Current Issues and Actions
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Current Issues and Actions |
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The Tri-Party Agreement is an agreement among the EPA, Washington State Department of Ecology, and DOE for achieving compliance with the remedial action provisions of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act and with treatment, storage, and disposal unit regulation and corrective action provisions of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.
From 1989 through 1996, a total of 512 enforceable Tri-Party Agreement milestones and 223 unenforceable target dates were completed on or ahead of schedule. Sixty-four milestones scheduled for 1996 were completed. Sixty-four Tri-Party Agreement milestones scheduled for 1996 were completed.
Since the last issue of this report, new negotiated changes to the Tri-Party Agreement established 99 new enforceable milestones and 25 new unenforceable target dates.
The DOE completed an analysis of privatization of low-activity waste pretreatment and immobilization options for cleanup of the radioactive and hazardous tank wastes in the single- and double-shell underground storage tanks at Hanford. The Tank Waste Remediation System mission is to conceptualize, develop, design, construct, and operate the physical systems and technologies necessary to retrieve waste from these 177 tanks located in the 200-East and 200-West Areas and convert the waste into a solid suitable for ultimate disposal. Under the privatization approach, private companies under contract with DOE will treat Hanford's tank wastes and return a treated product to DOE.
The Hanford Site Pollution Prevention Program is an organized, comprehensive, and continual effort to systematically reduce the quantity and toxicity of hazardous, radioactive, mixed, and sanitary wastes. Also, the program fosters the conservation of resources and energy, the reduction of hazardous substance use, and the prevention or minimization of pollutant releases to all environmental media from all operations and site cleanup activities.
The program is designed to satisfy DOE requirements, executive orders, and state and federal regulations and requirements. In accordance with sound environmental management, preventing pollution through source reduction is the first priority in this pollution prevention program, and the second priority is environmentally safe recycling. Waste treatment to reduce quantity, toxicity, or mobility (or a combination of these) will be considered only when prevention and recycling are not possible or practical. Environmentally safe disposal is the last option.
Hanford Site pollution prevention efforts in 1996 helped to prevent the generation of 2,900 cubic meters (3,800 cubic yards) of radioactive mixed waste, 174 metric tons (191 tons) of Resource Conservation and Recovery Act hazardous/dangerous waste, 342 million liters (90 million gallons) of process waste water, and 12,600 metric tons (13,800 tons) of sanitary waste. Total savings in 1996 exceeded $15,600,000 for these activities.
During 1996, the Hanford Site recycled 595 metric tons (655 tons) of office paper, 57 metric tons (62 tons) of cardboard, 2,000 metric tons (2,200 tons) of ferrous metal, 175 metric tons (190 tons) of nonferrous metal, 21 metric tons (23 tons) of lead, 22 metric tons (24 tons) of solid chemicals, 86,000 liters (23,000 gallons) of liquid chemicals, 200 kilograms (440 pounds) of aerosol cans, 8,400 kilograms (18,500 pounds) of fluorescent light tubes, and 48,000 kilograms (105,000 pounds) of lead acid/gel cell batteries. Savings in 1996 exceeded $1,750,000 based on disposal costs.
Numerous generator-specific initiatives were put into place that enabled these waste reductions and cost savings. To celebrate these pollution prevention activities, the "Hanford Pollution Prevention Accomplishments Book" was published in September 1996. The book outlines 45 initiatives that were implemented and are now in use at locations throughout the Hanford Site.
In October 1996, the Environmental and Molecular Science Laboratory was officially dedicated by Secretary of Energy Hazel O'Leary as the William R. Wiley Environmental and Molecular Science Laboratory. This dedication highlighted a year where construction neared completion. Major pieces of research equipment were received and installed in the facility, including a new state-of-the-art computing system and an ion accelerator. When finished, the 18,600-square meter (200,200-square feet) facility will accommodate up to 270 permanent staff, visiting scientists, postdoctoral researchers, and students who will work to develop the science and technology needed to clean up environmental contaminants at government and industrial sites across the country.
