Regulators in Canada have requested additional detail on Canadian Nuclear Laboratories’ environmental impact statement (EIS) for its planned near-surface disposal facility for low-level radioactive waste at the Chalk River Laboratories in Ontario.
The group of federal and provincial officials, headed by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC), submitted 37 information requests for the updated EIS filed in December 2019. Canadian Nuclear Laboratories will now answer those additional questions.
The near-surface disposal facility will be an engineered mound primarily intended to hold debris from decommissioning of over 100 buildings at the Chalk River Laboratories, along with a small amount of waste from other decommissioning jobs and material from separate sources such as hospitals and universities. The total projected holding would be 1 million cubic meters. The facility is expected to cost $475 million CAD to build, plus an additional $275 million life-cycle cost.
The EIS was initially submitted in 2017, followed by a first round of information requests.
The latest batch of notes and questions was filed earlier this month and announced Monday by the CNSC. Among them: Given that material from some legacy waste sites at Chalk River will not remain in place, clearly describe how the disposal facility will reduce environmental hazards to the property and Ottawa River, versus simply decommissioning each separate waste area; establish a system in rock blasting for the facility to manage potential malfunction of detonators; resolve discrepancies between the EIS and other documents on whether the radioactive waste would remain dry or come into contact with water following site closure; and evaluate the effectiveness of public engagement on the project.
The project can only proceed to construction upon approval of the final EIS and licensing by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission.
