Uranium Recovery Regulations and Operations

Transcription

1 Uranium Recovery Regulations and Operations William von Till, Chief Presented by Elise A. Striz, Ph.D. Uranium Recovery Licensing Branch Division of Waste Management and Environmental Protection 1

2 Agenda Regulations Guidance Conventional Mills In-situ Recovery (ISR) Facilities Environmental Monitoring Estimated Dose Rates On-going Federal Agency Studies Uranium Contamination on Navajo Lands 2

3 Uranium Recovery Regulations Atomic Energy Act of 1954 Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act of 1978 (UMTRCA) Title I - inactive uranium mill tailings piles Title II - uranium recovery facilities licensed by NRC National Environmental Policy Act of

4 Uranium Recovery What is Regulated: Milling any activity that produces byproduct material (10 CFR 40.4). Byproduct Material tailings or wastes produced by the extraction or concentration of U or Th for its source material content NRC DOES NOT Regulate MINING Types of Milling Conventional, Heap Leach, in-situ recovery 4

5 Uranium Recovery Regulations Title II Regulated under 10 CFR Part 40 Materials Regulated: Source Material (ores and product) 11e.(2) Byproduct Material (Uranium Mill Tailings) Uranium Recovery Regulations are in 10 CFR 40, Appendix A EPA Standards 40 CFR 192 Subparts D & E. 5

6 Uranium Recovery Regulations are in 10 CFR 40, Appendix A Appendix A, has Thirteen Technical Criteria I. Technical Criteria Criterion 1 Site Selection Criterion 2 Avoidance of Proliferation of Small Waste Disposal Sites Criterion 3 Prime Option Criterion 4 Tailings Ponds Design Criterion Criterion 5 Groundwater Protection Standards 6

7 Uranium Recovery Regulations are in 10 CFR 40, Appendix A Appendix A, Criteria (Contd.) Criterion 6 Disposal of Waste Byproduct Material Criterion 7 Preoperational Criteria Criterion 8 Operational Criteria II. Financial Criteria Criterion 9 Financial Surety Criteria Criterion 10 Minimum Charge for Long-term Surveillance 7

8 Uranium Recovery Regulations are in 10 CFR 40, Appendix A Appendix A, Criteria (Contd.) III. Site and Byproduct Material Ownership Criterion 11 Ownership of Tailings and Disposal Site IV. Long-Term Site Surveillance Criterion 12 Final Disposition of Tailings and Disposal Site V. Hazardous Constituents Criterion 13 Secondary Groundwater Protection Standards 8

9 Regulatory Requirements 10 CFR limits total effective dose equivalent to members of the public to 100 mrem in a year. 10 CFR provides requirements on occupational monitoring. 10 CFR 40, Appendix A, Criterion 7 requires preoperational and operational monitoring program. 10 CFR requires uranium mill operators to submit a report of liquid and gaseous effluents released to unrestricted areas.

10 Regulatory Requirements, cont d 10 CFR requires posting for radiation areas ( 5 mrem in an hour). 10 CFR limits public dose from licensed activities to 2 mrem in any one hour in any unrestricted area. 10 CFR (b) requires licensees to achieve doses to workers and the public that are as low as reasonably achievable (ALARA). 10 CFR (a) requires licensee to make surveys for evaluating potential radiological hazards.

11 Guidance Documents for Conventional Mills NUREG-1620, Revision 1, Conventional Mill Reclamation Plans NUREG-1569 In-situ Recovery License Applications Key Regulatory Guides RG 8.30 provides guidance on surveying contamination on personnel and equipment leaving restricted areas. RG 8.22 provides guidance on establishing a bioassay program for uranium mills. 11

12 Guidance, cont d Regulatory Guide (RG) 4.14 provides guidance on preoperational and operational effluent and environmental monitoring at uranium mills. RG 8.30 provides guidance on occupational exposure monitoring: Airborne monitoring for yellowcake, radon and daughters. General area and breathing zone sampling (RG 8.25). External radiation in-plant surveys, individual monitoring (TLDs) when necessary (10 CFR ).

13 Guidance, cont d RG 8.31 provides guidance on implementing an ALARA program, including personnel and equipment contamination surveys. Policy and Guidance Directive FC 83-23, incorporated by license condition, provides acceptable contamination levels for unrestricted release of equipment and materials.