The Waste Tank Safety Program, now called Safety Issue Resolution Projects, was established in 1990 to address the hazards associated with storage of radioactive mixed waste in the 177 large underground storage tanks at the Hanford Site. The projects serve as the focal point for identifying and resolving selected high-priority waste tank safety issues. Tanks with the highest risk are being evaluated and mitigated first. Table 1 shows the status of the 177 waste tanks as of December 1996. So far, 115 single-shell tanks have been stabilized, with the tank stabilization program to be completed in 2000. At the end of 1996, 108 single-shell tanks had intrusion prevention devices completed, and 51 single-shell tanks were disconnected and capped to avoid inadvertent liquid additions to the tanks. Figures 4 and 5 show cross sections of single- and double-shell tanks.
Table 1. Status of Hanford Site
Wast Tanks as of December 1996
| Single-Shell Tanks |
Double-Shell Tanks |
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| Number of Waste Tanks (177 total) | 149 | 28 |
| Tanks listed as "Assumed Leaker" | 67 | 0 |
| Ferrocyanide Tanks on Watch List(a) | 0 | 0 |
| Flammable Gas Tanks on Watch List | 19 | 6 |
| Organic Tanks on Watch List | 20 | 0 |
| (a) All 18 single-shell tanks were removed from the Watch List in 1996. | ||
The total estimated volume to date of radioactive waste leakage from single-shell tanks is 2.3 million to 3.4 million liters (600,000 to 900,000 gallons).
In early 1991, all Hanford Site high-level waste tanks were evaluated and organized into categories to ensure increased attention and monitoring (Figure 6). Other safety concerns, including the possibility of nuclear criticality in a waste tank, also have been addressed.
Figure 6. Workers monitor the status of Hanford waste tanks every day.
Ferrocyanide. The ferrocyanide safety issue, which was an earlier concern, involved the potential for uncontrolled exothermic reactions of ferrocyanide and nitrate/nitrite mixtures. If ferrocyanide is present, laboratory studies have shown that temperatures must exceed 250°C (482°F) for a reaction to propagate. The hottest temperature in ferrocyanide tanks formerly on the Watch List is 53°C (127°F) and decreasing.
In October 1990, an unreviewed safety question was declared for the former ferrocyanide tanks because safety was not adequately defined by existing analyses. However, the unreviewed safety question was closed by DOE in March 1994 as a result of significant knowledge gained from simulant studies, conservative theoretical ana-lyses, and analyses of actual waste samples that allowed bounding safety criteria to be defined and applied to each tank.
There were originally 24 ferrocyanide tanks on the Watch List: 4 were removed in 1993, 2 in 1994, 4 in June 1996, and 14 in September 1996. The ferrocyanide levels have decreased by at least 90%, and in some cases by 99%, over those originally added to the tanks. Experimental studies and core samples from 10 of the ferrocyanide tanks show that hydrolysis and radiolysis of the ferrocyanide occurred, and sufficient fuel to be of concern is no longer present. DOE approved resolution of the ferrocyanide safety issue in December 1996.
Flammable Gas. The flammable gas safety issue involves the generation, retention, and potential release of flammable gases by the waste. Previously, 25 tanks were identified and placed on the Watch List. In prior years, work controls were instituted to prevent introduction of spark sources into these tanks, and evaluations were completed to ensure that installed equipment was intrinsically safe.
The worst-case tank (241-SY-101) was successfully mitigated in 1994 with the installation of a mixing pump. The pump is operated up to three times a week to mix the waste and release gases that are generated and retained in the waste. This mitigation technique has been completely successful, and no episodic releases of gas have occurred since the pump was installed. Two spare mixer pumps are available in the event the original pump should fail.
