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Managing Low-Level Waste at Dounreay - 16269

Dounreay Site Restoration Limited (DSRL) is the site licence company responsible for the clean-up and demolition of Britain's former centre of fast reactor research and development. The Dounreay site requires facilities to dispose of up to 175,000 cubic metres of low level waste (LLW) that has been and will continue to be generated during the decommissioning and restoration of the site. In May 2014, construction of two new vaults for the disposal of LLW at Dounreay was completed, including the necessary roads, infrastructures and services, followed by an encapsulation plant in September 2014. The vaults are located immediately to the northeast of the Dounreay licensed site, on NDA-owned land. The facilities are for disposal of the solid LLW generated at Dounreay and the adjacent Vulcan site only. In 2004, following consultation with stakeholders and members of the public, Dounreay issued the 'Best Practicable Environmental Option (BPEO) Report' on the management of Dounreay LLW. This report assessed potential management options for LLW against a range of criteria, including technical, environmental, cost, health and safety issues. The study was conducted in line with best practice and involved consultation with a range of people, including the local community and organisations with an interest in radioactive waste management. The recommendations and conclusions from the study provided the basis for the 'Dounreay Solid LLW Overall Strategy', which was published in March 2005. A fundamental component of this strategy was the development of new below-ground disposal vaults for LLW at Dounreay. Siting the vaults on land at Dounreay avoids any need to transport the LLW away from Dounreay on public roads. Disposal at Dounreay therefore satisfies the proximity principle of managing the waste at source. Disposal at Dounreay is also consistent with UK Government Policy on LLW management, the Scottish Government's Radioactive Waste Management Policy and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority's (NDA's) strategy on management of LLW from the UK nuclear industry. A planning application was initially lodged with the Highland Council in June 2006. The period for the determination of this application was extended to allow the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) sufficient time to assess fully the supporting Environmental Safety Case (ESC). The planning application was re-activated in May 2008, and planning permission was granted by Highland Council in April 2009. The planning permission included 26 conditions on DSRL, covering a wide range of environmental issues such as construction noise/dust, traffic, visual impact and also a condition to develop a community fund aimed at socio-economic development of the area around the Dounreay site. After undertaking the necessary detailed design work, construction of the phase one vaults commenced in November 2011 by principal contractor, Graham Construction. Work was undertaken on both vaults simultaneously, excavating around 243,000 m{sup 3} of rock. When excavation was complete, steel reinforcement was placed and concrete poured to construct the floor slabs. This was followed by the construction of the reinforced walls and then the installation of the steel support structure and materials that form the roof. Mechanical and electrical installation then followed, in parallel with the construction of the vault apron, ramps and access roads. A pumping system and control building was also constructed to remove groundwater from around the vaults to allow the vaults to be kept dry while they are being filled with waste. A layer of excavated material, approximately 3 m thick, was placed across the existing ground surface between the vaults and the coast, to ensure the water table lies well below the new ground surface after closure of the vaults, and that any future trace contaminated groundwater flows out to the sea rather than to the soil zone. This layer is referred to in project documents as the 'enhanced geosphere'. After disposals are completed and the vaults are closed, this layer will be joined to the capping over the vaults so that the ensemble merges visually with the surrounding landscape. The original vegetation and soil mix will be returned as far as is practicable. An encapsulation plant has been constructed to fill the LLW containers with grout prior to disposal in the vault, similar to the process used at the national Low-Level Waste Repository facility (LLWR), near Drigg in Cumbria. The plant has the capacity to grout up to four containers per day. The grout fills voids in the container and helps provide chemical conditions in the vault that limit the release of radionuclides in the far future, after the vault has been penetrated by groundwater. On April 24 2015, active commissioning began at the Encapsulation Plant and LLW Vaults. Half-height ISO containers packed with low level waste are currently being filled with grout and disposed of in the LLW Vault. Also packaged Demolition Low Level Waste (DLLW) is being processed and disposed of in the Demolition Low Level Waste Vault. To date over 2500 packages of DLLW and 70 containers LLW have been disposed of. Completion of construction and the start of operating the Phase One vaults and encapsulation plant are fundamental to the successful and efficient decommissioning of the Dounreay site, upon which many millions of pounds of investment and hundreds of jobs rely.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Marine Mammal Behavioral Response to Tidal Turbine Sound

