The US Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Environmental Management (EM) has received concurrence from regulators that the Savannah River Site (SRS) in South Carolina has removed waste from another highly radioactive waste tank.
The radioactive liquid waste generated by the SRS chemical separations processes has been stored in the Tank Farms in both solid and liquid forms since 1954. About 160m gallons of radioactive waste has been generated and concentrated by evaporation to a current volume of approximately 35m gallons. SRS has a total of 51 waste tanks built in the Site’s F and H Areas; eight of those tanks have been operationally closed. Several of the remaining 43 waste tanks are in various stages of the waste removal, cleaning, and operational closure process.
Tank 8 is the sixth tank to reach preliminary cease waste removal (PCWR) regulatory approval in 13 months. EM achieved this latest PCWR regulatory approval over a year ahead of schedule.
Savannah River Mission Completion (SRMC) is EM’s liquid waste contractor responsible for achieving PCWR through safely treating and disposing of the millions of gallons of waste remaining in the underground tanks at SRS. The tanks will ultimately be filled with grout to be permanently sealed and operationally closed. SRMC has also completed PCWR on Tank 4, Tank 9, Tank 10, Tank 11, and Tank 15 – all 7-19 months ahead of the agreed deadlines.
PCWR is a regulatory milestone for old-style tanks that designates agreement between EM, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the South Carolina Department of Environmental Services that, based on preliminary information, there is reasonable assurance that performance objectives for tank closure will be met.
Also, the concurrence means that work can begin on the sampling and analysis phase of the tank closure process. This next phase will verify these conclusions, based on laboratory analysis of any remaining material and final residual volume determination, prior to final isolation and stabilization of the waste tank.
Tony Robinson, EM acting assistant manager for waste disposition at SRS, said the Tank 8 PCWR achievement, less than a month after the milestone for Tanks 11 and 15, is testament of EM and SRMC’s collaboration to safely and efficiently advance legacy waste clean-up.
“Keeping our people and environment safe will always be the number one commitment of EM,” Robinson said, “And it’s a win for everyone when the work is completed effectively and efficiently while keeping that commitment.”
