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Title: Environmental assessment for the Radioactive and Mixed Waste Management Facility: Sandia National Laboratories/New Mexico

Abstract

The Department of Energy (DOE) has prepared an environmental assessment (EA) (DOE/EA-0466) under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 for the proposed completion of construction and subsequent operation of a central Radioactive and Mixed Waste Management Facility (RMWMF), in the southeastern portion of Technical Area III at Sandia National Laboratory, Albuquerque (SNLA). The RMWMF is designed to receive, store, characterize, conduct limited bench-scale treatment of, repackage, and certify low-level waste (LLW) and mixed waste (MW) (as necessary) for shipment to an offsite disposal or treatment facility. The RMWMF was partially constructed in 1989. Due to changing regulatory requirements, planned facility upgrades would be undertaken as part of the proposed action. These upgrades would include paving of road surfaces and work areas, installation of pumping equipment and lines for surface impoundment, and design and construction of air locks and truck decontamination and water treatment systems. The proposed action also includes an adjacent corrosive and reactive metals storage area, and associated roads and paving. LLW and MW generated at SNLA would be transported from the technical areas to the RMWMF in containers approved by the Department of Transportation. The RMWMF would not handle nonradioactive hazardous waste. Based on the analysismore » in the EA, the proposed completion of construction and operation of the RMWMF does not constitute a major Federal action significantly affecting the quality of the human environment within the meaning of NEPA. Therefore, preparation of an environmental impact statement for the proposed action is not required.« less

Publication Date:
Research Org.:
USDOE Albuquerque Field Office, NM (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
OSTI Identifier:
10108811
Alternate Identifier(s):
OSTI ID: 10108811; Legacy ID: DE94004391
Report Number(s):
DOE/EA--0466
ON: DE94004391; NC: NONE
Resource Type:
Technical Report
Resource Relation:
Other Information: PBD: Jun 1993
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY AND ECONOMY; 12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES; 54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; 11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS; SANDIA LABORATORIES; RADIOACTIVE WASTE FACILITIES; CONSTRUCTION; ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS; OPERATION; LOW-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES; MIXTURES; RADIOACTIVE WASTE STORAGE; PACKAGING; US NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ACT; COMPLIANCE 290300; 052000; 540250; 053000; ENVIRONMENT, HEALTH, AND SAFETY; WASTE MANAGEMENT; SITE RESOURCE AND USE STUDIES; ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECTS

Citation Formats

Not Available. Environmental assessment for the Radioactive and Mixed Waste Management Facility: Sandia National Laboratories/New Mexico. United States: N. p., 1993. Web. doi:10.2172/10108811.
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Not Available. Environmental assessment for the Radioactive and Mixed Waste Management Facility: Sandia National Laboratories/New Mexico. United States. doi:10.2172/10108811.
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Not Available. Tue . "Environmental assessment for the Radioactive and Mixed Waste Management Facility: Sandia National Laboratories/New Mexico". United States. doi:10.2172/10108811. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/10108811.
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@article{osti_10108811,
title = {Environmental assessment for the Radioactive and Mixed Waste Management Facility: Sandia National Laboratories/New Mexico},
author = {Not Available},
abstractNote = {The Department of Energy (DOE) has prepared an environmental assessment (EA) (DOE/EA-0466) under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 for the proposed completion of construction and subsequent operation of a central Radioactive and Mixed Waste Management Facility (RMWMF), in the southeastern portion of Technical Area III at Sandia National Laboratory, Albuquerque (SNLA). The RMWMF is designed to receive, store, characterize, conduct limited bench-scale treatment of, repackage, and certify low-level waste (LLW) and mixed waste (MW) (as necessary) for shipment to an offsite disposal or treatment facility. The RMWMF was partially constructed in 1989. Due to changing regulatory requirements, planned facility upgrades would be undertaken as part of the proposed action. These upgrades would include paving of road surfaces and work areas, installation of pumping equipment and lines for surface impoundment, and design and construction of air locks and truck decontamination and water treatment systems. The proposed action also includes an adjacent corrosive and reactive metals storage area, and associated roads and paving. LLW and MW generated at SNLA would be transported from the technical areas to the RMWMF in containers approved by the Department of Transportation. The RMWMF would not handle nonradioactive hazardous waste. Based on the analysis in the EA, the proposed completion of construction and operation of the RMWMF does not constitute a major Federal action significantly affecting the quality of the human environment within the meaning of NEPA. Therefore, preparation of an environmental impact statement for the proposed action is not required.},
doi = {10.2172/10108811},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 1993},
month = {Tue Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 1993}
}
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Technical Report:
View Technical Report (8.85 MB)
DOI:  10.2172/10108811
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  • Sandia National Laboratories, New Mexico (SNL/NM) is managed and operated by Sandia Corporation, a Lockheed Martin Company. SNL/NM is located on land owned by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) within the boundaries of the Kirtland Air Force Base (KAFB) in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The major responsibilities of SNL/NM are the support of national security and energy projects. Low-level radioactive waste (LLW) is generated by some of the activities performed at SNL/NM in support of the DOE. This report describes potential environmental effects of the shipments of low-level radioactive wastes to other sites.

