Radioactive Materials Section Update

Radioactive MaterialsLicensing

Authorizing licenses for:

•Low-level radioactive waste disposal

•By-product material disposal

•Public water system NORM waste disposal

•Alternative methods of disposal (i.e. above groundradioactive waste disposal)

•Radioactive waste storage and processing

•Pictured: Contaminated debris from the SavannahRiver Site bound for disposal in the Waste Control SpecialistsFederal Waste Facility, prior to being macroencapsulated ingrout and placed in a modular concrete canister for disposal.

Contaminated debris from the Savannah RiverSite bound for disposal in the Waste ControlSpecialists Federal Waste Facility, prior to beingmacroencapsulated in grout and placed in amodular concrete canister for disposal.

Contaminated Debris Disposal 2 rows of metal boxes. Contaminated debris from the Savannah River Site bound for disposal in the Waste Control Specialists Federal Waste Facility, prior to being macroencapsulated in grout and placed in a modular concrete canister for disposal.

Radioactive MaterialsLicensing

Low-Level Radioactive Waste (LLRW) Disposal Facility inAndrews County, operated by Waste Control Specialists

As of April 1, 2016:

•Over 92,000 cubic feet of LLRW has been safelydisposed in the Compact Waste Facility.

•Over 158,000 cubic feet of federal LLRW has been safelydisposed in the Federal Waste Facility.

•Over $33.4 million in fees have been generated as revenue to the State of Texas.

•Pictured: The Waste Control Specialists Compact Waste Facility, as inspected by TCEQ Office of Compliance and Enforcement staff on May 29, 2014.

The Waste Control Specialists Compact WasteFacility, as inspected by TCEQ Office ofCompliance and Enforcement staff on May 29,2014.

•Over $35.1 million in fees have beengenerated as revenue to the State ofTexas.

The Waste Control Specialists Compact Waste Facility The Waste Control Specialists Compact Waste Facility, as inspected by TCEQ Office of Compliance and Enforcement staff on May 29, 2014. Cement canisters lined up in the disposal site.

Radioactive MaterialsLicensing

Waste Control Specialists operates several disposal cellsand processing facilities at the Andrews County site.

•Pictured: The Waste Control Specialists Compact WasteFacility, shown in a 2015 satellite image.

The Waste ControlSpecialists CompactWaste Facility, shown ina 2015 satellite image.

Waste Control Specialists Facility 2015 Satellite image of the The Waste Control Specialists Compact Waste Facility.

Uranium Licensing andPermitting

•Licenses and permits In-Situ Uranium mining andprocessing and disposal of by-product material.

•Pictured: Graphic showing the uranium life cycle. Three arrows point to the areas that the Uraniumsection has oversight over: in-situ leach mining, processing and tailings.

Uranium Licensing andPermitting

•Authorizes and provides oversight for In-SituUranium Mining and Processing Operations.

•Currently:

–7 licensed sites with in-situ mining operations and

–3 licensed sites with processing operations.

•Pictured: The photograph on the left is typical layout of the in-situ mining sites, several pipes connect to injection wells and theproduct is routed to either a holding tank or the nearbyprocessing facility.

•Pictured: The photograph on the right is the Hobson processingfacility. The licensing of both the mining and processingoperations requires extensive reviews Health Physics, ProcessEngineering, and Geology.

In Situ Mining 2 The photograph on the right is the Hobson processing facility. The licensing of both the mining and processing operations requires extensive reviews Health Physics, Process Engineering, and Geology.

In Situ Mining 1 The photograph on the left is typical layout of the in-situ mining sites, several pipes connect to injection wells and the product is routed to either a holding tank or the nearby processing facility.

Uranium Licensing andPermitting

•Maintains oversight of legacy conventional uranium millsfor eventual transfer to the Department of Energy.

•Currently:

–4 tailing impoundments.

•Pictured: the Conoco Conquista Tailing Impoundment

The Conoco Conquista Tailing Impoundment Satellite image of the Conoco Conquista Tailing Impoundment.

Uranium Licensing andPermitting

•Provides technical support and oversight duringdecommissioning and reclamation operations.

•Pictured: Super sacks of By-product material waste beingplaced on a trailer, and a Micro-enfractionator, which is oneexample of specialized equipment used indecommissioning and reclamation operations.

$H:\RAD\Uranium Licensing Actions\Uranium Section\Site Images\R03626 - Everest Exploration\Mt. Lucas\Pilot Test of Ex Situ - September 10 2004\H&H Microenfractionator - Front View.JPG$

Uranium Licensing andPermitting

•Performs site characterizations and inspections ofsites for release to unrestricted use..