Hydrogen monitors have been installed on all 25 flammable gas tanks. These monitors, called standard hydrogen monitoring systems, consist of a cabinet equipped with piping and instrumentation that support an on-line hydrogen detector and a "grab" sampler. Documentation to close the unreviewed safety question for the SY Tank Farm was submitted to DOE in 1995 for closure action. Approval for tank 241-SY-101 to be removed from the unreviewed safety question list was received in June 1996. In November 1996, the unreviewed safety question for the other tanks was expanded to cover 176 underground waste tanks (241-SY-101 is not included) and all auxiliary tank farm tanks. Standard hydrogen monitoring systems are being added to a number of these waste tanks.
Additional instrumentation for determining waste properties and tank behavior has been developed for use in the flammable gas tanks. These instruments include viscometers for measuring the viscosity of the waste in the tanks, in-tank void fraction meters that determine the amount of gas in a given volume of waste, retained gas samplers that capture a waste sample in a gas-tight chamber and allow the gas composition and volume to be measured after the apparatus is brought into a hot cell, and gas characterization systems that allow a broad spectrum of dome-space gases (including hydrogen, ammonia, and nitrous oxide) to be continuously monitored in selected tanks. All of these devices became operational in 1996.
In November 1996, more stringent flammable gas controls were placed on all 177 high-level waste storage tanks after several events occurred where hydrogen gas was found at significant levels in a waste tank undergoing interim stabilization and in another tank being core sampled. All rotary-mode sampling using the sampling trucks was suspended until a safety assessment covering this method is approved for tanks because they might be retaining pockets of gas within the waste matrix.
The Tri-Party Agreement milestone for resolution of the flammable gas safety issue is scheduled for September 2001.
High-Heat Tank. This safety issue concerns tank 241-C-106, a single-shell tank that requires water additions and forced ventilation for evaporative cooling. Without the water additions, which would have to be severely restricted in the event of a tank leak, the tank could exceed structural temperature limits, resulting in potential concrete degradation and possible tank collapse. This tank is scheduled for retrieval, starting in 1998, and transfer of the waste to a double-shell tank. Double-shell tanks are designed to better handle heat-bearing materials than single-shell tanks. As part of the retrieval program, a refrigerated chiller system has been installed to remove radioactive decay heat and the heat generated by the waste transfer pumps. The chiller is scheduled to come on-line in 1997.
The Tri-Party Agreement milestone for resolution of the high-heat safety issue is scheduled for September 2001, with an interim milestone to start retrieval of the waste in tank 241-C-106 by October 1997. This interim milestone is being renegotiated to start sluicing in September 1998.
Organic Tanks. The organic tanks safety issue involves the potential for uncontrolled exothermic reactions of organic chemicals and nitrates/nitrites or organic solvents also present in some of the tanks. During 1995, as part of the vapor sampling program, it was shown that organic vapors in the organic tanks are too low in concentration to exceed even 25% of their lower flammability limits.
Criteria to screen tanks for possible organic compounds also were established based on analyses and simulant testing. Tank waste was screened against these criteria, using historic and recent sampling data. Concentrations and temperatures required to support propagating exothermic reactions are comparable to those for ferrocyanide. In addition, moisture levels of 20 weight percent, and less in some cases, will prevent reactions from propagating regardless of the fuel concentration. To determine if adequate moisture is present in the waste, special surface monitoring instrumentation is being developed, and full-depth core sampling of waste in organic tanks is continuing.
Work controls were implemented in 1990 to prevent the introduction of ignition sources into these tanks. In May 1994, vapor sampling and safety analyses were completed that provided the technical basis for closing the unreviewed safety question on the flammability of the floating organic layer in tank 241-C-103. Ten tanks that contained organic complexants were added to the Watch List following a review of sampling data and waste transfer records.
Other work indicates that aging processes have destroyed or significantly lowered the energy content of the organic tanks, making them less hazardous. Additional work shows that most organic complexants used during nuclear fuel reprocessing at the Hanford Site and the primary degradation products of tributyl phosphate are water soluble in nitrate/nitrite salt solutions. Thus, a high percentage of reactive organic chemicals are removed from the single-shell tanks when their pumpable liquid supernatant is pumped out as part of the interim stabilization process for the single-shell tanks.
