Section 606.30  Requirements for Design, Construction, Operation, Monitoring, and Maintenance of the Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Facility

a)         Design and Construction of the Facility − Performance Objectives

The disposal facility shall be designed and constructed, based on accepted engineering principles and practices, to further the following performance objectives:

1)         The design and construction of the disposal facility shall utilize the best available technology that is economically reasonable, technologically feasible, and environmentally sound for disposal of waste.  (Section 6 of the Act)

2)         The design of the disposal facility must be compatible with the expected waste characteristics, methods of operation, and proposed methods of closure and stabilization and shall demonstrate that the requirements of 32 Ill. Adm. Code 601 will be met.

3)         The facility design shall allow closure in a manner that isolates the wastes and waste constituents and that requires only minor custodial care to assure long term performance.

4)         The disposal facility shall be designed and constructed to provide for the complete containment of waste and waste constituents.

5)         The disposal facility shall be designed and constructed to allow remedial action, if necessary.  Achievement of this objective shall not be accomplished by compromising, or in any way lessening, the ability of the disposal facility to satisfy the performance objectives and requirements of this Part and of 32 Ill. Adm. Code 601.

6)         Disposal units shall be designed so that their engineered components will maintain their structural integrity and prevent release of waste and waste constituents.

b)         Design and Construction of the Facility − Requirements

1)         The disposal facility design shall not incorporate the use of shallow land burial or underground injection wells and shall provide for the use of above-ground modules or other designs to provide greater and safer confinement of low-level radioactive waste.  The disposal facility shall meet the licensing requirements of 32 Ill. Adm. Code 601.

2)         The facility shall be designed to accept waste for disposal for a period of at least 50 years.  Requisite capacity shall be based on volume and activity projections available from the Department pursuant to Section 4 of the Act.  The facility shall be designed to accommodate waste generated during the decommissioning of nuclear power stations in Illinois.

3)         The facility shall be designed for the disposal of low-level radioactive waste.

4)         Support buildings (i.e., buildings at the facility other than those in which waste is disposed of) at the facility shall meet the following requirements:

A)        All buildings shall be designed and constructed to be permanent in nature with an estimated lifetime of at least 60 years.

B)        During the operational period of the facility, trailers and temporary buildings shall be limited to 12 months on site.

C)        Buildings shall be designed, constructed and maintained in accordance with the following standards:

i)          "Occupational Safety and Health Standards" of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, 29 CFR 1910, Subparts A through Q and Subpart S, July 1, 1991, exclusive of subsequent amendments.  A copy of this material is available for inspection at the Department.

ii)         "Safety and Health Regulations for Construction" promulgated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, 29 CFR 1926, July 1, 1991, exclusive of subsequent amendments.  A copy of this material is available for inspection at the Department.

iii)         Uniform Building Code, published by the National Conference of Building Officials, current as of 1994, but exclusive of subsequent amendments or editions.  Copies of this code can be obtained directly from the National Conference of Building Officials, 5360 S. Workman Mills Road, Whittier CA 90601.  A copy of this code is also available for inspection at the Department.

iv)        Uniform Mechanical Code, published by the National Conference of Building Officials, current as of 1994, but exclusive of subsequent amendments or editions.  Copies of this code can be obtained directly from the National Conference of Building Officials, 5630 S. Workman Mills Road, Whittier CA 90601.  A copy of this code is also available for inspection at the Department.

v)         National Electric Code, published by the National Fire Protection Association, current as of 1993, exclusive of subsequent amendments or editions.  Copies of this code can be obtained directly from the National Fire Protection Association, Batterymarch Park, Quincy MA 02269.  A copy of this code is also available for inspection at the Department.

vi)        Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures, ASCE 7-93, current as of July 1993, exclusive of subsequent amendments or editions.  Copies of the standard can be obtained directly from the American Society of Civil Engineers, 345 East 47^th Street, New York, New York 10017-2398.  A copy of the standard is also available for inspection at the Department.

vii)        Local Building Codes.

viii)       In the event that two or more building standards conflict or apply, the most stringent standard shall be met.

5)         The disposal unit shall be designed and constructed to withstand all natural phenomena, such as precipitation, earthquakes and tornadoes, which are expected to occur for five hundred years.

6)         The disposal unit shall meet the following design requirements:

A)        Disposal modules shall be designed and constructed to incorporate multiple engineered safety features, such as, but not limited to, placing a cover over disposal modules, using backfill that adds structural strength to the module, and reinforcing modules with manufactured materials that are independently monitored and that provide structural support, prevent the release of waste and waste constituents and prevent inadvertent intrusion (See 32 Ill. Adm. Code 601.20);

B)        The disposal unit shall be modular, incorporating design elements that will allow operation of the facility in such a manner that the amount of waste on site that is not yet permanently disposed of, as well as the time that waste is held on site prior to disposal, will be minimized;

C)        Disposal modules must be designed and constructed to accommodate waste that cannot be packaged in standard containers, e.g., reactor components, contaminated steel;

D)        Disposal modules made of manufactured materials must be designed and constructed, using accepted engineering principles and practices, to ensure that the tensile stress in the manufactured materials never exceeds the level that will cause the materials to fail.  Any support provided by structural reinforcement, such as steel or rebar, shall be taken into account only if the structural reinforcement is designed and constructed to ensure maintenance of the structural reinforcement's minimum required strength for the entire design life of the disposal module;

E)         Disposal modules must be designed to maintain their structural integrity regardless of the physical form of the waste;

F)         Disposal modules shall be designed and constructed so that water cannot infiltrate and remain in contact with waste packages;

G)        Disposal modules must be constructed of materials that will not interact with each other, any surrounding earth, backfill, any cover material or base grade material in such a manner as to compromise the ability of the materials to perform their intended function;

H)        If intruder barriers are required by 32 Ill. Adm. Code 601.250(b), disposal modules must be designed and constructed, using accepted engineering practices, with intruder barriers designed to last at least 500 years; and

I)          Disposal module design shall allow characterization, modeling, analysis, and evaluation of the module's capability to contain waste.

c)         Operation and Maintenance − Performance Objective

The low-level radioactive waste disposal facility shall be operated in a manner that reduces the risks associated with radiation to workers and the general public to levels that are as low as is reasonably achievable.

d)         Operation and Maintenance − Requirements

1)         The facility shall be operated in compliance with following requirements applicable to licensees of the Department:  32 Ill. Adm. Code 200, 310, 320, 330, 340, 341, 400 and 601.

