New Mexico Administrative Code › Title 20 - ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION › Chapter 3 - RADIATION PROTECTION › Part 13 - LICENSING REQUIREMENTS FOR LAND DISPOSAL OF RADIOACTIVE WASTE › Section 20.3.13.7 - DEFINITIONS

Current through Register Vol. 35, No. 13, July 16, 2024
As used in this part (20.3.13 NMAC), the following
				  definitions apply.
A. "Active
				maintenance" means any significant activity needed during the period of
				institutional control to maintain a reasonable assurance that the performance
				objectives in 20.3.13.1307 NMAC and 20.3.13.1308 NMAC are met. Such active
				maintenance includes ongoing activities, such as the pumping and treatment of
				water from a disposal unit, or one-time measures, such as replacement of a
				disposal unit cover. Active maintenance does not include custodial activities,
				such as repair of fencing, repair or replacement of monitoring equipment,
				revegetation, minor additions to soil cover, minor repair of disposal unit
				covers and general disposal site upkeep, such as mowing grass.
B. "Buffer zone" means a portion of the
				disposal site that is controlled by the licensee, and that lies under the
				disposal units and between the disposal units and the boundary of the
				site.
C. "Chelating agent" means
				amine polycarboxylic acids, hydroxy-carboxylic acids, gluconic acid and
				polycarboxylic acids.
D.
				"Commencement of construction" means any clearing of land, excavation or other
				substantial action that would adversely affect the environment of a land
				disposal facility. The term does not mean disposal site exploration, necessary
				roads for disposal site exploration, borings to determine foundation
				conditions, or other preconstruction monitoring or testing to establish
				background information related to the suitability of the disposal site or the
				protection of environmental values.
E. "Custodial agency" means an agency of the
				government designated to act on behalf of the government owner of the disposal
				site.
F. "Disposal" means the
				isolation of wastes from the biosphere inhabited by man and his food chains by
				emplacement in a land disposal facility.
G. "Disposal site" means that portion of a
				land disposal facility which is used for disposal of waste. It consists of
				disposal units and a buffer zone.
H. "Disposal unit" means a discrete portion
				of the disposal site into which waste is placed for disposal. For near-surface
				disposal, the unit is usually a trench.
I. "Engineered barrier" means a man-made
				structure or device that is intended to improve the land disposal facility's
				ability to meet the performance objective in this part (20.3.13
				NMAC).
J. "Explosive material"
				means any chemical compound, mixture or device which produces a substantial
				instantaneous release of gas and heat spontaneously, or by contact with sparks
				or flame.
K. "Hazardous waste"
				means those wastes designated as hazardous by U.S. environmental protection
				agency regulations in 40 CFR, Part 261.
L. "Hydrogeologic unit" means any soil or
				rock unit or zone which, by virtue of its porosity or permeability, or lack
				thereof, has a distinct influence on the storage or movement of ground
				water.
M. "Inadvertent intruder"
				means a person who might occupy the disposal site after closure and engage in
				normal activities, such as agriculture, dwelling construction or other pursuits
				in which an individual might be unknowingly exposed to radiation from the
				waste.
N. "Intruder barrier" means
				a sufficient depth of cover over the waste that inhibits contact with waste,
				and helps to ensure that radiation exposures to an inadvertent intruder will
				meet the performance objectives set forth in this part (20.3.13 NMAC), or
				engineered structures that provide equivalent protection to the inadvertent
				intruder.
O. "Land disposal
				facility" means the land, buildings and equipment which is intended to be used
				for the disposal of wastes into the subsurface of the land.
P. "Monitoring" means observing and making
				measurements to provide data to evaluate the performance and characteristics of
				the disposal site.
Q. "Near-surface
				disposal facility" means a land disposal facility in which waste is disposed of
				within approximately the upper 30 meters of the earth's surface.
R. "Pyrophoric liquid" means any liquid that
				ignites spontaneously in dry or moist air at or below 130 degrees F (54.4
				degrees C). A pyrophoric solid is any solid material, other than one classed as
				an explosive, which under normal conditions is liable to cause fires through
				friction, retained heat from manufacturing or processing, or which can be
				ignited readily, and when ignited, burns so vigorously and persistently as to
				create a serious transportation, handling or disposal hazard. Included in this
				definition are spontaneously combustible and water-reactive
				materials.
S. "Site closure and
				stabilization" means those actions that are taken upon completion of operations
				that prepare the disposal site for custodial care and that assure that the
				disposal site will remain stable and will not need ongoing active
				maintenance.
T. "Stability" means
				structural stability.
U.
				"Surveillance" means monitoring and observation of the disposal site for
				purposes of visual detection of need for maintenance, custodial care, evidence
				of intrusion and compliance with other license and regulatory
				requirements.