During 1995 and 1996, waste samples from the organic tanks were taken to determine the quantities of organic constituents present in each tank. Most of the organics found have been of low energy. None of the samples show any tendency to propagate when tested in a special tube propagation calorimeter. Tank characterization reports have been or are being prepared for each of the sampling events. The Tri-Party Agreement milestone for resolution of the organic tanks safety issue is scheduled for September 2001.
Criticality. The unreviewed safety question on the potential for criticality in the high-level waste tanks was closed in 1994 by completing additional analyses, strengthening tank criticality prevention controls, and improving administrative procedures and training. In 1996, an extensive effort was put forth to provide the technical basis for resolving the criticality safety issue. Technical studies were completed that showed a criticality event within a high-level waste tank is not likely during storage. All the single- and double-shell tanks at the Hanford Site contain sufficient neutron absorbers to ensure safe storage; however, additional sampling and controls will be required for retrieval- and pretreatment-related activities. A potential criticality safety issue still remains for waste transfers required as part of the retrieval and pretreatment processes. A request to close the criticality safety issue was forwarded to DOE for approval in September 1996. It is expected to be approved during 1997. The Tri-Party Agreement milestone for resolution of the criticality safety issue is scheduled for September 1999.
Approximately 215 million liters (55 million gallons) of radioactive and hazardous wastes accumulated from over 40 years of plutonium production operations are stored in 149 underground single-shell tanks and 28 underground double-shell tanks. Current plans are to pretreat the waste and then solidify it into a glass matrix (vitrification). Pretreatment will separate the waste into a low-radioactivity fraction and a high-radioactivity, including transuranic, fraction. The bulk of the radionuclides will then be in the high-radioactivity and transuranic fraction.
In separate facilities, both fractions will be vitrified, a process that will destroy or extract organic constituents, neutralize or deactivate dangerous waste characteristics, and immobilize toxic metals. The immobilized low-radioactivity fraction will be disposed of in a near-surface facility on the Hanford Site in a retrievable form. The immobilized high-radioactivity fraction will be stored onsite until a geologic repository is available offsite for permanent disposal. Tri-Party Agreement milestones specify December 2028 for completion of pretreatment and immobilization of the tank wastes.
In March 1997, the first major solid waste processing facility associated with cleanup of the Hanford Site began operations. The Waste Receiving and Processing Facility Module 1 is staffed to analyze, characterize, and prepare drums and boxes for disposal of waste resulting from plutonium operations at Hanford. The Tri-Party Agreement mandates construction and operation of this module. Wastes destined for the Waste Receiving and Processing Facility include Hanford's current inventory of more than 37,000 drums of stored waste as well as materials generated by future site cleanup activities across the DOE complex. Consisting primarily of clothing, gloves, face masks, small tools, and particulates suspected of being contaminated with plutonium, waste containers may also contain other radioactive materials and hazardous components. Processed waste that qualifies as low-level waste and meets disposal requirements will be buried directly at the Hanford Site.
Seven defueled United States Navy reactor compartment disposal packages were received and placed in Trench 94 in the 200-East Area during 1996. This brings the total number received to 61. The compartments originate from decommissioned nuclear-powered submarines.
The reactor compartment disposal packages are being regulated by Washington State as dangerous waste because of the presence of lead used as shielding and by EPA because of the presence of small amounts of polychlorinated biphenyls tightly bound within the composition of solid materials such as thermal insulation, cable coverings, and rubber. Also, the compartments are regulated as mixed waste because of radioactivity in addition to dangerous waste.
Available storage space to support remediation of the tank waste and cleanup of the Hanford Site is limited in the double-shell tanks. The 242-A Evaporator in the 200-East Area processes double-shell tank waste into a concentrate (that is returned to the tanks) and a process condensate stream. The evaporator had one processing campaign in 1996. Dilute waste from the double-shell tanks was processed, resulting in an average waste volume reduction of 88.5% while producing 4.8 million liters (1.3 million gallons) of process condensate. Two campaigns are scheduled for 1997.