The sound emitted by tidal turbines overlaps with the generalized hearing ranges for marine mammals and may, consequently, affect marine mammal behavior. Because of the strong environmental protections for marine mammals, these effects are of interest to resource agencies and project developers. The primary goal of this project is to improve the understanding of how sound emitted by tidal turbines may affect marine mammal behavior, with the intent that such understanding may allow this environmental risk to be “retired” for initial demonstrations and arrays. A secondary project goal is to evaluate the efficacy of marine mammal observations from a shore-based vantage point as a method to detect change as a consequence of marine energy stressors. Three, two-week trials were conducted across spring, summer and autumn of 2017 during which vantage-point observations of marine mammals were made from land. We refer to these two-week periods as ‘trials’ as they represent different periods of field data collection. These observations consisted of scan samples every 10 minutes with a set of binoculars and a DSLR camera. When pinnipeds were sighted, still images were taken. When harbor porpoise were sighted, focal follows using video were initiated. These data were later analyzed to estimate the location of animals sighted using photogrammetric techniques. For approximately half of each trial period, a boat was moored in the study area from which an underwater projector was used to play back tidal turbine sounds at a broadband source level of 158 dB re µPa @ 1 m. The other half of each trial period had no playbacks and was used as a control period. During the control and playback periods, ancillary data were collected in the study area near the sea floor (ambient noise, tidal velocity, and porpoise clicks) while weather and vessel tracks were recorded near the vantage-point station. Harbor seals did not show a significant response to the simulated turbine noise, nor did harbor porpoise change their closest point of approach or change the direction/deviation of the paths during periods when the playback was occurring. While porpoise sightings and porpoise acoustic detections were significantly reduced during playback periods in the first two trials, the number of detections during the playback periods increased during the third trial. Similarly, the calculated distance from porpoises to the playback location suggests that harbor porpoises avoided an area around the playback location of approximately 300 m during Trial 1, which decreased to approximately 100 m in Trial 2, and disappeared in Trial 3. This could be an indication of habituation or increased tolerance, either to the playback sound or the vessel presence. Our finding of no significant effect of turbine noise on harbor seals contrast with the findings in a previous study by Hastie et al. (2017) conducted in United Kingdom waters. However, due to substantive differences in source levels and propagation loss, seals in our study would need to have been within 10 m of the playback location to experience similar received levels to those in the Hastie et al. study. Consequently, the two studies may actually be in agreement. Our findings of significant effect of turbine noise on harbor porpoise are in line with previous studies suggesting the harbor porpoise are sensitive to noise. However, we note that, due to cost and logistical constraints, the playback vessel was only mooring during the playback periods. Consequently, we cannot definitively ascribe the changes in porpoise behavior to the simulated turbine noise, playback vessel presence, or a combination of both factors. This methodological limitation and other lessons learned are discussed to benefit future studies that explore the effects of acoustic stressors on marine mammals.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗

Remote sensing in Michigan for land resource management

The Environmental Research Institute of Michigan is conducting a program whose goal is the large-scale adoption, by both public agencies and private interests in Michigan, of NASA earth-resource survey technology as an important aid in the solution of current problems in resource management and environmental protection. During the period from June 1975 to June 1976, remote sensing techniques to aid Michigan government agencies were used to achieve the following major results: (1) supply justification for public acquisition of land to establish the St. John's Marshland Recreation Area; (2) recommend economical and effective methods for performing a statewide wetlands survey; (3) assist in the enforcement of state laws relating to sand and gravel mining, soil erosion and sedimentation, and shorelands protection; (4) accomplish a variety of regional resource management actions in the East Central Michigan Planning and Development Region. Other tasks on which remote sensing technology was used include industrial and school site selection, ice detachment in the Soo Harbor, grave detection, and data presentation for wastewater management programs.

