Hazardous waste management plan, Savannah River Plant

All SRP waste storage, disposal, and recycling facilities that have received hazardous waste, low-level radioactive hazardous waste (mixed waste) or process waste since 1980 have been evaluated by EPA standards. Generally the waste storage areas meet all applicable standards. However, additional storage facilities currently estimated at $2 million and waste disposal facilities currently estimated at $20 million will be required for proper management of stored waste. The majority of the disposal facilities are unlined earthen basins that receive hazardous or process wastes and have or have the potential to contaminate groundwater. To come into compliance with the groundwater standards the influents to the basins will be treated or discontinued, the basins will be decommissioned, groundwater monitoring will be conducted, and remedial actions will be taken as necessary. The costs associated with these basin actions are not completely defined and will increase from present estimates. A major cost which has not been resolved is associated with the disposal of the sludge produced from the treatment plants and basin decommissioning. The Low-Level Radioactive Burial Ground which is also a disposal facility has received mixed waste; however, it does not meet the standards for hazardous waste landfills. In order to properly handle mixed wastes additional storage facilities currently estimated at $500,000 will be provided and options for permanent disposal will be investigated