BALANCING CERCLA AND FACILITY OPERATIONS: APPLICATION OF THE DQO PROCESS AT HANFORD’S SPENT NUCLEAR FUEL STORAGE BASINS

Waste sources and appropriate response actions are difficult to distinguish when several facilities with similar waste characteristics are located within a CERCLA operable unit and groundwater contamination is detected. Close coordination or integration of multiple program requirements is needed to meet the shared goal of water resource protection. This paper describes a case history of an application of a process to integrate groundwater monitoring at a spent nuclear fuel storage basin with ongoing surplus facility decommissioning and remediation programs, all of which may have and may continue to impact groundwater quality during the interim period prior to closure. The DQO based approach facilitated multi-program integration and resulted in improved groundwater monitoring efficiencies, and more effective use of the corrective action process through shared program responsibilities. A balance was thus achieved between operational groundwater protection requirements and CERCLA cleanup schedules.