Lowe, D. S.↗

Remote sensing in Michigan for land resource management

The application of NASA earth resource survey technology to resource management and environmental protection in Michigan was investigated. Remote sensing techniques to aid Michigan government agencies were applied in the following activities: (1) land use inventory and management, (2) great lakes shorelands protection and management, (3) wetlands protection and management, and (4) soil survey. In addition, information was disseminated on remote sensing technology, and advice and assistance was provided to a number of users.

Lowe, D. S.↗

Remote sensing in Michigan for land resource management

The utilization of NASA earth resource survey technology as an important aid in the solution of current problems in resource management and environmental protection in Michigan is discussed. Remote sensing techniques to aid Michigan government agencies were used to achieve the following results: (1) provide data on Great Lakes beach recession rates to establish shoreline zoning ordinances; (2) supply technical justification for public acquisition of land to establish the St. John's Marshland Recreation Area; (3) establish economical and effective methods for performing a statewide wetlands survey; (4) accomplish a variety of regional resource management actions in the Upper Peninsula; and (5) demonstrate improved soil survey methods. The project disseminated information on remote sensing technology and provided advice and assistance to a number of users in Michigan.

Lowe, D. S.↗

Release Report for Building Debris for TA-21 Sewage Treatment Facility

ENV-ES finds that the materials associated with TA-21 Buildings 227 (superstructure only), and 229 (see Figure 1) meet the criteria for unrestricted release to the public for recycle or as sanitary/commercial waste. The interior and exterior of the metal shed, building 387, passed the release criteria collectively; however, results from the roof of the structure were above reference background measurements. Waste management should be consulted for waste disposition options for the roofing metal. These findings are consistent with the requirements of DOE Order 458.1 “Radiation Protection of the Public and the Environment” and LANL Policy 412 “Environmental Radiation Protection.” Sampling and data analysis, as described in this report, were sufficient to meet measurement objectives under the Multi-Agency Radiation Survey and Assessment of Materials and Equipment (MARSAME) manual (2009).

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Ecological Benchmark for Radionuclides

The Ecological Benchmark Tool for radionuclides dataset serves as a comprehensive repository of benchmarks designed to assess ecological risks at contaminated sites. This tool facilitates the evaluation of various environmental media and contaminants, supporting regulatory compliance and ecological protection. Benchmarks are available for sediment, soil, and surface water. The dataset also provides species-specific benchmarks for fish, plants, birds, mammals, and invertebrates. Users can select benchmark sources, media, individual radionuclides, and retrieve results in tabular or spreadsheet formats for analysis. Benchmarks are derived from authoritative sources, including government agencies, scientific councils, and academic publications. The dataset supports ecological risk assessments, regulatory decision-making, and environmental planning, with tools for benchmarking against radiological thresholds, sensitive species protection, and habitat impact evaluations. This structured approach ensures a robust evaluation of ecological risks tailored to site-specific and regulatory needs.

Stewart, Debra [Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORN↗

Ecological Benchmark for Chemicals

The Ecological Benchmark Tool dataset serves as a comprehensive repository of benchmarks designed to assess ecological risks at contaminated sites. This tool facilitates the evaluation of various environmental media and contaminants, supporting regulatory compliance and ecological protection. Benchmarks are available for air, biota, sediment, soil, and surface water. The dataset also provides species-specific benchmarks for fish, plants, birds, mammals, and invertebrates. Users can select benchmark sources, media, individual chemicals, and retrieve results in tabular or spreadsheet formats for analysis. Benchmarks are derived from authoritative sources, including government agencies, scientific councils, and academic publications. The dataset supports ecological risk assessments, regulatory decision-making, and environmental planning, with tools for benchmarking against chemical thresholds, sensitive species protection, and habitat impact evaluations. This structured approach ensures a robust evaluation of ecological risks tailored to site-specific and regulatory needs.

