.
- When it comes to drills, NWP doesn’t fully tap lessons learned during those drills and implement corrective actions.
Nuclear Waste Partnership “takes seriously” the findings by the EA review team, the contractor said in a statement emailed Friday by spokesman Donavan Mager: “Corrective actions for the EA findings are being implemented by NWP, in coordination with the DOE’s Carlsbad Field Office.” Mager said WIPP will hold its fiscal 2018 annual emergency exercise during the week of Aug. 6.
Meanwhile, the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) is taking comments between now and April 23 on proposed changes to the WIPP panel closure plan. DOE and NWP applied in November to modify the plan.
The parties seek to make some tweaks in the current closure plan, which now calls for a 12-foot long concrete block explosion isolation wall and a 26-foot long “concrete monolith” to close off waste disposal panels, according to a NMED fact sheet. The modification would allow bulkheads, or partitions, along with run of mine salt, to be used in some panels.
