[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 187 (Wednesday, September 28, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page ]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-23951]


[Federal Register: September 28, 1994]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

Public Workshop To Exchange Information and Lessons Learned in 
Site Characterization for Decommissioning of Radioactively Contaminated 
Sites

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Notice of public workshop.

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SUMMARY: This notice is to inform the public of a workshop to exchange 
information and review lessons learned in the characterization of 
radioactively contaminated decommissioning sites. The workshop will 
discuss the NRC draft guidance on site characterization for 
decommissioning and address generic issues related to NRC's 
decommissioning sites, such as characterization of sites and associated 
environmental media, types and extent of contamination, and 
environmental impacts.

DATES AND LOCATION: The workshop will be held on November 29-30, 1994. 
The first day sessions of the workshop will begin at 8:30 a.m. and 
continue until 5:30 p.m. The sessions will be held in the main 
auditorium located at the NRC Headquarters Building, Two White Flint 
North (TWFN), 11545 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852-2738, telephone 
(301) 415-5811. It should be noted that parking at the TWFN building is 
very limited. The second day sessions will begin at 8:30 a.m. and 
continue until 5 p.m. These sessions will be held at the Holiday Inn 
Crowne Plaza, 1750 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852 (1 mile north of 
TWFN). For a reservation at the Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza, call the toll 
free number 1-800-638-5963. Rooms have been reserved at a special group 
rate (Group GLB) at the Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza and will be held until 
November 8, 1994.

Background

    In 1990 the NRC developed the Site Decommissioning Management Plan 
(SDMP) to identify and resolve issues associated with the timely 
remediation of radiologically contaminated sites. In April 1992 the NRC 
developed an ``Action Plan'' (57 FR 13389) to ensure timely remediation 
of SDMP sites. In the action plan, NRC staff identified inadequate site 
characterization as one of the technical issues that has delayed the 
timely approval and implementation of site-specific decommissioning 
actions.
    The main objectives of the site characterization for 
decommissioning include:
     To quantify the physical and chemical characteristics of 
radiological contamination and to assess the extent of contaminant 
distribution including the rate(s) of migration.
     To quantify environmental parameters that significantly 
affect potential human exposure from existing and potential future 
radiological contamination under unrestricted use conditions.
     To support evaluation of alternative decommissioning 
actions and detailed planning of a preferred approach for 
decommissioning, decontamination, and waste management.
    The NRC's Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards (NMSS) 
has coordinated two public workshops to exchange information and 
discuss issues identified in the Action Plan. The first workshop was 
convened on November 19, 1992, and dealt with the overall SDMP and the 
SDMP Action Plan implementation. The second SDMP workshop was held on 
June 1, 1994, on the issue of final radiological surveys at SDMP sites. 
A large number of attendees of the June 1 workshop requested NRC to 
conduct a similar workshop on site characterization. NRC is now 
planning to conduct a workshop to exchange information and discuss 
issues associated with site characterization for decommissioning.

CONDUCT OF THE WORKSHOP: The workshop will be held for two days on 
November 29-30, 1994. The purpose of the workshop is to discuss site 
characterization of the SDMP sites, to promote direct interaction among 
NRC staff, licensees and contractors, federal agencies, states, other 
interested parties, and members of the public, and to exchange 
information on site characterization for decommissioning.
    The first day of the workshop will comprise plenary sessions that 
include presentations by speakers from NRC management responsible for 
establishing decommissioning policy and those responsible for 
implementation of the SDMP. NRC speakers will also include technical 
staff responsible for developing the NRC draft guidance on ``Site 
Characterization for Decommissioning'' and those frequently conducting 
the technical reviews of SDMP site characterization. The workshop will 
also include key speakers from other federal agencies (e.g., the U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the 
U.S. Department of the Army), NRC licensees, and the Agreement States. 
The first day's session will address the following topics:

1. NRC's policy on site characterization for decommissioning,
2. The coordinated Federal Manual on Radiological Surveys,
3. EPA, DOE, the U.S. Army and Agreement States views on site 
characterization,
4. NRC licensees views and experience with site characterization, and
5. NRC guidance and staff experience with SDMP site characterization.

    Copies of the NRC's draft guidance ``Branch Technical Position On 
Site Characterization For Decommissioning'' will be available at the 
workshop or may be requested in advance by contacting Boby Eid at (301) 
415-5811.
    The second day of the workshop will consist of breakout discussion 
groups. Each attendee should select, in advance, two discussion groups 
to attend (one from category A and another from category B of the 
groups listed below). There will be four concurrent discussion groups 
in two series (A & B) to discuss the following issues:

Group A1  The role of historical site data collection, review, and 
analysis in optimizing site characterization efforts,
Group A2  Background characterization, sampling, and sample averaging 
of contaminated media,
Group A3  Groundwater/surface water and associated media 
characterization,
Group A4  The use of models and codes in site characterization and 
demonstration of compliance with regulatory guidelines,
Group B1  Prioritization of site characterization activities,
Group B2  Approaches to selection of radiological techniques and 
methods in site characterization,
Group B3  Significance of direct interaction between licensees, 
contractors, and the regulators, and
Group B4  The Coordinated Federal Manual on Environmental Radiological 
Surveys.

    After the breakout discussion sessions, all attendees will meet in 
a final general session where discussion group leaders will summarize 
any conclusions or observations reached by the discussion groups. All 
attendees are encouraged to participate in the discussions after each 
presentation and in the breakout discussion sessions.

REGISTRATION AND FURTHER INFORMATION: Persons interested in attending 
the workshop should register in advance. For registration and further 
information, contact Boby Eid at (301) 415-5811 or Mary Hood at (301) 
415-6644, from the Low-level Waste and Decommissioning Projects Branch, 
Division of Waste Management, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and 
Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555.

    Dated at Rockville, MD, this 21st day of September, 1994.

    For the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
John H. Austin,
Chief, Low-Level Waste and Decommissioning Projects Branch, Division of 
Waste Management, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 94-23951 Filed 9-27-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-M