Post-Decommissioning Activities

DOE-STD-1136-2004

Guide of Good Practices for Occupational Radiation Pro tection in Uranium Facilities

blasting) used by each alternative will affect the extent of the radiological control program. For

example, if an abrasive mechanical technique for decontaminating equipment (where airborne

concentrations may be a concern) is chosen over just scrapping the equipment as waste, obviously the

radiological control program will need to be more sophisticated.

10.3.4 Post-Decommissioning Activities

A final radiological and chemical survey report (or an independent verification survey report) and a

project final report should be prepared. The final report should include a description of the project, the

final status of the property, and the lessons learned from the project.

As defined in Berger (Berger 1992), confirmatory surveys may be performed by the regulatory

agency to confirm the adequacy of the contractor's final radiological and chemical survey report. A

confirmatory survey typically addresses from 1% to 10% of the site.

The responsible program organization should ensure any necessary long-term maintenance and

surveillance or other safety controls are provided for the decommissioned property. The decommissioned

property may be released from DOE ownership if the responsible program organization, in consultation

with the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Environment, Safety, and Health (EH-1), certifies that the

property meets applicable release criteria for residual radioactivity and hazardous chemicals. If appropriate

release criteria are not met, the property may be reused for other program activities that may or may not

involve radioactive or hazardous materials, provided adequate safety controls are maintained (see Section 5,

3.d.(5), of DOE Order 5820.2A).

10.3.5 Quality Assurance

Decommissioning activities shall be conducted according to the applicable requirements of the

ANSI/ASME NQA-1, Quality Assurance Program Requirements for Nuclear Facilities (ANSI 1989) and

other appropriate national consensus standards (e.g., EPA guidance documents in the EPA QA/R and EPA

QA/G series should be used in the design of environmental monitoring programs). The quality assurance

program for D&D activities should follow the guidelines in DOE Order 414.1B, Quality Assurance.

10.4 DECONTAMINATION AND DECOMMISSIONING EXPERIENCE

Discussions of D&D activities at several uranium facilities can be found in (Adkisson 1987) and

(Wynveen et al. 1982). D&D activities took place in several types of uranium facilities including an

enriched uranium fuel fabrication plant, a mixed oxide (Pu/U) fuel fabrication and development plant, a

research and development laboratory, and a depleted uranium manufacturing plant. Equipment

decontaminated, dismantled, or removed included glove boxes, fume hoods, laboratory equipment, piping,

ventilation ducts, uranium and thorium sediments from a settling lagoon, and soil from a small shallow

burial area. Decontamination techniques included wiping with a damp cloth, strippable paint, acid wash,

and removal of soil and sediments. Some lessons learned from these D&D operations included the

following:

a. Waste management planning should begin early in the D&D planning stages and account for the

possibility there may be more stringent regulations for shipping hazardous or radioactive wastes

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