1. Colorado: Current Waste Disposal Approaches and Challenges
TENORM
Colorado: Current Waste Disposal Approaches and Challenges
Jim Grice, Radioactive Materials Unit Leader
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment

2. Disposal as Solid Waste
Solid Waste RCRA Subtitle D
Municipal Solid Waste
Industrial
Restrict Dose to Public to 25 mrem annually
RESRAD (worker and 1000 yr resident)
CAP-88 or MILDOSE (Radon offsite estimates if methane collection system is used)

3. Challenges Concentration limits for RCRA D
What wastes should be characterized?
What is an appropriate or statistically defensive characterization?
How long is a waste profile good for?

4. Concentration limits
Upper bounds of 50 pCi/g in an engineered landfill
Likely less than 100% of waste volume
0.05% by mass for U and Th
Regulatory limit.
Pb, Po, etc. Unsupported Daughters
In general these can be at 50 pCi/g as well
Worker dose is more problematic than resident farmer.

5. Waste Streams of Interest
Water Treatment:
Drinking Water
IX Media
Green Sand
HMO
Soils from discharge area/impoundment
Wastewater (if there is a discharge to the system from another water treatment activity)
Biosolids
Drying beds
Industrial (any treatments that would likely concentrate metals)
Any Filter media
O&G E&P:
Filter socks
Tank bottoms
Horizontal cuttings in uranium bearing formations
Filter press cake
Residual materials dislodged during cleaning and maintenance activities on the following:
Crude oil pipeline (pipe scale scraping/rattling/wire brushing)
Natural Gas scrubbers, compressors, reflux pumps, control valves and product lines
Gas/oil separators
Dehydration vessels
Liquid natural gas (LNG) storage tanks

6. How to characterize? How many samples is enough?
Must have an adequate confidence that materials do not exceed limits
EPA SW-846
Sampling plans and statistical methods for establishing confidence
Generators and Disposal Facilities need to be informed

7. Waste Profile Validity
How long can a waste profile be used?
Periodic sampling and use of statistical tests to verify that the dataset is still valid for ongoing waste streams
Should be spelled out in Waste Characterization Plan

8. Solid Waste Landfill Disposal
What it can and should be:
Safe, Protective, Cost effective, Sensible solution
The Devil is in the details:
Waste Identification, Dose assessments, Concentration limits, Waste characterization and acceptance

9. Thank You! Questions? Jim Grice, Radioactive Materials Unit Leader
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment –