Site selection and licensing issues - California low-level radioactive waste disposal project

The process of siting and licensing a low-level radioactive waste (LLRW) disposal site requires that potential sites and site designs with different favorable and unfavorable characteristics be evaluated. To facilitate the identification of potential sites in California, suitability criteria were developed based on federal regulations, U.S Nuclear Regulatory Commission guidance, and concerns identified by the Citizens Advisory Committee. These were then applied uniformly to candidate sites at various levels during the site selection process. The criteria were chosen to provide a high level of confidence that the chosen potential sites could meet required performance objectives. This paper addresses the methods by which hydrologic aspects of site performance suitability were addressed during the site licensing program