Stewart, Debra [Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORN↗

Weathering the Storm: Unmanned Aircraft Systems in the Maritime, Atmospheric and Polar Environments

Unmanned systems have the potential to efficiently, effectively, economically, and safely bridge critical observation requirements in an environmentally friendly manner. As the United States Atmospheric, Marine and Arctic areas of interest expand and include hard-to-reach regions of the Earth (such as the Arctic and remote oceanic areas) optimizing unmanned capabilities will be needed to advance the United States science, technology and security efforts. Through increased multi-mission and multi-agency operations using improved inter-operable and autonomous unmanned systems, the research and operations communities will better collect environmental intelligence and better protect our country against hazardous weather, environmental, marine and polar hazards. This presentation will examine UAS (Unmanned Aircraft Systems) operations which includes developing a coordinated effort to maximize the efficiency and capabilities of unmanned systems across the federal government and research partners. Numerous intra- and inter-agency operational demonstrations and assessments have been made to verify and validated these UAS observations. The NASA-specific elements will consist of an overview of NASA UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) available to science and recent missions.

Atmospheric↗

MARSAME Radiological Release Report for Replacement Water Lines from TA-48 to TA-55

Environmental Protection and Compliance, Environmental Stewardship (EPC-ES) has determined that only a portion of the soil associated with Replacement Water Lines from Technical Area (TA)-48 to TA55 (Figure 1) meets the criteria for unrestricted release to the public under Department of Energy (DOE) Order 458.1, Radiation Protection for the Public and the Environment (DOE, 2020). The remaining soil did not meet the criteria for unrestricted release and must be managed appropriately. These conclusions are based on the known history of the area combined with soil sample data collected in 2022; the findings are consistent with DOE Order 458.1 and Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) Functional Series Document EPC-ES-FSD-004, Environmental Radiation Protection (LANL, 2021). Sampling and data analysis, as described in this report, were sufficient to meet measurement quality objectives (MQOs) under the Multi-Agency Radiation Survey and Assessment of Materials and Equipment (MARSAME) manual (NUREG, 2009) and LANL procedures (LANL, 2020). Final approvals for waste disposition will come from LANL’s Waste Management Program.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Water and Air Measures That Make 'PureSense'

Each day, we read about mounting global concerns regarding the ability to sustain supplies of clean water and to reduce air contamination. With water and air serving as life s most vital elements, it is important to know when these environmental necessities may be contaminated, in order to eliminate exposure immediately. The ability to respond requires an understanding of the conditions impacting safety and quality, from source to tap for water, and from outdoor to indoor environments for air. Unfortunately, the "time-to-know" is not immediate with many current technologies, which is a major problem, given the greater likelihood of risky situations in today s world. Accelerating alert and response times requires new tools, methods, and technologies. New solutions are needed to engage in more rapid detection, analysis, and response. This is the focus of a company called PureSense Environmental, Inc., which evolved out of a unique relationship with NASA. The need for real-time management and operations over the quality of water and air, and the urgency to provide new solutions, were reinforced by the events of September 11, 2001. This, and subsequent events, exposed many of the vulnerabilities facing the multiple agencies tasked with working in tandem to protect communities from harmful disaster. Much has been done since September 11 to accelerate responses to environmental contamination. Partnerships were forged across the public and private sectors to explore, test, and use new tools. Methods and technologies were adopted to move more astutely from proof-of-concept to working solutions.

Source record↗

2014 Annual Site Environmental Report Summary Pamphlet for Sandia National Laboratories New Mexico

Sandia Corporation's (Sandia's) enduring core mission is to provide science and engineering support for the nation's nuclear weapons stockpile. Today, the mission encompasses additional critical aspects of national security, including developing technologies and strategies for responding to emerging threats, protecting and preventing the disruption of critical infrastructures, and supporting the nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Sandia also collaborates with representatives from other government agencies, the industrial sector, and universities to develop and commercialize new technologies.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

MARSAME Release Report for Replacement Water Lines From TA-48 to TA-55, Revision 2