2)         Waste shall not be disposed of at the facility unless the waste complies with the applicable waste form standards.  Any waste received that is not in compliance with these standards shall either be treated prior to disposal or returned to the generator or broker, provided the waste packages comply with the packaging requirements of 32 Ill. Adm. Code 341.  Wastes may be treated at the disposal facility only if the operator is licensed to engage in treatment activities.  If the waste packages are not in compliance with 32 Ill. Adm. Code 341, the operator shall either repackage the waste for return or treat the waste so that it is in a form which is acceptable for disposal.  The generator or broker who shipped the waste to the disposal facility shall be liable for any expense incurred due to repackaging or processing unacceptable waste forms, or for expenses incurred in shipping the waste back to the generator if required.

            AGENCY NOTE:  Pursuant to Section 7 of the Illinois Low-Level Radioactive Waste Management Act [420 ILCS 20/7], the Department will be promulgating rules setting forth waste form standards.

3)         Waste shall not be disposed at the facility unless the waste is accompanied by a proper manifest.  In the event that waste is received at the facility without a proper manifest, the operator shall notify the Department and contact the shipper to obtain a proper manifest.  In the event that a proper manifest cannot be obtained, the facility operator shall take such other action as the Department requires, such as, but not limited to, analyzing the contents of the unmanifested shipment and preparing a manifest reflecting the results, and with the approval of the Department, based on requirements contained in the license and the Department's rules, disposing of the waste, in accordance with the requirements imposed by the facility license, at the shipper's expense.

4)         The facility shall be operated so that no person outside the facility boundary receives a radiation dose in excess of 10 micro Sv (1 mrem) per year to the whole body as a result of the facility operations.

5)         To the extent practicable, wastes shall be disposed of in containers of standard size and shape.

6)         The facility shall be operated in a manner that reduces the amount of waste on site that has not yet been permanently disposed of and that minimizes the time the waste is held on site prior to disposal.

7)         The facility operator shall provide personnel, equipment and procedures for acquiring environmental samples and conducting on-site tests to detect any releases of radionuclides into the air, soil, water and groundwater, as well as for monitoring occupational dose in accordance with 32 Ill. Adm. Code 340, Subpart F.  In addition, the facility operator shall provide for environmental sampling and testing to detect releases of waste or waste constituents into the air, soil and water which are either, listed as hazardous in Subpart D of 40 CFR 261, or cause the waste to exhibit any of the hazardous waste characteristics identified in Subpart C of 40 CFR 261.  40 CFR 261 is incorporated as of July 1, 1993, exclusive of subsequent amendments or editions.  A copy of 40 CFR 261 is available for inspection at the Department of Nuclear Safety.

8)         The facility operator shall not accept waste at the facility until the waste shipment has been inspected and approved by the Department, as required by Section 9(e) of the Act.  The operator shall provide office space, not smaller than 20 feet by 20 feet, in a building located near the gate where waste is received, to be used by the resident inspector from the Department.  The operator will maintain the building and supply electricity, heat, air conditioning, water and restroom facilities.

9)         The facility operator shall maintain a direct data link with the Department's offices in Springfield and shall transmit to the Department facility records regarding the receipt, handling and disposition of low-level radioactive waste as required by this Part.

10)         The facility operator shall maintain a public documents room.

11)         The facility operator shall maintain a public information center in the community where the facility is located.

12)         The facility operator shall make all records of facility operations available upon request of the Department pursuant to its authority under Section 8 of the Act and Section 27 of the Radiation Protection Act of 1990 [420 ILCS 40/27], and shall provide access to every part of the facility to representatives of the Department.

e)         Facility Monitoring − Performance Objective

            The low-level radioactive waste disposal facility shall include a monitoring system, which, based on accepted engineering principles and practices, is capable of determining compliance with this Part and 32 Ill. Adm. Code 601.

f)          Facility Monitoring − Requirements

1)         The disposal facility shall include a monitoring system for detecting releases of radioactive or hazardous material within the disposal modules during facility operations.

2)         The disposal facility shall include a monitoring system for detecting releases of radioactive or hazardous materials from the disposal unit.

3)         The disposal facility shall include a monitoring system capable of detecting releases of radioactive or hazardous materials from the facility.

4)         The disposal facility shall include a monitoring system capable of detecting releases into the air, soil, surface water and groundwater.

g)         Maintenance

1)         The facility operator shall conduct a program of in-situ testing of the design and construction of disposal modules.  The in-situ testing program shall continue during the period of operation and closure.  The program shall be designed to provide additional information regarding the expected long term performance of the facility, to identify any deficiencies or defects in design and construction of disposal units, and to form the basis  for recommending changes in design, construction and operation of the facility that would increase the safety or efficiency of waste disposal.

2)         The facility operator shall, at all times, maintain the facility structures and equipment to promote occupational safety and worker protection, and to assure uninterrupted operation of the facility.

(Source:  Amended at 18 Ill. Reg. 16584, effective November 1, 1994)