Duties of the Resident Inspectors at the Texas Low- Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Facility in Andrews County Diane Wakefield, Health Physicist, Resident Inspector Joe Gonzalez, Health Physicist, Resident Inspector Radioactive Materials Compliance Team Critical Infrastructure Division Office of Compliance and Enforcement Texas Commission on Environmental Quality Environmental Trade Fair and Conference Austin, TexasMay 4, 2016

Introduction  Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 401 mandates that Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) have two Resident Inspectors at the Waste Control Specialists LLC (WCS, the Licensee) Low-Level Radioactive Waste (LLRW) disposal facility 30 miles west of Andrews, Texas  The Resident Inspectors serve as the TCEQ (State) agent for the receipt and disposal of the waste at the Compact Waste Disposal Facility (CWF) and the Federal Waste Facility (FWF). Main focus is on the CWF operation.  Title of commercial waste received and accepted at the CWF is transferred to the State of Texas at the time the waste is accepted for disposal. The TCEQ, on behalf of the State of Texas, is the owner of the CWF  Acceptance and disposal of commercial LLRW disposal are conducted in accordance with Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 401,Title 30, Health and Texas Administrative Code (TAC), Chapter 336 and Radioactive Material License R04100

Introduction  Radioactive Materials Compliance and Inspection Team resides within the Critical Infrastructure Division (CID)  The Radioactive Materials Compliance and Inspection Team within the CID consists of five inspectors, including a Work Leader and two resident inspectors  The two Resident Inspectors have an office on-site and are assigned full-time to the WCS LLRW operations Currently, both resident inspectors live in Andrews  The TCEQ Radioactive Materials Licensing Program resides within the Radioactive Materials Division (RMD)

TCEQ Resident Inspector Duties during Construction Phase  Monitored and documented all aspects of construction related to the CWF and FWF in coordination with RMD Licensing Team  Participated in weekly meetings with WCS staff and contractors regarding CWF and FWF construction activities  Interacted with the RMD Licensing Team and assisted with environmental surveillance/sampling on a quarterly basis, such as collecting and exchanging facility perimeter environmental dosimeters  Participated in emergency response exercises, drills, and actual emergencies

Resident Inspectors Duties during CWF and FWF Operation Phase ▪ Prior to receipt of the waste shipment at the facility, the Licensee is required to notify the TCEQ in writing at least five (5) days before the arrival of the waste shipment at the facility for disposal at CWF and FWF ▪ Main focus is on CWF operations; certain FWF waste shipments may be inspected and documented by the Resident Inspectors ▪ Resident Inspectors and RMD review the advanced waste shipment manifests for CWF and discuss their findings ▪ Upon arrival of the waste shipment at the facility, the driver of the vehicle delivers the final manifest to the Licensee. The inspector(s) coordinate with the Licensee to obtain a copy of the final manifest and compare to the advanced manifest for accuracy and any changes ▪ In case of issues/ discrepancies, the inspectors assure that discrepancies are addressed by the Licensee in accordance with the license requirements and Licensee’s TCEQ approved procedures ▪ Depending on the severity of issues/discrepancies, further process of the waste shipment may be put on hold until the issues/ discrepancies are addressed by the Licensee ▪ After the disposal of the waste, the inspector(s) obtain a copy of the final manifest signed by the Licensee for inclusion with the inspection report

Preparation for Inspection and Survey Activities ▪ Attend Pre-job (activities) meeting on a daily basis held by the Licensee; meeting includes discussion of various aspects of the activities for the day, including radiation safety and other related safety issues ▪ The Resident Inspectors coordinate with the Licensee to assure that all applicable licensee’s site specific training, safety, and radiation protection requirements are met prior to the start of the activities ▪ Availability of all necessary equipment such as TCEQ and Licensee issued personal dosimeter, hardhat, safety glasses, steel toe shoes, gloves, camera, binocular, appropriate calibrated instruments, including detectors, and other equipment deemed necessary to accomplish the task successfully

Resident Inspectors Duties during CWF and FWF Operation Phase  Visual inspection and surveys of the vehicle transporting the waste shipment, including the shipping container ; visual inspection and radiation surveys on certain waste containers/packages (i.e. drums) received at WCS to ensure compliance with US Department of Transportation requirements and the license  Witness waste verification conducted by the Licensee to ensure the waste is properly characterized and packaged in accordance with license and Waste Acceptance Criteria prior to disposal  Witness certain stages of waste processing, grouting, void filling/solidification  Complete a TCEQ LLRW Shipment Inspection Report for each waste shipment to provide documentation of the TCEQ’s inspection findings  Site surveillance to document site conditions and to address any areas that may need attention  Collect and exchange facility perimeter environmental dosimeters on a quarterly basis  Participate in emergency response exercises, drills, and actual emergencies Flat bed Vehicle-Cask shipment: Lid to the cask being removed to transfer the waste package into shielded cylindrical canister Waste package is being transferred into shielded cylindrical canister Closed vehicle surveys and inspections

Drum Shipments Offloading and sampling/verification of the waste in CWF staging building Sampling room inside CWF staging building

CWF Disposal Operation The CWF received its first shipment for disposal on April 27, 2012 Currently, CWF accepts Class A, Class B, and Class C LLRW Waste is transported in cask and non-cask containers (i.e., drums, B- 25 boxes, and other approved containers) Rectangular or cylindrical reinforced concrete canisters are used for disposal of the waste Void filling and/or solidification of containerized waste inside the canister is conducted by the Licensee prior to disposal Canisters are leveled in the disposal cell; voids between the canisters are filled with sand CWF

CWF Disposal Operation An operator removing the hook from the lid to a canister after the final disposal of the waste CWF

Example of an Environmental Monitoring Station Thermometer OSLOSL OSL ENV. Dosimeter Radon Cup TCEQ Radon Cup

An inside view of the TCEQ Resident Inspectors offices Two offices A conference room A storage room A restroom

Outside TCEQ Resident Inspectors office Looking southwest

Contact Information Diane Wakefield Office: Joe Gonzalez Office: Muhammadali Abbaszadeh Office:

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