Current Technical Review Needs
The current needs for the continuation of these peer activities include the necessity of
dissemination of technical information to the broader scientific community and other interested
parties, the answers to specific questions pertaining to current or future activities, the
identification of technological innovations that would be appropriate, and the evaluation of the
effectiveness of these technological innovations. The people who are working on these problems
at Hanford frequently present papers at professional meetings to their peers for comment and
evaluation. They also become involved in working groups and panels in the areas of their
activities at Hanford. They also exchange ideas with peers in other countries, as well as
this country, through collaborations and consultations.
An example of ongoing review activities to answer specific scientific questions is the 100-BC
Area pilot risk analysis. There is a peer review panel being set up to evaluate the
effectiveness of new approaches to the risk assessments necessary to justify the types of
remediation being contemplated. It will make recommendations for future activities.
An example of ongoing review activities to identify technological innovations and evaluate
their effectiveness would be the Tank Farm peer review panel. This panel is in the process
of being formed and will study the technologies used in the closure of this area.
The Groundwater Remediation Project will continue to use peer review activities
in augmenting our programs. Our approach will be to form peer review panels
on an ad hoc basis to address specific issues. The Department of Energy
(DOE) and the contractors, together with input from regulators and stakeholders
will form peer review panels to serve all the functions mentioned above.
These include, but are not limited to, dissemination of information, answers
to questions pertaining to operations, identification of new technologies,
and evaluation of practices and technologies. One or more steering committees
will be formed to help determine the scopes for the peer review panels.
Input from various contractors, agencies, and stakeholders will be sought.
Topics and issues will be selected which support more expeditious and effective
closure of the site.
|
