- Email: [email protected]
Low-level radioactive waste disposal activities in Texas
17th Japan
Conference
on Radiation
and Radioisotopes
85
be briefly outlined. Management Policy 1. Although some nations have in law de minimis level which defines radiois limited to wastes from active waste, it seems that actual application But it is considered small producers such as laboratories and hospitals. necessary to set the level and apply to all wastes due to the accumulation of waste in future. In recent years many nations have established organizations which are They are, for example, ANDRA of France, responsible for waste management. ONDRAF of Belgium and SKB NIREX of United Kingdom, NAGRA of Switzerland, Their main tasks are to set up medium and long term management of Sweden. and construction and plan, including site selection, safety assessment, management of a disposal center. Each organization investigates reasonable disposal methods based on proper classification of wastes. Shallow land burial and deep underground disposal are commonly used for short-lived low and intermediate waste and Multi-barrier system is incorporated in long-lived waste respectively. order to assure the safety. Sea disposal had been operated until a few years ago but it is currently It is however still considered impossible due to various circumstances. to be an effective way for those nations which do not have suitable inland site for disposal. 2. Disposal Center In France, ANDRA manages the La Manche Disposal Center where shallow This land burial is adopted using methods called monoliths and tumuli. center has a total capacity of 400,000 m3, and has already accommodated more than 260,000 m3 of waste. ANDRA is planning to build the second and the third disposal center to cope with wastes in future. United Kingdom has Drigg disposal center near the Sellafield ReprocessSome 100,000 m3 of wastes are annually disposed of in trenches. ing Plant. NIREX is now in charge of the selection of new repository site. West Germany is planning to build Gorleben final disposal center and SFR, central repository of short-lived wastes in Sweden, is under construction. Switzerland and Belgiumare also preparing to construct a disposal center.
25.
LOT'7-LEVEL P~DIOACTIVE III
(Texas Low-Level
P7ASTE DISPOSAL Radioactive
ACTIVITIES
Waste
Disposal
IN TEXAS, Authority,
T.b7.Blackburn U.S.A.)
During t-he late 197Os, several factors led to the creation of the Texas In mid-1979, only three Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Authority. of the six licensed disposal sites in the country were operating. In July 1979, the Beatty, Nevada site was temporarily closed because of improper In October 1979, packaging of a load of waste which resulted in leakage. the governor of the State of Washington ordered the closing of the Hanford, Washington site because of observed leakage from poorly packaged waste containers and the poor condition of trucks transporting waste containers to the site. The Barnwell, South Carolina site remained open, but the governor of South Carolina announced that the volume of waste which would be accepted at the site would be reduced by 50 percent. During 1979 and 1980, several Texas legislative committees studied the problem of low-level radioactive waste disposal in Texas and recommended the creation of an agency to fulfill the waste disposal needs of the state. In early 1981, legislation was introduced to create the Texas Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Authority. The legislation was approved and signed into law on June 1, 1981. In September 1982, the Texas Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Authority began the process for the selection, construction, and operation of a low-level radioactive waste disposal facility in Texas. The statute creating the Authority is a very comprehensive law which calls for the orderly completion of a step-by-step process in the development of the disposal facility. The organization of the Authority and its use of external resources, both professional organizations and citizens groups, are functioning extremely well in the performance of the Authority's objectives. This paper describes the siting activities that have taken place in the State of Texas since the creation of the Texas Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Authority, including t-he criteria used in developing the siting program, identification of low-level radioactive wastes to be disposed
86
17thJapan
of,
and state and federal the Authority.
26.
