MORE THAN 75 LOS ALAMOS TRU CONTAINERS MIGHT NOT MEET WCS CRITERIA

More than 75 of the transuranic waste containers slated for shipment from Los Alamos National Laboratory to Waste Control Specialists may not meet the current WCS acceptance criteria, complicating a high-profile push to remove all aboveground LANL transuranic waste by the end of June, WC Monitor has learned. The Department of Energy is sending the waste to WCS during the shutdown of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant to meet a June 30 removal commitment to New Mexico. The Department initially said last month that a small percentage of the containers may not meet the WCS criteria. But given that some containers may not be accepted to WCS as is, DOE and WCS are looking to change the WCS acceptance criteria so they can be sent there. The number of containers, first reported by the Santa Fe New Mexican, was confirmed by WC Monitor. “The receipt and storage of Los Alamos waste at WCS is continuing to go well,” WCS spokesman Chuck McDonald said in a written response. “We are ahead of schedule and WCS is continuing to work with DOE, [the Nuclear Regulatory Commission] and our Texas state regulators to provide a solution for all of the Los Alamos waste. To date, only a small percentage falls outside the waste acceptance criteria and we are working with the regulatory agencies to find a satisfactory solution.” 

DOE said most of the waste can enter WCS without issue. “To date we have completed more than 30 shipments of LANL TRU to WCS and we remain on target to meet the 3706 campaign milestone. DOE’s original estimate is that up to 100 shipments would be required to remove the 3706 inventory.  Efforts are continuing to fully evaluate the remaining inventory as we plan the upcoming shipments. While we have identified potential issues with a small portion of the inventory, many of these issues have been resolved through additional review of the container characterization data,” a DOE spokesperson said in a written response.

If the WCS criteria is not changed, the containers could be sent to Idaho’s Advanced Mixed Waste Treatment Project, where the contents would be mixed with other waste so that the containers can ultimately be sent to WCS. Starting in November, long before the shipments to WCS began, AMWTP received 10 corrugated metal boxes of waste from LANL for additional processing. A resolution for the final containers will need to be made by soon in order for DOE to meet the June 30 milestone.