1. Environmental Monitoring for West Cumbria in 2014
John Titley
Monitoring, Assessment and New Reactor Permitting
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2. Contents Sellafield’s permitted discharges
Permitted disposals of solid wastes to the LLWR
Effluents and gaseous check monitoring
Solid LLW check monitoring
Environmental monitoring in West Cumbria
Doses to public in West Cumbria
Conclusions
Future changes to EA monitoring from 2016

3. Sellafield’s permit in 2014
No changes to the discharge permit limits
Discharges of gases; mists; dusts
Gross alpha & beta activities.
13 specified radionuclides.
All discharges of radionuclides well below permit limits.
Liquid discharges via sea pipe-line.
16 nuclides specified, 2 alpha/beta and 1 for U by mass.
Variation in discharges from changes in amount of fuel reprocessed.

4. Sellafield’s sea pipe discharges (Bq/y)
Nuclide
Discharge
2013
2014
% of Limit
Tritium
1.37E+15
1.35E+15
6.8
Carbon-14
5.53E+12
5.35E+12 25
Cobalt-60
5.07E+10
4.70E+10
1.3
Strontium-90
1.06E+12
1.63E+12
3.6
Technetium-99
1.10E+12
1.27E+12 13
Caesium-137
3.24E+12
2.65E+12
7.8
Plutonium alpha
1.53E+11
1.51E+11 22
(1.0E+12 Bq = 1 TBq)

5. Sellafield’s atmospheric discharges 2014 (Bq/y)
Nuclide
Limit
Discharge
% of Limit
Tritium
1.10E+15
9.47E+13
8.6
Carbon-14
3.30E+12
3.40E+11 10
Krypton-85
4.40E+17
5.62E+16 13
Antimony-125
3.00E+10
8.83E+09 29
Plutonium alpha
1.90E+08
1.69E+07
8.9
Americium- 241
1.20E+08
1.28E+07 11
Radon-222
5.00E+11
4.26E+10
8.5
(1.0E+12 Bq = 1 TBq)

6. Sellafield’s permit in 2015
Changes to the permit
2015 permit variation - liquid discharges
new emission point added –
Calder Interceptor sewer for very low level effluent
new site annual limits -
10% lower than previous sea pipeline limits for
total alpha, total beta; tritium *

7. LLWR permit status in 2014
No change to limits on liquids, gases and solid waste disposal at the site.
There were no disposals of solid radioactive waste during 2014
In October 2015 the Environment Agency issued a varied permit allowing the disposal of further radioactive waste at the LLWR

8. Disposals to LLWR in 2014 (Bq/y)
Nuclide
LLW Limit
LLW Disposal
% of Limit
Tritium
1.0E+13
Carbon-14
5.0E+10
Cobalt-60
Iodine-129
2.0E+12
Uranium
3.0E+11
Other alpha
(1.0E+12 Bq = 1 TBq)

9. Other sites in West Cumbria
Metal Recycling Facility
Operated by Studsvik UK Ltd at Lillyhall Industrial Estate.
Processes metallic LLW for recycling.
Permitted discharges:
Liquids -
alpha limit = 5E+05; discharge = <1%
beta limit = 5E+05; discharge = 2.1%
Gases –
beta limit = 5E+05; discharge = 3.7%
Lillyhall landfill
Operated by FCC Environment for landfilling of VLLW
No radioactive waste accepted during 2014

10. Effluent and gaseous discharge check monitoring 2014

11. Effluent & gaseous discharge check monitoring 2014
Agency checks on radionuclides in discharges & disposals in its check monitoring programme
Aerial discharges (bubblers & filters)
From Sellafield (Magnox Reprocessing & THORP)
Liquid effluents
From Sellafield (EARP, SIXEP, SETP, Factory Sewer, Lagoon & Laundry)
From Sellafield site boreholes (introduced in 2006).
From LLWR (near Drigg)