SOME PROBLEMS T. Amanuma
Conference
legislation
ON THE LOW LEVEL
on Radiation
and Radioisotopes
that has affected
PADIOACTIVE
the activities
of
b7ASTES MANAGEIIENT IN JAPAN,
(Magoya University)
About 5 hundreds thousands drums of solidified low level wastes (LLW) are stored in total, and about 380 thousands drums which came from nuclear power plants will be accumulated in the AFR storage at Shimokita site in Aomori Prefecture in near future. Radioactive waste management policy in Japan is prescribed in the Long Term Program for Development and Utilization of Nuclear Energy, revised in June 1982 and adopted by the Atomic Energy Commission. Many R&D connected with the LLW disposal are steadily progressing according to the AEC's Program above mentioned, but there are some problems These should be solved before practical disposal of the LLW in Japan. problems are as follows. for the LLW 1. Categorization Since the level of radioactivity of many kinds of wastes which generated from nuclear facilities and should be managed as the LLW under the present rules and regulations in Japan, extended to quite a wide range, the suitable categorization is requested to dispose the LLW reasonably according to their characteristics. From this point of view, the Advisory Committee on Radioactive Waste Management had recommended to classify the LLW as follows. B/v nuclides. (1) Wastes containing relatively high concentration (2) Wastes which do not require shielding during normal handling and transportation. (3) Very low level wastes. (4) Wastes which, because of their extremely low level, do not require the management as radioactive waste. The detailed definition of these classifid LLW and the establishment of these categorized value will be carried out in the Nuclear Safety Commission in Japan. state of the various LLW and their quantitative estimation 2. Generating We have to understand what kind and how much quantity of the LLW will generate from each nuclear cycle process containing the case of decommissioning of nuclear facility. 3. Sea dumping However, it may be difficult to hold the sea dumping in very near future, we have to continue our effort to carry into operation. Implementing bodies and their responsibilities 4. the private sector who generates the wastes is to treat them Although, and also responsible for their disposai in principle, the new concepts on the implementing bodies and their responsibilities will be studies corresponding with the progress in the development of a storage and disposal program of the LLW at Shimokita. LLW 5. Returnable the returnable LLW have almost same characteristics as Although, domestic LLW from our reprocessing plant in basically, the specifications proposed by the oversea reprocessors must be examined in detail. 6. The LLW from RI utilization To treat the LLW from RI utilization as same as the LLW from nuclear it may be required the interindustry according to their characteristics, agency adjustment on this point. and other social problems 7. Public acceptance It is needless to say that the public acceptance is one of the most important affairs in the field of waste management. We must make much efforts to resolve this difficult problems not only in the technological field, but also social sciences field.
27.
PROSPECTS
OF TECHP1ICAL DEVELOPMElJT FOR LOp7-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE
MANAGE?!Ei'IT,S. Sakata
IJASTE
(JGC Corporation)
Radioactive wastes are divided Under such classification, wastes.
broadly into low-level and high-level intermediate-level waste and alpha-
Conference
on Radiation
and Radioisotopes
85
be briefly outlined. Management Policy 1. Although some nations have in law de minimis level which defines radiois limited to wastes from active waste, it seems that actual application But it is considered small producers such as laboratories and hospitals. necessary to set the level and apply to all wastes due to the accumulation of waste in future. In recent years many nations have established organizations which are They are, for example, ANDRA of France, responsible for waste management. ONDRAF of Belgium and SKB NIREX of United Kingdom, NAGRA of Switzerland, Their main tasks are to set up medium and long term management of Sweden. and construction and plan, including site selection, safety assessment, management of a disposal center. Each organization investigates reasonable disposal methods based on proper classification of wastes. Shallow land burial and deep underground disposal are commonly used for short-lived low and intermediate waste and Multi-barrier system is incorporated in long-lived waste respectively. order to assure the safety. Sea disposal had been operated until a few years ago but it is currently It is however still considered impossible due to various circumstances. to be an effective way for those nations which do not have suitable inland site for disposal. 2. Disposal Center In France, ANDRA manages the La Manche Disposal Center where shallow This land burial is adopted using methods called monoliths and tumuli. center has a total capacity of 400,000 m3, and has already accommodated more than 260,000 m3 of waste. ANDRA is planning to build the second and the third disposal center to cope with wastes in future. United Kingdom has Drigg disposal center near the Sellafield ReprocessSome 100,000 m3 of wastes are annually disposed of in trenches. ing Plant. NIREX is now in charge of the selection of new repository site. West Germany is planning to build Gorleben final disposal center and SFR, central repository of short-lived wastes in Sweden, is under construction. Switzerland and Belgiumare also preparing to construct a disposal center.
25.
LOT'7-LEVEL P~DIOACTIVE III
(Texas Low-Level
P7ASTE DISPOSAL Radioactive
ACTIVITIES
Waste
Disposal
IN TEXAS, Authority,
T.b7.Blackburn U.S.A.)
