Currently this facility can only accept limited types of LLRW but is applying to expand its license. The third option is shipping LLRW to a treatment facility for volume reduction and then storing or disposing of the remaining materials depending on whether or not the residuals are radioactive. The fourth option is on-site storage for decay. Essentially this means holding the materials until the radioactivity has decreased to background levels. UC has been using this option for financial reasons for years and will expand its efforts when and if laws and permits allow.
LLRW management is a high profile and politically charged issue for California.
It has been so to such an extent that Governor Davis asked UC to chair a committee to evaluate alternatives for LLRW disposal in California. President Atkinson convened a Task Group and an associated Scientific Advisory Panel to produce a report to be presented to the governor. Two, divide the waste stream in to constituent parts and manage them according to various hazard potentials. Three, build and operate an isolated, long-term storage facility. Four, build and operate an ultimate disposal facility.