PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES FOR TANK FARM CLOSURE PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENTS
Tank Farm Closure Performance Assessments are studies of the long-term impacts to public health and safety as well as to the environment. They provide information to decision makers on the impacts of baseline activities and other alternatives actively under consideration. The intent is to provide sufficient information so that decision makers dealing with tank farm closure have an adequate understanding of the long-term consequences of closure decisions. To be meaningful, results from a numeric performance assessment of the consequences of an action must be compared to the standards for such an action. That is, before one disposes of waste or closes a facility with waste, one must show that the disposal or closure action protects the public health and safety and the environment. These standards are called performance objectives. Regulations that call for performance assessments (whether they are federal such as the Department of Energy (DOE) order on radioactive waste management [DOE 1999a] and its implementing guides, or those from Washington State such as the regulations implementing the Model Toxics Control Act [WAC 173-340]) usually require that the determination of performance objectives be one of the first steps performed. These performance objectives not only set comparison levels for the numeric results, but also define the media, pathways, exposure scenarios (receptors), spatial locations, and times that the performance assessment must consider. Thus, a performance objective consists of a compliance level, place(s) of compliance, and time(s) of compliance. Whenever regulations are cited in this document, the reader is reminded that not all regulations dealing with tank farm closure are included. Rather, only those that are needed for the study of long-term impacts are included. Performance objectives are not the levels that a regulatory agency will enforce in a permit or authorization. Those levels, often called enforcement levels, will be set in the permit or authorization. Rather, performance objectives are those levels against which the results of the numeric simulation will be compared to judge the success of the proposed cleanup or disposal actions. Additional comparison levels may be requested for information purposes, but are not officially part of the decision on the adequacy of the proposed action.
- Research Organization:
- CH2M Hill Hanford Group, Inc., Richland, WA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT (US)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC27-99RL14047
- OSTI ID:
- 820864
- Report Number(s):
- RPP-14283, Rev.1; DE-AC27-99RL14047; TRN: US0400603
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: PBD: 13 Jan 2004
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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