During t-he late 197Os, several factors led to the creation of the Texas In mid-1979, only three Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Authority. of the six licensed disposal sites in the country were operating. In July 1979, the Beatty, Nevada site was temporarily closed because of improper In October 1979, packaging of a load of waste which resulted in leakage. the governor of the State of Washington ordered the closing of the Hanford, Washington site because of observed leakage from poorly packaged waste containers and the poor condition of trucks transporting waste containers to the site. The Barnwell, South Carolina site remained open, but the governor of South Carolina announced that the volume of waste which would be accepted at the site would be reduced by 50 percent. During 1979 and 1980, several Texas legislative committees studied the problem of low-level radioactive waste disposal in Texas and recommended the creation of an agency to fulfill the waste disposal needs of the state. In early 1981, legislation was introduced to create the Texas Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Authority. The legislation was approved and signed into law on June 1, 1981. In September 1982, the Texas Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Authority began the process for the selection, construction, and operation of a low-level radioactive waste disposal facility in Texas. The statute creating the Authority is a very comprehensive law which calls for the orderly completion of a step-by-step process in the development of the disposal facility. The organization of the Authority and its use of external resources, both professional organizations and citizens groups, are functioning extremely well in the performance of the Authority's objectives. This paper describes the siting activities that have taken place in the State of Texas since the creation of the Texas Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Authority, including t-he criteria used in developing the siting program, identification of low-level radioactive wastes to be disposed
86
17thJapan
of,
and state and federal the Authority.
26.
SOME PROBLEMS T. Amanuma
Conference
legislation
ON THE LOW LEVEL
on Radiation
and Radioisotopes
that has affected
PADIOACTIVE
the activities
of
b7ASTES MANAGEIIENT IN JAPAN,
(Magoya University)
About 5 hundreds thousands drums of solidified low level wastes (LLW) are stored in total, and about 380 thousands drums which came from nuclear power plants will be accumulated in the AFR storage at Shimokita site in Aomori Prefecture in near future. Radioactive waste management policy in Japan is prescribed in the Long Term Program for Development and Utilization of Nuclear Energy, revised in June 1982 and adopted by the Atomic Energy Commission. Many R&D connected with the LLW disposal are steadily progressing according to the AEC's Program above mentioned, but there are some problems These should be solved before practical disposal of the LLW in Japan. problems are as follows. for the LLW 1. Categorization Since the level of radioactivity of many kinds of wastes which generated from nuclear facilities and should be managed as the LLW under the present rules and regulations in Japan, extended to quite a wide range, the suitable categorization is requested to dispose the LLW reasonably according to their characteristics. From this point of view, the Advisory Committee on Radioactive Waste Management had recommended to classify the LLW as follows. B/v nuclides. (1) Wastes containing relatively high concentration (2) Wastes which do not require shielding during normal handling and transportation. (3) Very low level wastes. (4) Wastes which, because of their extremely low level, do not require the management as radioactive waste. The detailed definition of these classifid LLW and the establishment of these categorized value will be carried out in the Nuclear Safety Commission in Japan. state of the various LLW and their quantitative estimation 2. Generating We have to understand what kind and how much quantity of the LLW will generate from each nuclear cycle process containing the case of decommissioning of nuclear facility. 3. Sea dumping However, it may be difficult to hold the sea dumping in very near future, we have to continue our effort to carry into operation. Implementing bodies and their responsibilities 4. the private sector who generates the wastes is to treat them Although, and also responsible for their disposai in principle, the new concepts on the implementing bodies and their responsibilities will be studies corresponding with the progress in the development of a storage and disposal program of the LLW at Shimokita. LLW 5. Returnable the returnable LLW have almost same characteristics as Although, domestic LLW from our reprocessing plant in basically, the specifications proposed by the oversea reprocessors must be examined in detail. 6. The LLW from RI utilization To treat the LLW from RI utilization as same as the LLW from nuclear it may be required the interindustry according to their characteristics, agency adjustment on this point. and other social problems 7. Public acceptance It is needless to say that the public acceptance is one of the most important affairs in the field of waste management. We must make much efforts to resolve this difficult problems not only in the technological field, but also social sciences field.
27.
PROSPECTS
OF TECHP1ICAL DEVELOPMElJT FOR LOp7-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE
MANAGE?!Ei'IT,S. Sakata
IJASTE
(JGC Corporation)
Radioactive wastes are divided Under such classification, wastes.
broadly into low-level and high-level intermediate-level waste and alpha-