14 Generic Environmental Impact Statements NUREG GEIS Conventional Mills - September, 1980 three volumes dated but useful information ML GEIS for in-situ recovery NUREG-1910 May, 2009 two volumes ML & ML

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16 Conventional Uranium Milling 16

17 Typical Conventional Uranium Mill Source: Energy Information Administration, Office of Coal, Nuclear, Electric and Alternate Fuels. 17

18 Yellowcake Product Yellowcake is packaged into 55-gallon drums and prepared for shipment. Typical product moisture levels range from 0.5 to 1.5 wt.% H 2 O which are well within the converter s standard specification of 2.0 wt % H 2 O. 18

19 Uranium Mill Source - WMA 19

20 Mill and Tailings Site White Mesa, Blanding, Utah 20

21 Mill Facility White Mesa, Blanding, Utah 21

22 Mill and Tailings Facility Cotter, Canyon City, CO

23 Cotter Mill 23

24 Typical Open Pit Mine and Mill Facility Source: Google Earth 24

25 Tailings Disposal Source - WMA 25

26 Homestake Mill Site Grants, NM 26

27 Conventional Mill Site Grants, New Mexico

28 In-situ Recovery (ISR) Uranium Processing 28

29 ISR Central Processing 29

30 ISR Operating Site 30

31 ISR Operating Site

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33 The ISR process

34 Typical ISL Wellfield Layout 500' TYPICAL INJECTION WELL PRODUCTION WELL PRODUCTION ZONE MONITOR WELL RING MINING UNIT PROJECTED LIMIT 500' MAX. PRODUCTION ZONE MONITOR WELL OVERLYING AQUIFER MONITOR WELL UNDERLYING AQUIFER MONITOR WELL

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36 ISR Wellfield Development Shot taken at Smith Ranch, WY

37 Wellfield Construction Source - Cameco Shot taken at Smith Ranch, WY

38 Wellfield Construction Shot taken at Smith Ranch, WY

39 Wellfield Construction Shot taken at Smith Ranch, WY

40 Wellfield Adjacent to Wind Farm Shot taken at Smith Ranch, WY

41 Shot taken at Crow Butte, NE Typical ISL Wellfield

42 Mostly Remote Locations Shot taken at Moore Ranch, WY 42

43 Resin Collection Satellite Shot taken at Smith Ranch, WY

44 Yellowcake Thickener Shot taken at Smith Ranch, WY

45 Yellowcake Filter Press Shot taken at Smith Ranch, WY

46 Yellowcake

47 Typical facility environmental monitoring (downwind sectors and nearest residence):

48 Environmental Monitoring Station Shot taken at Sweetwater Conventional Mill 48

49 Environmental Monitoring Station Shot taken at Smith Ranch (ISR), WY

50 Typical Dose Rates Licensee-Reported Doses Above Background to Nearest Resident Licensee/Facility Year Annual Dose (mrem) Notes Homestake-Grants Legacy conventional mill site in decommissioning and undergoing groundwater remediation. Kennecott-Sweetwater Conventional Mill in Stand-by, Great Divide Basin, WY. Cameco-Crow Butte Operating ISR site in Western Nebraska. Cameco-Smith Ranch Highland Largest operating ISR site in U.S. Powder River Basin, WY. White Mesa Mill Operating conventional mill in Blanding, UT Agreement State. 50

51 Homestake Mill Site Environmental Monitoring Grants, NM 51

52 Homestake Mill Site Grants, NM 52

53 Typical Dose Rates (cont d) Estimated Dose Cotter Conventional Mill (Decommissioning), CO Agreement State erfromcotter/2009perfrpt/appd.pdf Operating conventional Mill in Blanding, UT Operating ISR sites in TX 53

54 Current Studies by other Federal Agencies House Energy and Commerce Committee Effort led by Rep. Waxman Multi-Agency Effort Uranium Contamination on Navajo Lands Dealing with legacy abandoned mines, contaminated buildings, water resources. and tailings sites Health Studies - CDC, ATSDR, IHS, and EPA 54

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56 Contacts for other Government Studies Dr. Lauren Lewis, CDC Matt Murphy, CDC (Staff) Susan Muza, ATSDR Libby Vianu, ATSDR (Staff)

57 Shot taken in Peru Questions?