  • ; ; ; ...
    Sandia National Laboratories/New Mexico (SNL/NM) is a research and development facility that generates many highly diverse, low-volume mixed waste streams. Under the Federal Facility Compliance Act, SNL/NM must treat its mixed waste in storage to meet the Land Disposal Restrictions treatment standards. Since 1989, approximately 70 cubic meters (2,500 cubic feet) of heterogeneous, poorly characterized and inventoried mixed waste was placed in storage that could not be treated as specified in the SNL/NM Site Treatment Plan. A process was created to sort the legacy waste into sixteen well-defined, properly characterized, and accurately inventoried mixed waste streams (Treatability Groups) and twomore » low-level waste streams ready for treatment or disposal. From June 1995 through September 1996, the entire volume of this stored mixed waste was sorted and inventoried. This process was planned to meet the technical requirements of the sorting operation and to identify and address the hazards this operation presented. The operations were routinely adapted to safely and efficiently handle a variety of waste matrices, hazards, and radiological conditions. This flexibility was accomplished through administrative and physical controls integrated into the sorting operations. Many Department of Energy facilities are currently facing the prospect of sorting, characterizing, and treating a large inventory of mixed waste. The process described in this report is a proven method for preparing a diverse, heterogeneous mixed waste volume into segregated, characterized, inventoried, and documented waste streams ready for treatment or disposal.« less

  • ; ;
    No abstract prepared.

  • This report presents information on the need for action, alternative, description of the affected environment, and environmental impacts of the proposed action.

  • The US Department of Energy (DOE) has prepared an environmental assessment (EA) on the proposed construction and operation of a new Gamma Irradiation Facility (GIF) at Sandia National Laboratories/New Mexico (SNL/NM). This facility is needed to: enhance capabilities to assure technical excellence in nuclear weapon radiation environments testing, component development, and certification; comply with all applicable ES and H safeguards, standards, policies, and regulations; reduce personnel radiological exposure to comply with ALARA limits in accordance with DOE orders and standards; consolidate major gamma ray sources into a central, secured area; and reduce operational risks associated with operation of the GIFmore » and LICA in their present locations. This proposed action provides for the design, construction, and operation of a new GIF located within TA V and the removal of the existing GIF and Low Intensity Cobalt Array (LICA). The proposed action includes potential demolition of the gamma shield walls and removal of equipment in the existing GIF and LICA. The shielding pool used by the existing GIF will remain as part of the ACRR facility. Transportation of the existing {sup 60}Co sources from the existing LICA and GIF to the new facility is also included in the proposed action. Relocation of the gamma sources to the new GIF will be accomplished by similar techniques to those used to install the sources originally.« less