Multi-Agency Radiation Survey and Site Investigation Manual

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. A-96-44]

Multi-Agency Radiation Survey and Site Investigation Manual

AGENCY: U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency, and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory

Commission.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Defense (DOD), Department of Energy (DOE),

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the U.S. Nuclear

Regulatory Commission (NRC) are announcing the availability for use of

the ``Multi-Agency Radiation Survey and Site Investigation Manual''

(MARSSIM). The MARSSIM provides information on planning, conducting,

evaluating, and documenting environmental radiological surveys of

surface soils and building surfaces for demonstrating compliance with

regulations. The MARSSIM, now finalized, is a multi-agency consensus

document. The agencies previously have sought public comment in order

to receive feedback from the widest range of interested parties and to

ensure that all information relevant to developing the document was

received. The agencies reviewed public comments received on the draft

MARSSIM as well as comments from a concurrent, independent, technical

peer review. Suggested changes were incorporated, where appropriate, in

response to those comments.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the draft and the final MARSSIM and all public and

technical peer review comments received may be examined or copied for a

fee at the EPA Docket Room M1500, Docket No. A-96-44, First Floor

Waterside Mall, 401 M Street, S.W., Washington D.C. 20460; and the NRC

Public Document Room, 2120 L Street, NW, Washington DC 20555-0001. The

EPA docket may be inspected from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, Monday through

Friday, excluding Federal holidays in Room M1500 at the address above.

NRC documents may be inspected from 7:45 am to 4:15 pm, Monday through

Friday, excluding Federal holidays in the lower level of the building

at the address above. Copies of the MARSSIM may be

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purchased by requests in writing to: The Superintendent of Documents,

U.S. Government Printing Office, P.O. Box 37082, Washington, DC 20402-

9328. The NRC document number is NUREG-1575, and the EPA document

number is EPA 402-R-97-016. The manual is also available through the

Internet at: http://www.epa.gov/radiation/marssim or by linkage from

the NRC home page at: http://www.nrc.gov; or the DOE home page at:

http://www.doe.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Any of the following points of contact

for each agency for technical information (see ``Addresses'' section

above for directions on obtaining a copy of the MARSSIM): DOE: Kenneth

Duvall, Phone: (202) 586-0242, U.S. Department of Energy (EH-412), 1000

Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20585, e-mail

[email protected]; EPA: Mark Doehnert; Phone: (202) 564-9386,

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Mail Stop 6602J, 401 M. Street,

SW, Washington DC 20460, e-mail [email protected]; NRC:

Robert A. Meck, Phone: (301) 415-6205, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory

Commission, MS T-9C24, Washington DC 20555, e-mail [email protected].

Questions concerning the multi-agency document development project

should be addressed to CDR Colleen Petullo, U.S. Public Health Service

at U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, R&IE, PO Box 98517, Las Vegas,

NV 89193-8517, (702) 798-2476, e-mail [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The MARSSIM provides information on

planning, conducting, evaluating, and documenting environmental

radiological surveys of surface soil and building surfaces for

demonstrating compliance with regulations. The MARSSIM, now finalized,

is a multi-agency consensus document.

The MARSSIM was developed collaboratively over the past four years

by the technical staffs of four Federal agencies having authority for

control of radioactive materials: DOD, DOE, EPA, and NRC. Members of

the public and contractors to the Federal agencies have been present

during the open meetings of the MARSSIM work group and have been

provided opportunities for input.

The MARSSIM's objective is to describe standardized and consistent

approaches for surveys of soil surfaces and building surfaces, which

provide a high degree of assurance that established release criteria,

limits, guidelines, and conditions of the regulatory agencies are

satisfied, while at the same time encouraging an effective use of

resources. The techniques, methodologies, and philosophies that form

the bases of this manual were developed to be consistent with current

Federal limits, guidelines, and procedures.