12. Sellafield - gaseous monitoring 2014
Overall 2014: 48 analytical comparisons.

13. Sellafield - liquid effluent monitoring 2014
Overall 2014: 508 analytical comparisons

14. Sellafield – Boreholes monitoring 2014
Overall 2014: 120 comparisons.

15. LLWR - liquid effluent monitoring 2014
Overall 2014: 16 analytical comparisons .

16. Changes to check monitoring of boreholes in 2015
Clarity over groundwater regulation on nuclear sites
Regulatory responsibility with ONR (not EA)
EA vires to check monitor boreholes now clear
We stopped in 2015
We have results for first quarter of 2015

17. Checking of solid LLW disposals
Solid LLW disposals to LLWR from nuclear sites in England and Wales
Changes to LLW management and disposal.
Aim: Wastes segregated, sorted and treated.
Much less material for disposal to LLWR.
Fewer ISO consignments of mixed waste.
EA checking (assurance) arrangements for LLW.
Targeted checking of key waste streams.
Reference drum checking
Checking found no issues in 2014

18. Finalisation of checking at Harwell
Harwell – check on characterisation of samples of waste (underground drains) being disposed of at the Kingscliffe Landfill in Northamptonshire.
We have been accessing the excavated waste as it is removed from the ground, prior to disposal, sampling, analysing, review of RSRL’s approach
Our monitoring completed in Draft report prepared with regulators for comment.

19. Half height ISO freight from SzwB
HHISO from SzwB sent to LLWR
We used Cavendish Nuclear’s technique
Detect nuclides from the outside of the HHISO using High Resolution Gamma Spectrometry (HRGS)
Results interpreted using Cavendish Nuclear Particle Swarm Imaging (PSIM)
Initially a blind analysis (phase 1)
no prior knowledge of the ISO container or its contents.

20. Half height ISO freight from SzwB
Followed by informed tests (phase 2)
Using information declared by the originating site.
container weight, contents description, activity assessment (wastestream radionuclide mix)
PSIM interpretation refined using this information
Phase #1 and phase #2 results for the measured isotopes showed good agreement with the consignor declared activities.

21. Half height ISO freight from SzwB
Phase 2
PSIM image for Co-60 in the phase #1 results highlighted an area of high activity – confirmed by the consignor declared information.
The refined PSIM modelling in the phase #2 analysis resulted in a reduction in measurement uncertainty on the activity values (factor of 2)

22. Reference drum tests Brought back into use 2 x reference drums
Content of drums is known to the EA
Radionuclides and quantity are known
‘Difficult’ drum and ‘easier’ drum
Drums offered to site test equipment
Initially 5 sites –
Trawsfynydd and Wylfa in Wales during 2014
Sizewell A and Dungeness A; Hartlepool during 2015

23. Reference drum tests Results: Equipment used by the sites
Within 20% to 30% of the known content of the easier drum.
Within 60% to 100% of the known content of the more challenging drum.

24. Environmental Monitoring in 2014.
Up to four times per year

25. Environmental Monitoring in 2014
The Environment Agency is responsible for monitoring non-food parts of the environment.
Sediments, water, seaweed, grass, soil, dose rates.
Ensuring the dose limit of 1 mSv/y is not exceeded.
The Food Standards Agency is responsible for monitoring the food chain.
Fish, shellfish, milk, vegetables and meat.
Ensuring that doses from foods are assessed.
Direct radiation - Office for Nuclear Regulation ONR
Results from the 3 organisations are used to assess total dose – compared with dose limit.
Up to four times per year

26. Environmental dose rates 2014
Cumbrian and Lancashire Coastlines
Average UK background dose rates
silts 0.07 Gy/h
sand 0.05 Gy/h
Highest annual dose rates (2013 in brackets)
River Mite 0.14 Gy/h (0.15Gy/h)
Newbiggin viaduct 0.12 Gy/h (0.13 Gy/h)
Upper River Calder 0.11 Gy/h (0.10Gy/h)
5 mg probably a bead of resin