Effluent treatment and disposal capabilities are available to support the continued operation of the evaporator. The 200 Areas Effluent Treatment Facility near the 200-East Area was constructed to treat the process condensate. The process condensate is temporarily stored in the Liquid Effluent Retention Facility while awaiting treatment in the 200 Areas Effluent Treatment Facility. Cooling water and nonradioactive steam condensate from the evaporator will be discharged to the 200 Areas Treated Effluent Disposal Facility starting in 1997.
The Liquid Effluent Retention Facility consists of three Resource Conservation and Recovery Act-compliant surface impoundments for storing process condensate from the 242-A Evaporator. The facility provides equalization of the flow and pH of the feed to the 200 Areas Effluent Treatment Facility. Each basin has a capacity of 24.6 million liters (6.5 million gallons). Spare capacity equal to the volume of one basin is reserved as contingency in the event a leak develops in an operational basin. The basins are constructed of two, flexible, high-density, polyethylene membrane liners. A system is provided to detect, collect, and remove leachate from between the primary and secondary liners. Beneath the secondary liner is a 0.9-meter- (3.0-feet-) thick soil/bentonite barrier should the primary and secondary liners fail. Each basin has a mechanically tensioned floating membrane cover constructed of very low-density polyethylene to keep out unwanted material and to minimize evaporation of the basin contents. The facility began operation in April 1994 and is designed to operate for 20 years. A total of 5.3 million liters (1.4 million gallons) of process condensate was stored in the basins at the end of 1996.
The 200 Areas Effluent Treatment Facility (near the 200-East Area) provides for 1) collection of liquid effluents, 2) a treatment system to reduce concentrations of radioactive and hazardous waste constituents in the effluent streams to acceptable levels, 3) tanks to allow for verification of treated effluent characteristics before discharge, and 4) a state-approved land disposal structure for effluent disposal. The treatment process constitutes best available technology and includes filtration, ultraviolet light/peroxide destruction of organic compounds, reverse osmosis to remove dissolved solids, and ion exchange to remove the last traces of contaminants. Treatment capacity of the facility is 570 liters per minute (150 gallons per minute). The facility began operation in December 1995 and has a 30-year design life. Approximately 37.5 million liters (9.9 million gallons) of waste water were treated in 1996.
The treated effluent from this facility is sampled to verify that the concentrations of radioactive and hazardous waste constituents have been reduced to acceptable levels, then discharged via a dedicated pipeline to a state-approved land disposal structure. The disposal facility (200-West Area) consists of an underground drain field. The percolation rates for the field have been established by site testing and evaluation of soil characteristics. Tritium in the liquid effluent cannot be practically removed, and the location of the disposal facility maximizes the time for migration to the Columbia River to allow for radioactive decay. A delisting petition was approved by the EPA that exempts the treated process condensate from the requirements of dangerous waste regulations under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and imposes certain effluent quality restrictions. High concentrations of ammonia in the process condensate also make this feed stream a dangerous waste subject to WAC 173-303. After treatment in the facility, the discharged effluent is not a dangerous waste. The disposal facility was permitted in June 1995 by the Washington State Department of Ecology under WAC 173-216. The discharge permit requires monitoring of the effluent groundwater to ensure that concentrations for certain constituents are not exceeded.
Secondary waste from treating the process condensate is a low-level mixed waste that will be concentrated, dried, and packaged in 208-liter (55-gallon) drums. The 200 Areas Effluent Treatment Facility is a Resource Conservation and Recovery Act-permitted storage facility, and this secondary waste material is temporarily stored until it is transferred to the Central Waste Complex for subsequent treatment (if needed to meet land disposal restriction treatment standards) and disposal in mixed waste trench 218-W-5 in the 200-West Area.
