Babcock & Wilcox (Shallow Land Disposal Area)

1.0 Site Identification

Type of Site:	Complex Decommissioning Site
Location:	Vandergrift, PA
License No.:	SNM-2001
Docket No.:	07003085
License Status:	Possession Only License
Project Manager:	Yolande J.C. Norman

2.0 Site Status Summary

The site is situated in Parks Township, PA, and consists of 10 trenches that were used to dispose of wastes, scrap, and trash from a nearby nuclear fuel fabrication facility in Apollo, PA. Principal radioactive contaminants at the site are natural uranium, enriched uranium, and DU, and lesser quantities of Am-241, plutonium, and thorium.

In 1970, Nuclear Materials and Equipment Company (NUMEC), a former site licensee, ceased the use of SLDA for radioactive waste disposal. In 2000, the site was designated as a Formerly Utilized Site Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP). The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is responsible for administrating FUSRAP sites cleanup. The SLDA site will be decommissioned by USACE consistent with the USACE-NRC FUSRAP MOU, and the NRC radiological criteria for unrestricted use.

The SLDA was created for the disposal of uranium-contaminated waste generated by NUMEC, between 1961 and 1970. NUMEC's mission was to convert enriched uranium to naval reactor fuel. NUMEC operated the nearby Apollo nuclear fuel fabrication facility in the late 1950s. The waste from this facility was disposed of in trenches at the SLDA in accordance with the Atomic Energy Commission regulation in effect at the time, 10 CFR 20.304 (this regulation was rescinded in 1981).

3.0 Major Technical or Regulatory Issues

In September 2007, USACE issued Final Record of Decision for the site, selecting NRC Unrestricted Use standard in 10 CFR 20.1402 as the cleanup standard. In January 2008, NRC notified State of Pennsylvania and the licensee that due to quantities of special nuclear materials at SLDA exceeding the NRC Unity Rule (Ref. 10 CFR 150.11), and consistent with the NRC decommissioning policy, the site will not be transferred to Pennsylvania. In February 2008, USACE hosted an interagency planning session to discuss site remediation plans. Staff shared certain concern regarding USACE's remedial action contractor's conceptual design. In March 2008, the State of Pennsylvania entered into an Agreement State status with the NRC. In April 2008, Staff responded to the licensee's request to continue with its current license commitments until license is terminated. In August 2008, staff observed a USACE interagency planning session. During the session USACE clarified that despite its contractor earlier plans, USACE has determined that the remediation work would be conducted inside the existing licensed areas.

In May 2009, USACE submitted Work Plans outlining remediation activities for the SLDA site. In response to the NRC's request for additional information, these Work Plans were revised and resubmitted in September 2009. The NRC is currently evaluating these revised Work Plans to determine if they meet regulatory requirements due to the presence of radiologic material within the ten (10) burial trenches.

On August 5, 2011, the NRC executed a Confirmatory Order Modifying BWXT's License No. SNM-2001. Subsequently, USACE provided written notification to the NRC that they intend to take physical possession of the SLDA site to commence remediation activities in on August 22, 2011. Once USACE takes physical possession of the SLDA site, BWXT's License No. SNM-2001 will be suspended.

There has been significant past public and Congressional interest in the site. USACE projects that remedial activities will take approximately 10 years to complete.