Washington Administrative Code › Title 246 - Health, Department of › RADIATION › Chapter 246-252 - Radiation protection - Uranium or thorium milling › Section 246-252-030 - Criteria related to disposition of uranium mill tailings or wastes

Current through Register Vol. 24-14, July 15, 2024
As used in this section, the term "by-product material" means
				  the tailings or wastes produced by the extraction or concentration of uranium
				  or thorium from any ore processed primarily for its source material
				  content.
As required by WAC
				  246-235-110(6),
				  each applicant for a license to possess and use source material in conjunction
				  with uranium or thorium milling, or by-product material at sites formerly
				  associated with such milling, is required to include in a license application
				  proposed specifications relating to the milling operation and the disposition
				  of tailings or waste resulting from such milling activities. This section
				  establishes criteria relating to the siting, operation, decontamination,
				  decommissioning, and reclamation of mills and tailings or waste systems and
				  sites at which such mills and systems are located and site and by-product
				  material ownership. Applications must clearly demonstrate how these criteria
				  have been addressed. The specifications shall be developed considering the
				  expected full capacity of tailings or waste systems and the lifetime of mill
				  operations. Where later expansions of systems or operations may be likely, the
				  amenability of the disposal system to accommodate increased capacities without
				  degradation in long-term stability and other performance factors shall be
				  evaluated.
Licensees or applicants may propose alternatives to the
				  specific requirements in these criteria. The alternative proposals may take
				  into account local or regional conditions, including geology, topography,
				  hydrology, and meteorology. The department may find that the proposed
				  alternatives meet the department's requirements if the alternatives will
				  achieve a level of stabilization and containment of the sites concerned, and a
				  level of protection for public health, safety, and the environment from
				  radiological and nonradiological hazards associated with the sites, which is
				  equivalent to, to the extent practicable, or more stringent than the level
				  which would be achieved by the requirements of the standards promulgated by the
				  United States Environmental Protection Agency in  40 C.F.R. 192, Subparts D and
				  E.
(1) Criterion 1 - In selecting
				among alternative tailings disposal sites or judging the adequacy of existing
				tailings sites, the following site features which would contribute to meeting
				the broad objective of permanent isolation of the tailings and associated
				contaminants from man and the environment for 1,000 years to the extent
				reasonably achievable, and in any case, for at least 200 years without ongoing
				active maintenance shall be considered:
(a)
				Remoteness from populated areas;
(b) Hydrogeologic and other environmental
				conditions conducive to continued immobilization and isolation of contaminants
				from groundwater sources; and
(c)
				Potential for minimizing erosion, disturbance, and dispersion by natural forces
				over the long term.
The site selection process must be an optimization to the
				  maximum extent reasonably achievable in terms of these features.
In the selection of disposal sites, primary emphasis shall be
				  given to isolation of tailings or wastes, a matter having long-term impacts, as
				  opposed to consideration only of short-term convenience or benefits, such as
				  minimization of transportation or land acquisition costs. While isolation of
				  tailings will be a function of both site characteristics and engineering
				  design, overriding consideration shall be given to siting features given the
				  long-term nature of the tailings hazards.
Tailings shall be disposed in a manner such that no active
				  maintenance is required to preserve the condition of the site.