Lessons learned from decommissioning projects at Los Alamos National Laboratory

Conference · Fri Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1995

OSTI ID:106456

Salazar, M

This paper describes lessons learned over the last 20 years from 12 decommissioning projects at Los Alamos National Laboratory. These lessons relate both to overall program management and to management of specific projects during the planning and operations phases. The issues include waste management; the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA); the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA); the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA); contracting; public involvement; client/customer interface; and funding. Key elements of our approach are to be proactive; follow the observation method; perform field activities concurrently; develop strategies to keep reportable incidents from delaying work; seek and use programs, methods, etc., in existence to shorten learning curves; network to help develop solutions; and avoid overstudying and overcharacterizing. This approach results in preliminary plans that require very little revision before implementation, reasonable costs and schedules, early acquisition of permits and NEPA documents, preliminary characterization reports, and contracting documents. Our track record is good -- the last four projects (uranium and plutonium-processing facility and three research reactors) have been on budget and on schedule.

• Research Organization: Los Alamos National Lab., NM (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-36
• OSTI ID: 106456
• Report Number(s): LA-UR--95-2465; CONF-950868--10; ON: DE95016910
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

05 NUCLEAR FUELS
COMPLIANCE
COST
DECOMMISSIONING
LANL
PUBLIC OPINION
SURPLUS NUCLEAR FACILITIES
WASTE MANAGEMENT