Safe Interim Storage of Hanford Tank Wastes Environmental Impact Statement

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Safe Interim Storage of Hanford Tank Wastes Environmental Impact

Statement

AGENCY: Department of Energy.

ACTION: Notice of Limited Reopening of Public Comment Period.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Energy (DOE) is evaluating alternatives for

managing safety issues related to high level radioactive waste tanks at

the Hanford Site located near Richland, Washington. On August 5, 1994,

the DOE announced the availability of the SIS Draft EIS (59 FR 40018,

August 5, 1994). Public hearings to receive comments were conducted and

public comments were received from August 1994 through July 1995. The

intent of this notice is to notify the public of changes in the U.S.

Department of Energy's Safe Interim Storage (SIS) Environmental Impact

Statement (EIS) Preferred Alternative and to reopen the comment period

for 21 days in order to solicit comments on the proposed changes. DOE

is proposing to eliminate construction of up to 6 new high level

radioactive waste tanks as part of the Preferred Alternative and to

proceed with a Preferred Alternative which continues to support

construction of the Replacement Cross Site Transfer System to

facilitate transfers of waste from the 200 West Area to existing tanks

in the 200 East Area.

DATES: Comments on construction of the Replacement Cross Site Transfer

System, including additional comments on the analysis of potential

impacts described in the Draft SIS EIS are invited from the public on

or before November 3, 1995. Comments received during this period and in

response to the Final EIS will be responded to in the SIS EIS Record of

Decision.

CONTACT: General questions concerning the Hanford Tank Waste

Remediation Program and or comments on this notice can be stated and

recorded over the telephone during the comment period by calling the

toll free telephone number at 1-800-321-2008 or (509) 372-2731, by

Facsimile (509) 372-1215, or by Electronic-Mail at InterNet address

``[email protected]'', or by writing to: Ms. Carolyn H. Haass,

U.S. Department of Energy, P.O. Box 550, MSIN S7-51, Richland, WA.

99352.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general information on the DOE

NEPA process, please contact: Ms. Carol M. Borgstrom, Director, Office

of NEPA Policy and Assistance, EH-42, U.S. Department of Energy, 1000

Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585, (202) 586-4600 or 1-

800-472-2756.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On January 28, 1994, in a Notice of Intent

published in the Federal Register, the U.S. Department of Energy, DOE

announced its intent to prepare an interim action Environmental Impact

Statement (EIS) to resolve safety issues associated with Watchlist

tanks, the Safe Interim Storage (SIS) EIS, and the Tank Waste

Remediation System (TWRS) EIS (59 FR 4052). Specifically, the SIS EIS

considered alternatives for the resolution of near-term safely concerns

related to Hydrogen gas generation in Watchlist tanks.

The Proposed action is subject to National Environmental Protection

Agency (NEPA) (10 Code of Federal Regulations [CFR] 1500) and the

Washington State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) (RCW 43.21C). DOE and

Ecology signed a Memorandum of

[[Page 53348]]

Understanding on February 15, 1994 to jointly prepare both EISs (MOU

1994). The co-preparation of the EIS streamlines the environmental

review process while ensuring compliance with applicable Federal and

State laws, regulations and policies.

The Draft SIS EIS, issued for public comment on July 22, 1994,

evaluated a proposed action to construct up to six new tanks and

associated infrastructure including a waste retrieval system (the

Initial Tank Retrieval System), and a replacement waste transfer system

(the Replacement Cross Site Transfer System) which would be required if

dilution at a ratio of 3:1 was used to remedy the gas problem. The SIS

EIS also evaluated a No Action Alternative which allowed continued

operation of a mixer pump designed to regulate the release of the gas

so that levels would not be flammable.

Comments on the proposed action were received from August 1994

through July 1995. Since issuance of the Draft SIS EIS, DOE obtained an

independent assessment by Pacific Northwest Laboratories (PNL, 10105,

September 1994) of the effectiveness of the mixer pump in 101-SY. The

PNL report supported continued use of the mixer pump to stir the tanks

waste, thus releasing Hydrogen gases at a more predictable and regular

rate. This action has been determined to adequately mitigate the safety

question regarding whether episodic releases or ``burps'' could be

ignited and pose a risk for uncontrolled release of fission products.