The 200 Areas Treated Effluent Disposal Facility is a collection and disposal system for non-Resource Conservation and Recovery Act-permitted waste streams that already meet discharge requirements. Implementation of regulatory required "best available technology/all known and reasonable treatment" is the responsibility of the generating facilities. Facilities that discharge to this facility currently include the Plutonium Finishing Plant, 222-S Laboratory, T Plant, 284-W Power Plant, Plutonium-Uranium Extraction Plant, B Plant, and 242-A-81 Water Services Building. Each facility must comply with discharge limits in WAC 173-216 without further treatment.
This facility began operation in April 1995 and is designed to operate for 30 years. The design capacity of the facility is 8,700 liters per minute (2,300 gallons per minute), though the discharge permit presently limits the average monthly flow to 2,400 liters per minute (640 gallons per minute). Approximately 760 million liters (200 million gallons) of treated effluent were discharged in 1996. The effluent is discharged to two 2-hectare (5-acre) disposal ponds located east of the 200-East Area. The discharge permit requires monitoring of the effluent groundwater to ensure that concentrations for certain constituents are not exceeded.
Waste water from laboratories, research facilities, office buildings, and former fuel fabrication facilities in the 300 Area is treated in the 300 Area Treated Effluent Disposal Facility. The waste water consists of once-through cooling water, steam condensate, and other liquid wastes generated in noncontact radioactive processes. The laboratory services are particularly critical to Hanford Site cleanup activities, including tank waste remediation efforts.
This facility is designed for continuous receipt of waste waters, with a storage capacity of up to 5 days at the design flow rate of 1,100 liters per minute (300 gallons per minute). The facility treats the waste water using best available technology. The treatment process includes iron coprecipitation to remove heavy metals, resin ion exchange to remove mercury, and ultraviolet light/hydrogen peroxide oxidation to destroy organics and cyanide. Sludge from the iron coprecipitation process is dewatered and used for backfill. The treated liquid effluent is monitored and discharged through an outfall to the Columbia River under a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit. Capability exists to divert the treated effluent to holding tanks before discharge, if needed, until a determination can be made for final disposal based on sampling. This facility began operating in December 1994 and treated approximately 350 million liters (92 million gallons) of waste water in 1996.
The 340 Waste Handling Facility provides receipt, storage, and loadout capability for low-level liquid waste generated during laboratory operations in the 300 Area. The waste is accumulated and stored in two 57,000-liter (15,000-gallon) tanks located in a covered, below-grade vault in the 340 Building. Six additional 30,000-liter (8,000-gallon) tanks in the adjacent 340-A Building provide backup storage capability. The accumulated waste is pumped into railcars and transported to the 200-East Area 204-AR Unloading Facility for neutralization and transfer to double-shell tanks for storage. The 340 facility does not have a Resource Conservation and Recovery Act permit for storage; therefore, wastes cannot be stored for more than 90 days.
The 340 facility will cease receiving waste in September 1998. A new waste handling facility with storage and truck loadout capability will be provided. The 340 facility will then be cleaned, decontaminated, and decommissioned.
Upgrades to the 300 Area process sewer system were completed in 1996. A proposal to reline the existing piping was approved by the regulators. The process involved camera surveillance and cleanout of the piping, installation of resin-impregnated polyester felt fiber in the pipe walls, and thermal curing by heating the water. Lateral pipelines were cut using robotics, and new access holes and cleanouts were constructed as needed. Additional process sewer lines and storm-water connections were installed. The existing pump station, which serves buildings in the southeastern 300 Area, was refurbished. Drummed residue from pipe cleanout was sent to disposal.
The process sewer system collects cooling water, steam condensate, and other liquid effluents generated in 300 Area laboratories, research facilities, and office buildings. The waste water is treated in the 300 Area Treated Effluent Disposal Facility.
