September 2016

Office of Enterprise Assessments Assessment of Savannah River Site Radioactive Waste Disposal Facilities – September 2016

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Nuclear Safety and Environmental Assessments, within the independent Office of Enterprise Assessments (EA) conducted an assessment of radioactive waste management and disposal facilities operations at the Savannah River Site (SRS).  The initial on-site scoping and observations were conducted February 1 through February 4, 2016, and follow up observations and data collections were conducted February 29 through March 3, 2016.  This assessment is part of a DOE complex-wide evaluation of radioactive waste management practices.  DOE Order 435.1, Radioactive Waste Management, and DOE Manual 435.1-1, Radioactive Waste Management Manual, establish requirements for waste disposal practices intended to ensure the protection of the environment and the safety and health of workers and the public during the current operations and throughout the future performance periods.  This assessment focused on the Saltstone Disposal Facility and E Area Low-level Waste Facility at SRS and reviewed implementation of waste characterization processes, determination and conformance to waste acceptance criteria and inventory limits, waste disposal work planning and control for current worker protection, performance assessments, composite analysis, environmental monitoring verifying facility performance and model assumptions, and closure plans intended to ensure long-term performance of the disposal cells.