The Savannah River Site received additional time Monday for storage of transuranic (TRU) waste containers outside of regulated areas so the facility can better prepare to resume shipments of the material to the newly reopened Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) near Carlsbad, N.M.
The Department of Energy site requested, from the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC), a “Temporary Authorization (TA) to allow loaded and closed transuranic TRU shipments to be staged outside of regulated TRU Pads for less than seven days to prepare” the material for shipment to WIPP. The request came in a March 1 environmental bulletin.
“The TA request is a proactive approach by SRS to favorably position the Site to move TRU waste out of South Carolina,” said SRS spokesman Monte Volk.
The bulletin says the waste at SRS is stored on permitted storage pads. TRU waste shipment preparation includes one day for loading and part of the next to inspect transport vehicles before they depart for New Mexico.
The TRU waste pads are large concrete structures that meet standards set by the state and by the Energy Department. Part of the site’s TRU waste removal process includes removing the waste containers from storage in E Area, where they rest underneath a bed of soil. The containers are usually only allowed to rest uncovered for a shift while workers load them onto trucks.
The permit SRS received Monday will allow workers to keep the containers uncovered for up to seven days in case inclement weather or other issues slow the shipment process. “These delays are usually limited to a few days. As preparations to restart shipments begin, SRS is requesting concurrence for temporary authorization, to allow staging of TRU shipment containers outside of the permitted unit up to seven days to accommodate unanticipated delays during shipments,” the site wrote in the request.
