Document: NUREG-0800
Document ID: ce3522a1-5c42-492a-95d7-9087534cf63c
Document Type: srp
Title: STABILITY OF SLOPES
Source: NUREG-0800
Source URL: https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML0520/ML052070270.pdf
Revision Date: 2023-06
Chapter: 2
Section ID: 2.5.5
CFR Part: 
CFR Title: 

Content:
and analyses are reviewed to ascertain that the techniques employed are appropriate and represent the present state-of-the-art. Staff comments and questions at this phase of the review, concerning the information in the SAR, are sent to the applicant as first-round questions (Q-1). An independent analysis of the design of safety-related earth or 35 rock-fill embankments may be performed by the staff's advisors or by the staff as deemed necessary. Consultants may also evaluate natural or cut slopes, as required, on a case-by-case basis. The evaluations conducted by the staff and its advisors may identify additional unresolved items or reveal that the applicant's analyses are not conservative. Additional information is then requested in a second round of questions (Q-2), or a staff position is taken requiring conformance to a more conservative approach.36 After completing the review, if the staff's conclusions are consistent with those reached by the applicant, these conclusions are summarized in the safety evaluation report (SER) or in a supplement to the SER. In the event that the applicant's investigation and design are not judged to be sufficiently conservative, a staff position is stated and the applicant is asked to further substantiate his position by additional investigations or monitoring to demonstrate that a failure of the slopes in question will not harm the safety functions of the plant, or to concur in the staff position. The data needed to satisfy the requirements of this section are often incomplete in the early stages. However, sufficient field and laboratory data should be presented and conservatively interpreted to allow a realistic assessment of the safety of proposed slopes and supporting foundations. Detailed design investigations are usually still in progress and final design conclusions have often not been made. Because of this, the question and answer exchange is not generally complete at the Q-2 stage. Most of the open items of Section 2.5