•Pictured: Photographs showing TCEQ employees touring aplant site with remediation contractors, a radiation metershowing a measurement taken above a contaminated plantsite, and an image showing a map of the Conquistaimpoundment site with survey and sampling dataoverlayed.

Site Release Workers stand outdoors around a site that the agency is inspecting for release.

Satellite view Satellite image of the Conquista site, with boundaries indicated by color coded markers.

Release Inspection An upclose picture of a peice of handheld equipment.

Uranium Licensing andPermitting

•Several different projects have also fallenwithin the scope of the Uranium Licensingand Permitting team:

–Desalination plants

•Natural uranium and radium in waterprovides potential for creating issues fordisposal.

–Nuclear missile crash site

•A 1958 B-47 dropped its nuclear payloadnear Taylor, TX, rupturing the casing andspilling its radioactive contents over a largearea.

–Superfund Technical support

•Federated Metals Site, several radioactivewaste components.

Radioactive MaterialsUnderground InjectionControl

•In 1982, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) delegatedUnderground Injection Control (UIC) Program authority toTexas. In Texas UIC jurisdiction is split, based on well type,between:

–Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ): Class I; Class IIIminerals mining; Class IV; Class V injection wells

–Texas Railroad Commission (TRC): Class II oil & gas; Class III brinemining wells

•The state’s UIC Program regulates injection in order to protectfresh water and Underground Sources of Drinking Water(USDWs)

•Underground injection wells used for decades to dispose ofwaste:

–1930s: oil companies began injecting wastes into depleted reservoirsthrough converted oil production wells

–1950s: injection of hazardous chemicals and steel industry wastes began

–1960: use of injection wells for waste disposal rose sharply asmanufacturing of chemicals increased

Radioactive MaterialsUnderground InjectionControl

WellClass

Type of InjectionWell

Number ofFacilities

Permitted orAuthorizedWells

ActivePermittedWells

WellsTemporarilyAbandoned

Other Wells(Plugged, UnderClosure Review)

Hazardous WasteDisposal

Nonhazardous WasteDisposal

III

In Situ Mining

5,874

Prohibited (unlessspecificallyauthorized)

145

Miscellaneous Wells(~21 subclasses)

2,440

45,100

Total No. Facilities and Wells(as reported to EPA 2/26/16)

2,505

45,413

5,972

UIC Deep Well Construction FeaturesTypical of Class I Waste Disposal Wells

Surface Casing and Cement Cutaway Diagram of surface casing and cement.

Long String Casing and Cement Cutaway diagram of Long String Casing and Cement.

Tubing, Packer, Wellhead Controls Cutaway diagram of Tubing, Packer, Wellhead Controls.

SurfaceCasing &Cement

Long StringCasing &Cement

Tubing , Packer,Wellhead Controls

Radioactive MaterialsUndergroundInjection Control

Radioactive MaterialsUnderground InjectionControl

Class I Injection Wells: industrial and municipal waste disposalwells that inject beneath the lowermost USDW (non-hazardous,hazardous, and radioactive wastes) – TCEQ issues permits

Wellhead Image of a wellhead at the Desalination Concentrate Disposal Well (San Antonio Water System).

Wellhead 2 Image of a Class One Industrial Disposal Well Wellhead and Pre-injection Units.

Wellhead - Desalination ConcentrateDisposal Well (San Antonio Water System)

Class I Industrial DisposalWell Wellhead & PreInjection Units

Radioactive MaterialsUnderground InjectionControl

Class III Injection Wells: wells used for solution mining ofminerals such as uranium, sulfur and sodium sulfate – TCEQissues permits and aquifer exemptions (requires EPA approval)

In-Situ Recovery Block diagram/cutaway picture of in-situ recovery uranium mining operations.

Block diagram of in-situ recovery uranium mining operations

Radioactive MaterialsUnderground InjectionControl

Class IV Injection Wells: wells that inject hazardous orradioactive fluids into or above a USDW (prohibited except whereauthorized for use in Superfund or RCRA cleanups) – TCEQ hasinventoried

Unauthorized Class IV Injection Well A photo of an open wellhead in front of a sign, taken outdoors in front of an old building. Caption reads: "Unauthorized Class IV injection well discovered during site visit and later closed as part of a site cleanup".

Unauthorized Class IV injection well discoveredduring site visit and later closed as part of a sitecleanup

Open wellhead in front of sign

Radioactive MaterialsUnderground InjectionControl

Class V Injection Wells: Includes ~ 21 subclasses of injection wellsnot included in other well classes - generally inject into or aboveUSDWs TCEQ authorizes and/or inventories – not a permit program

ASR Well Diagram of Aquifer Storage and Recovery well.

EPA schematic showing someClass V injection well types

Aquifer Storage andRecovery WellDiagram