Decontamination and Volume Reduction System for Transuranic Waste at Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico - Environmental Assessment
The Proposed Action is to reduce the volume of oversized metallic transuranic (TRU) wastes at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) that would require disposal at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) by using a decontamination and compaction process. The proposed process, called the decontamination and volume reduction system (DVRS), would be implemented within an existing structure at the Department of Energy's (DOE's) solid radioactive waste storage and disposal area located at Technical Area (TA) 54. The preferred location is Dome 226. Other equivalent locations would be Domes 229, 230, and 231, adjacent to Dome 226, or a pre-engineered structure that would be placed adjacent to Dome 226. The proposed DVRS would provide the capability to process and dispose of approximately 3,120 yd{sup 3} (2,400 m{sup 3}) of oversized metallic TRU waste currently in storage at TA-54 within a substantially reduced operating period. The majority of this oversized metallic TRU waste, which is currently too big to fit into the approved waste containers used for the WIPP Project, would be sorted, segregated, and decontaminated to meet low-level radioactive waste (LLW) criteria, and then compacted and disposed of on-site as LLW. The remainder of the oversized metallic TRU waste, which cannot be sufficiently decontaminated to meet LLW criteria, would be cut up and compacted to fit into the WIPP-approved waste containers, packaged, and shipped as TRU waste to WIPP. In addition to the existing inventory of oversized metallic TRU waste, the proposed DVRS would also be able to process an additional 3,900 yd{sup 3} (3,000 m{sup 3}) of oversized metallic TRU waste that may result from on-site decontamination and decommissioning activities and equipment replacement at other LANL facilities. The DVRS is expected to process the total estimated 7,020 yd{sup 3} (5,400 m{sup 3}) of oversized metallic TRU waste in about six years. The proposed construction and implementation of the DVRS at LANL would provide DOE with a low-risk, high-benefit opportunity to implement previously used technology (a similar unit has been used at Erwin, Tennessee) to dispose of LANL's oversized metallic TRU waste in an environmentally safe manner. In line with the DOE TRU Waste Management Plan for LANL (LANL 1996), the DVRS would enable DOE to accelerate cleanup objectives while achieving substantial cost savings. Environmental effects under either the Proposed Action or the No Action alternative would be minimal. On average, worker doses would remain well below allowable DOE limits for the Proposed Action. Worker doses could be higher under the No Action alternative but should also remain well below DOE limits. The volume of TRU waste sent to WIPP for disposal would be reduced from 7,020 yd{sup 3} (5,400 m{sup 3}) to 442 yd{sup 3} (340 m{sup 3}) under the Proposed Action.
- Research Organization:
- U.S. Department of Energy, Los Alamos Area Office, Los Alamos, NM (US)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of NEPA Policy and Assistance (EH-42) (US)
- OSTI ID:
- 768502
- Report Number(s):
- DOE/EA-1269; TRN: US0401985
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: PBD: 25 Jun 1999
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
ALPHA-BEARING WASTES
CONSTRUCTION
CONTAINERS
DECOMMISSIONING
DECONTAMINATION
ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
IMPLEMENTATION
LOW-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
MANAGEMENT
RADIOACTIVE WASTE STORAGE
STORAGE
WASTES
WIPP
EA
NM
VOLUME REDUCTION SYSTEM
LANL