South Carolina Code of Regulations › Chapter 61 - DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL › Subchapter 61-63 - Radioactive Materials (Title A) › Part VII - LICENSING REQUIREMENTS FOR LAND DISPOSAL OF RADIOACTIVE WASTE › Section 61-63.VII.RHA 7.22 - Disposal Site Suitability Requirements for Land Disposal

Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 6, June 28, 2024
7.22.1
				Disposal Site Suitability for Near-Surface Disposal. The primary emphasis in
				disposal site suitability is given to isolation of wastes, and to disposal site
				features that ensure that the long-term performance objectives are met.
7.22.1.1 The disposal site shall be capable of
				being characterized, modeled, analyzed and monitored;
7.22.1.2 Within the region where the facility is
				to be located, a disposal site should be selected so that projected population
				growth and future developments are not likely to affect the ability of the disposal
				facility to meet the performance objectives of this part.
7.22.1.3 Areas shall be avoided having known
				natural resources which, if exploited, would result in failure to meet the
				performance objectives of this part.
7.22.1.4 The disposal site shall be generally well
				drained and free of areas of flooding or frequent ponding. Waste disposal shall not
				take place in a 100-year flood plain, coastal high-hazard area or wetland, as
				defined in Executive Order 11988, "Floodplain Management Guidelines." the zone of
				fluctuation of the water table.
7.22.1.5
				Upstream drainage areas shall be minimized to decrease the amount of runoff which
				could erode or inundate waste disposal units.
7.22.1.6 The disposal site shall provide
				sufficient depth to the water table that groundwater intrusion, perennial or
				otherwise, into the waste will not occur. The Department will consider an exception
				to this requirement to allow disposal below the water table if it can be
				conclusively shown that disposal site characteristics will result in molecular
				diffusion being the predominant means of radionuclide movement and the rate of
				movement will result in the performance objectives being met. In no case will waste
				disposal be permitted in the zone of fluctuation of the water table.
7.22.1.7 The hydrogeologic unit used for disposal
				shall not discharge groundwater to the surface within the disposal site.
7.22.1.8 Areas shall be avoided where tectonic
				processes such as faulting, folding, seismic activity or vulcanism may occur with
				such frequency and extent to significantly affect the ability of the disposal site
				to meet the performance objectives of this part or may preclude defensible modeling
				and prediction of longterm impacts.
7.22.1.9 Areas shall be avoided where surface
				geologic processes such as mass wasting, erosion, slumping, landsliding, or
				weathering occur with such frequency and extent to significantly affect the ability
				of the disposal site to meet the performance objectives of this part, or may
				prelcude defensible modeling and prediction of long-term impacts.
7.22.1.10 The disposal site must not be located
				where nearby facilities or activities could adversely impact the ability of the site
				to meet the performance objectives of this part or significantly mask the
				environmental monitoring program.