The Hanford LTS Program is described in the Hanford LTS Program Plan and includes two distinct elements:

• Transition process is a disciplined process that is used to ensure all transition steps have been taken, that the post-cleanup requirements have been fully identified, and that the corresponding LTS information has been transitioned from the cleanup projects contractor to the Hanford LTS Program contractor (MSA).

• Execution Activities – Various activities such as on-site or in-the-field monitoring, assessments and inspections, etc. are required to maintain the known as-left condition of remediated areas such as waste sites and interim safe storage reactors turned over to the LTS Program. Monitoring may include radiological monitoring and other types of monitoring per applicable resource management plans.

 

Transition Activities

• Transition checklist is used by the cleanup organization and the Hanford LTS Program to ensure all preliminary activities have been completed and that the associated documentation of those activities is in place in the form of a Transition and Turnover Package (TTP).

• Transition and Turnover Package (TTP):  Contain the information needed to transition the geographic area from the cleanup program to the LTS Program, including as-left facilities and infrastructure, surveillance and maintenance requirements for the area, cleanup that was completed and active real estate agreements in the area.  TTPs are reviewed and approved by both the cleanup program and the associated cleanup contractor.

• Contract Transition: used to transfer contractual responsibilities from the cleanup contractors to the LTS Program contractor.  These documents are necessary documentation for seamless contractual transition to occur from cleanup projects contractor to the Hanford LTS Program contractor with DOE-RL approval. Each TTP document goes through several review cycles to ensure it provides the technical documentation of what was cleaned up and what may have been left behind.

• Information Management during Transition: provide TTP processing support, establish initial processes and procedures, records management, 

 

Execution Activities

Institutional Control (IC) Assessment/Repair

S&M requirements are outlined in the interim/final ROD for a given geographic area decision.  LTS will prepare a Sitewide S&M plan that identifies the various activities that will be performed to meet the ROD requirements.  The S&M plan will align with DOE/RL 2001-41 Sitewide Institutional Control Plan, which defines the specific ICs necessary to manage the physical remedies installed to protect human health and the environment.  Based on the S&M plan, LTS will provide surveillance, inspection, and reporting on remedies and ICs to verify continued conformance with regulatory requirements, primarily the RODs.

Many of the remedies were implemented under interim RODs and, therefore, have the potential to change.  This LTS baseline assumes the remedies and ICs currently established in the Sitewide IC plan will not change and the associated S&M costs will not change with final RODs.  If the final RODs require additional ICs or monitoring, a revised cost estimate will be submitted.

 

Remedy Evaluation/Repair

MSA LTS provides annual assessments of all MSA-owned WIDS sites (per the MSC Contract, Table J-14) under the environmental protection process documented in an internal procedure MSC-PRO-15334, Rev. 2, Effluent and Environmental Monitoring.  The inspections are completed to document any physical or administrative changes to the sites.

 

Radiation Control

Radiological control monitoring will be performed on those sites that have been cleaned up to CERCLA standards but may still have residual radioactive material at levels above naturally occurring background levels.  Monitoring is based on the requirements of Title 10 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 835, “Occupational Radiation Protection”; 

 

Protect Resources

Remediated waste sites have requirements to maintain a vegetation cover.  Closure requirements for a site specify the species component of revegetation and a schedule for monitoring and reporting the status.  Until final closure requirements have been met, the schedule of monitoring and reporting must be met.  Additionally, species and cover requirements must be maintained.  Disturbed sites invite invasion of undesirable or noxious weeds.  Weeds will need to be controlled to promote desirable vegetation.
The Hanford Site contains significant resources (e.g., endangered, protected, listed species) that are managed under various laws, orders, and treaties.  Specifically, resources are managed and protected through resource management plans (RMP) and area management plans (AMP) within the framework of DOE/EIS-0222-F, Final Hanford Comprehensive Land Use Plan Environmental Impact Statements.  Resources having RMPs include the following

• Biological Resources - DOE/RL-96-32, Hanford Site Biological Resources Management Plan (BRMaP)

• Cultural Resources - DOE/RL-98-10, Hanford Cultural and Historic Resources Management Plan (CRMP)

• DOE/RL-94-150 - Bald Eagle Management Plan for the Hanford Site, South-Central Washington.

 

Reactor Assessments/Entries

Currently six of the nine production reactors have been placed in interim safe storage (i.e., cocooned).  These reactor buildings are required to be inspected annually for exterior structural issues and for obvious biological intrusions.  The reactor buildings are required to be inspected internally and surveyed every 5 years.  The Surveillance and Maintenance Plans for each reactor can be found using the following links:

• DOE/RL-98-044, 1998 - Surveillance and Maintenance Plan for 105-C Reactor Safe Storage Enclosure, Rev. 1, U.S. Department of Energy, Richland Operations Office, Richland, Washington.

• DOE/RL-2002-28, 2004 - Surveillance and Maintenance Plan for the 105-DR Reactor Safe Storage Enclosure, Rev. 1, U.S. Department of Energy, Richland Operations Office, Richland, Washington.

• DOE/RL-2003-45, 2003 - Surveillance and Maintenance Plan for 105-F Reactor Safe Storage Enclosure, Rev. 0, U.S. Department of Energy, Richland Operations Office, Richland, Washington.

• DOE/RL-2004-59, 2004 - Surveillance and Maintenance Plan for 105-D Reactor Safe Storage Enclosure, Rev. 0, U.S. Department of Energy, Richland Operations Office, Richland, Washington.

• DOE/RL-2005-67, 2005 - Surveillance and Maintenance Plan for 105-H Reactor Safe Storage Enclosure, Rev. 0, U.S. Department of Energy, Richland Operations Office, Richland, Washington.

• DOE/RL-2011-106, 2011 - Surveillance and Maintenance Plan for 105-N Reactor Safe Storage Enclosure, Rev. 0, U.S. Department of Energy, Richland Operations Office, Richland, Washington.

   

Emergency Services

In the unlikely case that extreme natural events, vandalism, or unanticipated events result in a need for corrective actions, the LTS Program will respond.  The response may include modifying processes, such as making adjustments to the type and frequency of monitoring and maintenance activities, modifying existing controls, establishing new controls, and if directed by DOE, initiating new cleanup actions.

 

CERCLA 5-Year Review

For waste sites where contamination that prohibits unrestricted use remains, CERCLA requires a review no less frequently than once every 5 years to evaluate the implementation and performance of a remedy to determine if the remedy is or will be protective of human health and the environment.  The 5-year review requirement applies to all remedial actions selected under CERCLA §121. 

 

Transfer out of DOE Ownership

The DOE/RL LTS program ends with the conveyance (transfer) of property to another federal or nonfederal agency.  This could include one large transfer of all lands at one time or multiple transfers of smaller land parcels over a period of time. 

 

Information Management During Execution

Support operational surveillance and maintenance data and record generation activities, provide data management and records management support, ensure configuration controls and other management controls are in place and used to protect and preserve the records and data, and manage the long-term system needs of the LTS Program. Define requirements, information management supporting business processes, and required systems in support of the Long Term Stewardship (LTS) program. Capture other currently unidentified LTS data sets, support systems and applications containing LTS data, and methods for capturing and storing the data under MSA’s control. Click here to learn more about overall Information Management role in LTS.