Environmental Protection and Compliance, Environmental Stewardship (EPC-ES) has determined that only a portion of the soil associated with Replacement Water Lines from Technical Area (TA)-48 to TA 55 (Figure 1) meets the criteria for unrestricted release to the public under Department of Energy (DOE) Order 458.1, Radiation Protection for the Public and the Environment (DOE, 2020). The remaining soil did not meet the criteria for unrestricted release and must be managed appropriately. These conclusions are based on the known history of the area combined with soil sample data collected in 2022; the findings are consistent with DOE Order 458.1 and Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) Functional Series Document EPC-ES-FSD-004, Environmental Radiation Protection (LANL, 2021). Sampling and data analysis, as described in this report, were sufficient to meet measurement quality objectives (MQOs) under the Multi-Agency Radiation Survey and Assessment of Materials and Equipment (MARSAME) manual (NUREG, 2009) and LANL procedures (LANL, 2020). Final approvals for waste disposition will come from LANL’s Waste Management Program.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Alaskan North Slope Oil & Gas Transportation Support

North Slope oil and gas resources are a critical part of US energy supplies and their development is facing a period of new growth to meet increasing national energy needs. While this growth is taking place in areas active in development for more than 20 years, there are many increasing environmental challenges facing industry and management agencies. A majority of all exploration and development activities, pipeline maintenance and other field support activities take place in the middle of winter, when the fragile tundra surface is more stable. The window for the critical oil and gas winter operational season has been steadily decreasing over the last 25 years. The number of companies working on the North Slope is increasing. Many of these companies are smaller and working with fewer resources than the current major companies. The winter operations season starts with the tundra-travel opening, which requires 15 cm of snow on the land surface in the coastal management areas and 23 cm in the foothills management areas. All state managed areas require -5°C soil temperatures at a soil depth of 30 cm. Currently there are no methods to forecast this opening date, so field mobilization efforts are dependent on agency personnel visiting field sites to measure snow and soil temperature conditions. Weeks can be easily lost in the winter operating season due to delays in field verification of tundra conditions and the resulting mobilization. After the season is open, a significant percentage of exploration, construction, and maintenance do not proceed until ice roads and pads can be built. This effort is dependent on access to lake ice and under-ice water. Ice chipping is a common ice-road construction technique used to build faster and stronger ice roads. Seasonal variability in water availability and permitting approaches are a constant constraint to industry. At the end of the winter season, projects reliant on ice-road networks are often faced with ending operations early or risk being caught on ice roads with flooded stream crossings, or unusable sections of ice road due to local melt. These challenges result in higher oil and gas field exploration and operational costs. Much of the scientific understanding to address transportation issues for oil and gas development on the North Slope exists, but has not been placed into a set of tools and data sets useful for industry and management agencies. Optimizing North Slope transportation networks during winter operation seasons is critical in managing increasing resource development and will provide a framework for environmentally-responsive development. Understanding the physical environment (such as snow, water, ice, soils) is necessary to ensure protection of fisheries and other natural resources on the sensitive tundra landscape. Solutions also have to do more than just describe current conditions, they need the ability to forecast short-term conditions. This will allow management agencies to respond to future variability in snow cover, soil temperature, and water availability more effectively. In turn, industry will then have more time to plan the significant mobilization taking place every winter season.

02 PETROLEUM↗

MARSAME Radiological Release Report for Diamond Drive Widening and Roundabout Construction Projects, Revision 1

Environmental Protection and Compliance, Environmental Stewardship (EPC-ES) has determined that the soil, concrete and asphalt associated with the Diamond Drive Widening/Roundabout Projects (Figure 1) meets the criteria for unrestricted release to the public under Department of Energy (DOE) Order 458.1, Radiation Protection for the Public and the Environment (DOE, 2020). These conclusions are based on the known history of the area combined with soil sample data collected in 2022; the findings are consistent with DOE Order 458.1 and Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) Functional Series Document EPC-ES-FSD-004, Environmental Radiation Protection (LANL, 2021). Sampling and data analysis, as described in this report, were sufficient to meet measurement quality objectives (MQOs) under the Multi-Agency Radiation Survey and Assessment of Materials and Equipment (MARSAME) manual (NUREG, 2009) and LANL procedures (LANL, 2020). Final approvals for waste disposition will come from LANL’s Waste Management Program.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