DOE has committed to implement "best available technology/all known and reasonable treatment" for nine waste-water streams and to permit the streams under WAC 173-216 by October 1997. This activity is required by the Washington State Department of Ecology Consent Order #DE 91NM-177 and Tri-Party Agreement Milestone M-17-00B and includes the elimination, minimization, or treatment of effluents being discharged to the 216-B-3 Expansion Ponds in the 200-East Area.
Project W-252, "Phase II Effluent Treatment and Disposal," will connect the following streams to the 200 Areas Treated Effluent Disposal Facility: 242-A Evaporator cooling water, 242-A Evaporator steam condensate, 284-E Power Plant waste water (including 282-E and 283-E), and B Plant/Waste Encapsulation Storage Facility cooling water. Another stream, the 241-A Tank Farm cooling water, is to be connected to the 200 Areas Treated Effluent Disposal Facility as part of Project W-030. Construction on Project W-252 is scheduled to be completed in April 1997 and startup is planned for June 1997. A supplemental discharge permit application was submitted in November 1996 so that additional streams can be disposed of to the 200 Areas Treated Effluent Disposal Facility. The permitted capacity of the facility will increase to a total average yearly flow rate of 4,540 liters per minute (1,200 gallons per minute) and a total average monthly flow rate of 12,900 liters per minute (3,400 gallons per minute).
Miscellaneous streams are lower priority waste-water streams that discharge to the soil column throughout the Hanford Site and are subject to requirements in Washington State Department of Ecology Consent Order #DE 91NM-177. The Plan and Schedule for Disposition and Regulatory Compliance for Miscellaneous Streams was approved by the Washington State Department of Ecology in February 1995. This document provides a plan and schedule for ensuring that miscellaneous streams will be in compliance with the applicable state regulations (e.g., WAC 173-216 and 173-218). The commitments established in the plan and schedule include annually updating the miscellaneous streams inventory (through 1998), registering injection wells, submitting categorical permit applications, and implementing best management practices.
The inventory of miscellaneous streams includes more than 640 streams. Streams that already have discharge permits in place, streams for which permit applications have been submitted, or streams that are covered under a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit are not included. All injection wells were registered under WAC 173-218 in August 1995, including injection wells that were previously registered. This ensured that the registrations were current, complete, and in the same format.
Use of categorical permits provides a vehicle to easily permit miscellaneous streams with similar characteristics. Categorical permit applications are to be submitted for the following:
Another categorical permit was planned for surface-water and safety shower discharges. These streams will be included in an existing permit or eliminated. A best management practices report was submitted to the Washington State Department of Ecology in August 1996 and included recommendations of preferred options and an implementation schedule.
DOE and the Hanford Natural Resource Trustees are working cooperatively to plan and provide effective input to restoration and mitigation for pro-posed remediation sites. Revegetation/mitigation plans will include the use of native plant species (seeds and shrubs) as appropriate to restore the areas disturbed by remediation activities.
The Hanford Site Biological Resources Management Plan was developed to provide DOE and its contractors with a consistent approach to protect biological resources and monitor, assess, and mitigate impacts to them from site development and environmental cleanup and restoration activities (Figure 7). This comprehensive plan provides a framework to enable Hanford Site resource pro-fessionals to effectively fulfill their responsibilities and address tribal, resource agency, and other stakeholder concerns about the site's biological resources. The policies and guidelines described in the plan were developed based on legal requirements and policy initiatives that direct an ecosystem management approach toward resources management.
The Hanford Site Biological Resources Mitigation Strategy, part of the broader biological resource policy contained in the biological resources management plan, is designed to aid DOE in balancing its primary missions of waste cleanup, technology development, and economic diversification with its stewardship responsibilities for the biological resources it administers.
This biological resources mitigation strategy will help to ensure consistent and effective implementation of mitigation recommendations and requirements, ensure mitigation measures for biological resources meet the responsibilities of DOE under the law, enable Hanford Site development and cleanup projects to anticipate and plan for mitigation needs via early identification of mitigation requirements, and provide guidance to Hanford personnel in implementing mitigation in a cost-effective and timely manner.
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