Accordingly, DOE now believes that through continued use of mixer pump,

waste exhibiting gas release activity may continue to be safely stored

in existing tanks and may not need to be removed and diluted prior to

final treatment for disposal, therefore DOE may not have a need to

build additional tanks in the near term.

As a result of the success of these actions taken and in response

to comments from the public regarding a pronounced preference to

proceed with the clean up and to not build additional high level waste

(HLW) storage tanks, the DOE has decided to propose a Preferred

Alternative in the Final SIS EIS which does not include construction of

new HLW storage tanks in the near term.

However, DOE still has an on-going need to continue safe management

of wastes in Hanford tanks in the interim or until such time as the

TWRS EIS evaluates final waste treatment and disposal options. DOE has

decided that the SIS EIS is an appropriate means for providing a NEPA

review of the remaining Watchlist tank safety related requirements in

the interim. The Final SIS EIS will therefore evaluate a Preferred

Alternative which includes construction of a Replacement Cross Site

Transfer System (RCSTS) to replace the existing Cross Site Transfer

System (ECSTS), because continued safe management of tank waste in the

near term will require the assured capability for waste to be safely

and reliably transferred between tank farm areas. The Preferred

Alternative, would provide the means needed to move wastes from the 200

West area to the existing double-shell tanks (DSTs) located in 200 East

area.

The Final SIS EIS will analyze the following alternatives to

support continued safe storage and tank farm waste management

activities: construction of a Replacement Cross-Site Transfer System

(RCSTS); alternative waste transport by rail; alternative waste

transport by truck transport; and construction of two new tanks in

either the 200 West or 200 East areas.

Need for Action

Waste management of tank farms in the near term will require that

DOE transfer waste in a reliable and compliant manner from the West

side of the 200 area to the East side in order to safely manage waste

and to expedite clean up of the Hanford Site. Part of that requirement

is to remove salt well liquids (SWL) from older single-shell tanks

(SSTs) and transfer to newer double-shell tanks (DSTs) to reduce the

likelihood of liquid waste escaping from the corroded tanks into the

environment. In the event of certain types of unsafe waste conditions,

such as gas generation or tank leaks, DOE also may need to remove waste

from one tank and place it in another tank. No additional waste is

permitted to be added to SSTs, and most of the newer DSTs are located

on the East side of the 200 area, necessitating waste transfers from

West to East Areas. Additional requirements for safe management of tank

wastes during the interim period prior to the TWRS EIS ROD could

include retrieval of 102-SY solids, such that tank 102-SY could stage

both organic and inorganic SWL for transfer.

The existing cross-site transfer system (ECSTS) is only partially

usable, given that 4 of the 6 lines are either plugged or failed, and

the other 2 lines may or may not prove usable after pressure testing.

Recently a single line was tested and approximately 435,000 gallons of

supernatant was transferred from Tank 102-SY in the 200 West Area, to a

DST in the 200 East Area. However, the continuing viability of these

lines is uncertain and cannot be relied upon. In addition, the ECSTS

was built prior to environmental protection requirements implemented by

the Environmental Protection Agency under the Resource Conservation and

Recovery Act (RCRA), 40 CFR 264.193, which requires double containment

and leak detection capabilities for all hazardous waste tanks and

ancillary equipment (e.g., piping). The ECSTS lines are also not

compliant with the Washington State Dangerous Waste Regulations, WAC

173-303-640, which is the State requirement for double containment and

leak detection capability. By mutual agreement between RL and Ecology,

a limited amount of Salt Well Liquid may be transferred, until such

time as RL implements a replacement waste transfer system. At present,

waste containing solids may not be transferred via the ECSTS due to the

likelihood of plugging the old lines.

DOE believes that continued safe management of wastes is supported

in this Interim Action EIS, while the final treatment and disposal

options are being evaluated in the TWRS EIS. The RCSTS will not

prejudice consideration of any of the alternatives being evaluated in

the TWRS EIS, as the ability to transfer liquids between tanks and

areas is necessary even under a No Action alternative.

The public is invited to comment on the change in the Preferred

Alternative pursuant to this notice for a period of 21 days. Comments

received during this period and in response to the Final EIS will be

responded to in the Record of Decision.

Issued in Richland, Washington this 5th day of October, 1995,

for the United States Department of Energy.

Susan Brechbill,

Acting Manager, U.S. Department of Energy, Richland Operations Office.

[FR Doc. 95-25325 Filed 10-12 -95; 8:45am]

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