LOCAL CONTROL
OF FACILITY
OPERATION
It is important that residents near the
facility be familiar with the facility’s
operation and commitment to long-term,
safety. In addition to the stringent DER
regulatory and inspection program, Penn
sylvania law provides for direct local
control over facility operation. In fact,
local inspectors will have the authority to
shut down the facility if there is a safety
problem.
Waste disposal surcharges will be used to
train local inspectors in environmental
monitoring. Four full-time, trained on-site
inspectors will be employed by the host
community and county. Funding for these
inspectors will come from die users of
the facility. The inspectors will have inde
pendent access to all parts of the facility and
all records. They will conduct independent
monitoring and testing of facility perfor
mance. A written agreement between DER
and the local and county governments will
detail the authority of the local inspectors.
A local Environmental Advisory Council
will serve as a monitoring and oversight
body, receive all available information
about the facility, and be informed of any
problems. In addition, the host municipal
ity and the county may each assign a mem
ber to DBR’s Low-Level Waste Advisory
Committee to monitor statewide activities
and the DER regulatory program. One local
representative will also be appointed to
the Appalachian States Low-Level Radio
active Waste Commission when the facility
site is selected.
CONTINUOUS
MONITORING
PROGRAM
ADDITIONAL ASSOUAN
Disposal of waste for the 30-year operating period is expected to require appn
50 acres. The disposal facility will be located within a buffer/environmental moi
zone of approximately 450 acres. The performance of the facility itself will be cl
through the monitoring gallery and through evaluation of a test disposal unit. T'
unit’s stability and ability to contain the waste will be monitored for the
disposal period.
Within the 450-acre buffer zone, DER will require the licensee to momtoi
environment for the presence of released radioactive materials in samples ol
surface water, sediments, soil, plants, and groundwater. Permanent air and
sampling stations will operate at the site boundary. The environmental moniti
program will extend to areas three miles beyond the site boundary. Beyom
range, to the five-mile point, residents of the host municipality may request a mi
evaluation for the presence of radioactivity in their bodies. Full disclosure of thr
to those individuals is required.
Before the facility is licensed or constructed, the applicant must measure exisi
ti vity to establish the environmental baseline. Monitoring during facility operati
will then confirm the safe performance of the disposal facility or indicate if tl
Monitoring also provides a basis for determining long-term performance of th»
postclosure care period.
HOW CAN A ZERO RELEASE GOAL SE ACHIEVED?
State law mandates that, as a goal, Pennsylvania’s disposal facility I
must have a radioactive material release capacity of zero. This is
known as the zero release goal. The ability to meet the zero release j
goal is based on regulatory requirements for design, monitoring ]
systems, and facility operations oversight. |
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The design (see “Facility Design,” page 6) and construction of the
facility provide the first line of defense to achieve the zero release
goal. Specific materials and construction techniques will be used to
contain radioactive materials and radioactivity within the disposal
units. For example, the disposal unit will be constructed with
concrete that must provide both long-term structural stability and
containment of radioactivity.
The disposal site must have monitoring systems. In the event that
something goes wrong and radioactive materials are released from
the disposal units, the monitoring systems must have the ability to
detect radioacuve materials before they reach the disposal site
boundary. One monitoring system must be located within the
disposal units (see “Facility Design,” page 6). In the event the
disposal facility fails and water infiltrates the disposal units, this
monitoring system will detect the water, any radioactive materials in
the water, and the origin of the water before it leaves the disposal
facility. Corrective measures can be taken at this point to stop water
infiltration, recover the water, and remove any radioactive material
that may be in the water.
Source: Roy F. Weston, Inc.
Keeping groundwater safe is critical. Permanent Regular sampling of surface water in the area Thermoluminescent dosimeters, or TLDs, will
monitoring wells will be installed in locations on surrounding the facility will help ensure that no measure radiation levels to verify there are no
and near the disposal facility to measure for the radioactive material reaches the environment. releases above natural background levels
presence of radionuclides or other contaminants.
Source: Roy F. Weston, Inc.
A second monitoring system (environmental monitoring system)
must be located in the buffec/environmenlal monitoring zone that
surrounds the disposal facility (see “Additional Assurances,” above).
In theevent that the disposal facility fails and radioactive materials are
not detected by the disposal unit monitoring system, the environmen
tal monitoring system monitors air, soil, and groundwater for radio
active contaminants. This monitoring system must be designed so
that contamination can be investigated and removed before it passes
the disposal site boundary.
Before the facility is in operation, the applicant will have identified
background radiation levels at the site. During disposal facility
operations, the licensee must maintain the disposal unit and environ
mental monitoring systems. After the disposal site is closed, the
custodial agency (a state government agency other than DER) is
responsible for maintaining these monitoring systems.
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The state law allows the host municipality and county to each hire two
full-time, qualified inspectors to perform both independent and joint
inspections with DER. These inspectors have the right to inspect any
and all of the licensee’s records and activities at the site. The
inspectors will ensure problems are investigated and necessary
corrective actions are taken. For example, the inspectors will inde
pendently oversee the licensee’s monitoring program. The inspec
tors have the authority to inspect any aspect of the facility, investigate
any problems, and shut down facility operations if there is an
immediate threat to health and safety
Source: Chem-Nuclear Systems, Inc