27. W Cumbria Coast - Dose rate trends

28. Gamma dose rates above mud & salt marshes in NE Irish Sea (Fig 2.23)

29. Summary - silt concs – Eskmeals
Nuclide
Silt concentrations Bq/kg
Average
2014 (2013)
(98-12)
Cobalt-60
27 (29)
4.7 (5.8)
Ruthenium-106
71 (75)
<7.2 (6.7)
Caesium-137
488 (502)
380 (280)
Americium-241
1140 (1136)
1600 (1200)
Plutonium-239/40
630 (634)
720 (570)

30. West Cumbria – Eskmeals
West Cumbria – Eskmeals. Co-60 levels in sediments (Bq/kg) and discharges (TBq/y)

31. West Cumbria - Eskmeals Ru-106 levels in Sediments (Bq/kg) and discharges (TBq/y)

32. West Cumbria - Eskmeals Cs-137 levels in Sediments (Bq/kg) and discharges (TBq/y)

33. West Cumbria - Eskmeals Am-241 levels in Sediments (Bq/kg) and discharges (TBq/y)

34. West Cumbria - Eskmeals Pu-239/40 levels in sediments (Bq/kg) and discharges (TBq/y)

35. Concs of Am-241 & Cs-137 in coastal sediments in the NE Irish Sea (Figure 2.22)

36. Doses in West Cumbria in 2014

37. Presentation of doses in RIFE – 20 for 2014
RIFE-20: Presents ‘total dose’ first
‘Total dose’ methodology agreed in 2004
Information on habits around nuclear sites
‘Total dose’ assessments completed at all nuclear sites
Doses using other slightly different methods retained (but no longer highlighted at the front of the report)

38. Summary of non food doses (mSv/y)
Group
2012
2013
2014
Recreational user of beaches – North Cumbria
0.010
0.011
0.012
Ravenglass, Estuary marsh user
0.017
Houseboat dweller, Ribble*
0.083
0.071
0.056
Dose limit for public 1

39. Total dose summary (mSv/y)
Group
Source
2012
2013
2014
Seafood & external dose, 5 y habits
Sellafield
0.14
0.12
0.09
Whitehaven
0.19
0.06
0.13
Total
0.33
0.18
0.22
Total dose method
Fish consumers
All sources
Houseboat dwellers Walney
0.08
Inhabitants & consumers of local food (infants)
0.02
0.01
Dose limit for public 1

40. Total dose (mSv/y) West Cumbria (local seafood consumers)

41. Conclusions – 1 Disposals & discharges
No changes to permit limits for LLWR or Sellafield.
Discharge monitoring – broadly acceptable agreement for liquid and gaseous discharges from Sellafield and from LLWR.
Solid LLW checking continued and found no issues

42. Conclusions – 2 Environment
Dose rates - generally unchanged
Environmental concentrations – generally unchanged and with similar trends to previous years (e.g. Eskmeals)
Residue of higher historic environmental burden from 1970s and 1980s continue to affect levels seen.
Results are “noisy” with variation from year to year

43. Conclusions – 3 Doses Total dose < 1 mSv/y dose limit.
Highest doses (0.22 mSv) associated with Sellafield past discharges increased in 2014 v 2013 primarily because of;
increase in range of seafoods eaten.
an increase in the proportion of lobster in the diet of high rate consumers
Representative person is a high rate mollusc consumer near Sellafield (in 2013 houseboat dweller near Barrow)
Highest doses associated with past discharges from Whitehaven plant (0.15 mSv) and to a lesser extent Sellafield (0.068 mSv)

44. EA monitoring programme for 2016
Proposals provided in our report of July 2015
Comments received back from COMARE, Allerdale BC, Sellafield Limited, Food Standards Agency
Minor changes made to;
Seawater & grass analysis, Sellafield tarn (water not sediment), Raven Villa sediment analysis will remain as now, seaweed method to be agreed (tips/whole plant), grass, soil and terrestrial dose rate locations agreed.
Decision document available if requested
Programme will commence in January 2016

45. End
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