The MARSSIM benefited from extensive internal, public, and

technical peer reviews and public comments. Before the publication of

the draft for public comment, the Federal agencies performed an

internal review. Those internal review comments that reflected a

technical error or flaw in logic or information flow were addressed

before public comments were requested. The other comments, e.g.,

clarifications, editorial suggestions, etc., from the Federal agencies

were addressed along with the public comments. The public review was a

necessary step in the development of a final multi-agency consensus

document. In addition to written comments, the work group provided the

public with the opportunity to comment during the open meetings. The

document also received formal technical peer review under the auspices

of the EPA Science Advisory Board (SAB). The results of the peer review

and the responses to comments by the EPA will be publicly available for

examination and may be copied for a fee (see ``Addresses'' section

above for directions).

Reviewers were requested to focus on technical accuracy and

understandability. Reviewers were also requested to address five

questions while reviewing the MARSSIM. In consideration of the

responses to the questions, other comments, and the changes

incorporated into the final version of the MARSSIM, the answers to the

questions are listed as follows:

1. Does the MARSSIM provide a practical and implementable approach

to performing radiation surveys and site investigations? Are there any

major drawbacks to the proposed methods?

Answer: The MARSSIM has been shown to be practical and

implementable in field tests. Identified difficulties in establishing a

suitable background reference area for radionuclides in common with

natural or ubiquitous radionuclides are intrinsic to the situations,

and such difficulties exist regardless of the measurement method. The

MARSSIM provides technically defensible and efficient methods to

demonstrate compliance with radiological criteria.

2. Is the MARSSIM technically accurate?

Answer: Within the scope of the MARSSIM, the methods are

technically accurate and applicable over a large range of situations.

3. Does the MARSSIM provide benefits that are not available using

current methods? What is the value of the MARSSIM in comparison with

other currently available alternatives?

Answer: The MARSSIM provides a technically defensible process over

a broad range of situations. Results to date indicate that the MARSSIM

process requires fewer measurements in comparison to other methods for

demonstrating compliance for radiological sites. The MARSSIM also

provides a performance based approach and has a strong focus on

planning.

4. What are the costs associated with the MARSSIM in comparison

with other currently available alternatives?

Answer: The MARSSIM process optimizes the number of samples needed

to demonstrate compliance with radiological criteria within the

accepted decision errors. Other methods may either overestimate or

underestimate the number of samples needed to demonstrate compliance or

may not take decision errors into account. The MARSSIM generally

involves more planning and less re-work than other currently available

methods.

5. Is the information in the MARSSIM understandable and presented

in a logical sequence? How can the presentation of material be modified

to improve the understandability of the manual?

Answer: Several Chapters in the MARSSIM were significantly revised

for clarity, understandability, and elaboration in response to

comments. The overall basic processes and methods did not change.

The author agencies solicit comments arising from review and use of

the final MARSSIM. Comments will be reviewed periodically by the author

agencies, resolved as appropriate, and incorporated into revisions of

the MARSSIM. Members of the public are invited to submit written

comments to EITHER the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, ATTN: Air

and Radiation Docket, Mail Stop 6102, Air Docket No. A-96-44, Room

M1500, First Floor Waterside Mall, 401 M Street, S.W., Washington D.C.

20460 or the Chief, Rules and Directives Branch, Division of

Administrative Services, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington

DC 20555-0001. Copies of all comments received by one agency will be

periodically copied and sent to the others. Revised pages resulting

from the resolution of comments will be available on the Internet at

the world wide web site: http://www.epa.gov/radiation/marssim. This EPA

world wide web site is also accessible by links from the NRC home page

at: http://

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www.nrc.gov; and the DOE home page at: http://www.doe.gov.

Title: Multi-Agency Radiation Survey and Site Investigation Manual.

For the Department of Defense, dated this 15th day of January

1998.

Gary D. Vest,

Principal Assistant Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Environmental

Security.

For the U. S. Department of Energy, dated this 22nd day of

December 1997.

Raymond P. Berube,

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Environment.

For the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, dated this 23rd

day of December 1997.

Lawrence G. Weinstock,

Acting Director, Office of Radiation and Indoor Air.

For the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, dated this 18th day

of December 1997.

Malcolm R. Knapp,

Acting Director, Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research.

[FR Doc. 98-3432 Filed 2-10-98; 8:45 am]

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