MARSAME Radiological Release Report for Weapons Facility Operations #5 Decontamination and Demolition Project

Environmental Protection and Compliance, Environmental Stewardship (EPC-ES) has identified materials associated with Weapons Facility Operations (WFO) #5 that meet the criteria for unrestricted release to the public under Department of Energy (DOE) Order 458.1, Radiation Protection for the Public and the Environment (DOE, 2020) and materials in one building that did not meet the criteria for unrestricted release and are to be treated as low level waste (LLW). These conclusions are based on the known history of the area combined with radiation survey data data collected in 2022 and 2023. The findings are consistent with DOE Order 458.1 and Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) Functional Series Document EPC-ES-FSD-004, Environmental Radiation Protection (LANL, 2021). Sampling and data analysis, as described in this report, were sufficient to meet measurement quality objectives (MQOs) under the Multi-Agency Radiation Survey and Assessment of Materials and Equipment (MARSAME) manual (NUREG, 2009) and LANL procedures (LANL, 2020). Final approvals for waste disposition will come from LANL’s Waste Management Program.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

MARSAME Radiological Release Report TA-50, TRU Liquid Waste Construction Soil

Environmental Protection and Compliance, Environmental Stewardship (EPC-ES) has determined that the soil associated with Technical Area 50 (TA-50), Transuranic (TRU) Liquid Waste construction project (TLW) meets the criteria for unrestricted release to the public under Department of Energy (DOE) Order 458.1, Radiation Protection for the Public and the Environment (DOE 2020, NNSA 2021). This conclusion is based on the known history of the area combined with soil sample data collected in 2021; the findings are consistent with DOE Order 458.1 and Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) Functional Series Document EPC ES-FSD-004, Environmental Radiation Protection (LANL 2020a). Sampling and data analysis, as described in this report, were sufficient to meet measurement quality objectives under the Multi-Agency Radiation Survey and Assessment of Materials and Equipment (MARSAME) manual (MARSAME 2000) and LANL procedures (LANL 2020b). Final approvals for waste disposition will come from LANL’s Waste Management Program. The scope of this final release report includes the TLW construction site soil located south of TA-50, Building 001.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

MARSAME Radiological Release Report for Weapons Facility Operations #4 Decontamination and Demolition Project: TA-14-0005, TA-15-0009, TA-15-0202, TA-15-0233, TA-36-0019

Environmental Protection and Compliance, Environmental Stewardship (EPC-ES) has identified materials associated with Weapons Facility Operations (WFO) #4 that meet the criteria for unrestricted release to the public under Department of Energy (DOE) Order 458.1, Radiation Protection for the Public and the Environment (DOE, 2020) and materials in one building that do not meet the criteria for unrestricted release and are to be treated as low level waste (LLW). These conclusions are based on the known history of the buildings combined with radiation survey data data collected in 2022 and 2023. The findings are consistent with DOE Order 458.1 and Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) Functional Series Document EPC-ES-FSD-004, Environmental Radiation Protection (LANL, 2021). Sampling and data analysis, as described in this report, were sufficient to meet measurement quality objectives (MQOs) under the Multi-Agency Radiation Survey and Assessment of Materials and Equipment (MARSAME) manual (NUREG, 2009) and LANL procedures (LANL, 2020). Final approvals for waste disposition will come from LANL’s Waste Management Program. The scope of this final release report includes Technical Area (TA) 14 Building 5 (TA-14-0005), TA-15 Buildings 9, 202, and 233 (TA-15-0009/0202/0233), and TA-36 Building 19 (TA-36-0019). MARSAME provides guidance on statistical sampling for residual radionuclides in bulk materials; smaller, miscellaneous items can be released via the release procedures outlined in LANL Policy 121 Radiation Protection (LANL, 2023).

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