Text

Transcript of 990208 Meeting in Rockville,Md Re Briefing on High Level Waste Program Viability Assessment.Pp 1-43
	ML20203D131
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Issue date:	02/08/1999
From:	; NRC (Affiliation Not Assigned)
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Title:

BRIEFING ON THE HIGH LEVEL WASTE PROGRAM VIABILITY ASSESSMENT PUBLIC MEETING Location: Rockville, Maryland m. Date: Monday, February 8,1999 t

 ,           Pages:       1 - 43

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DISCLAIMER This is an unofficial transcript of a meeting of

 ,                   the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission held on                                                      ,

February 8, 1999, in the Commission's office at One White Flint North, Rockville, Maryland. The meeting was open to public attendance and observation. This transcript has not l

been reviewed, corrected or edited, and it may contain inaccuracies. ! l The transcript is intended solely for general informational purposes. As provided by 10 CFR 9.103, it is not part of the formal or informal record of decision of the matters discussed. Expressions of opinion in this transcript do not necessarily reflect final determination or beliefs. No pleading or other paper may be filed with the Commission in any proceeding as the result of, or addressed to, any statement or argument contained herein, except as the Commission may authorize. ' l 1

S- 1 1 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 2 NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION 3 *** 4 BRIEFING ON THE HIGH LEVEL 5 WASTE PROGRAM VIABILITY ASSESSMENT

  . 6                                                 ***

l 7 PUBLIC MEETING s 8 l l 9 Nuclear Regulatory Commission ! 10 One White Flint North, 11 Room 1F-16 l l 12 11555 Rockville Pike l 13 Rockville, Maryland 14 Monday, February 8, 1999 15 The Commission met in open session, pursuant to 16 notice, at 2:05 p.m., Shirley A. Jackson, Chairman, 17 presiding. 18 COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: 19 SHIRLEY A. JACKSON, Chairman of the Commission I l 20 NILS J. DIAZ, Member of the Commission 21 EDWARD McGAFFIGAN, JR., Member of the Commission 22 GRETA J. DICUS, Member of the Commission 23 JEFFREY S. MERRIFIELD, Member of the Commission l

24 25 4

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                 .1       STAFF PRESENT:                                                                                               :

2 JOHN C. HOYLE, Secretary

3 KAREN D. CYR, General Counsel i

4 ANNETTE L. VIETTI-COOK, Assistant Secretary

5 PRESENTERS: ' 6 LAKE H. BARRETT, Acting Director, Office of - f 7 Civilian Radioactive Waste Management 8- STEPHAN BROCOUM, Yucca Mountain Site 9 Characterization, Office, Department of Energy l 10 ; l 11 12 13 l l 14 ; i 15 - l 16 1 17 l 18 19 20 21

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S- 3 i 1 PROCEEDINGS I 2 [2:15 p.m.] l 3 CHAIRMAN JACKSON: Good afternoon. ladies and 4 gentlemen. Today the Department of Energy will provide the 5 Commission with a briefing on its viability assessment of a

  -     6  repository at the Yucca Mountain, Nevada site.

7 DOE last briefed the Commission on the High Level 8 Waste Program on May 15th, 1997. Over the past 15 years, 9 the Department of Energy has been studying the site at Yucca l 10 Mountain to determine if it is a suitable place to build a 11 geologic repository for the nation's apent nuclear fuel and 12 high level radioactive waste. In response to Congressional 13 direction in the FY 1997 Energy and Water Development 14 Appropriations Act, on December 18th, 1998, DOE issued a 15 viability assessment. The purpose of it is to provide the l 16 President, the Congress and the public with information on 17 the progress -- see, I am taking some of your words, Lake, 18 probably -- at the Yucca Mountain site and to identify the i 19 critical issues that need additional study before a decision I 20 can be made on whether to recommend the site for development 21 as a repository. 22 Although there is no specific requirement for the 23 NRC review of the viability assessment, the NRC Staff 24 presently is doing so as part of its responsibility for

25 prelicensing consultation required by the Nuclear Waste I

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S- 4 1 Policy Act of 1992. This is consultation with the DOE. 2 The objectives of the NRC staff review are, first, 3 to identify DOE progress in developing information necessary 4 for complete license application; second, to determine the 5 potential for licensing vulnerabilities that could preclude 6 or pose a major risk to licensing; and third, to determine - 7 if there are any major concerns that if not resolved by DOE 8 would result in an unacceptable license application. 9 On March 16th and 17th the NRC Staff, the State of 10 Nevada, the affected local governments, the Advisory 11 Committee on Nuclear Waste, and the Nuclear Waste Technical 12 Review Board are all scheduled to brief the Commission on 13 the viability assessment, but we welcome today Mr. Lake 14 Barrett, DOE's Acting Director of the Office of Civilian 15 Radioactive Waste Management, to the briefing. If DOE does 16 not object, Mr. Barrett in particular, we may interrupt your 17 presentation from time to time to ask pertinent questions, 18 and then at the close of the presentation I will open the 19 discussion to any additional general questions from the 20 Commission. We will try to let you get through, however, 21 your presentation.

22 Now I understand that copies of the viewgraphs and 23 the viability assessment overview are available at the 24 entrances to the room, so unless my colleagues have anything 25 to add, Mr. Barrett, Please proceed.

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l S- 5 1 MR. BARRETT: Thank you very much, Chairman 2 Jackson, members of the Commission. 3 Since I last appeared before you, the Civilian 4 Radioactive Waste Management Program has continued to make 5 substantial progress in carrying out its responsibilities

   . 6  under the Nuclear Waste Policy Act.          Despite reduced FY 1998 7  and 1999 appropriations, we have maintained and often 8  exceeded our schedules by achieving efficiencies and 9

re-prioritizing work activities while maintaining the safety 10 and integrity of the scientific work. 11 When I spoke to you last, the program was focused 12 on preparation of the Yucca Mountain viability assessment. 13 On December 18th the Secretary submitted the viability 14 assessment and its companion documents to the President, the 15 Congress, and released it to the public. 16 The viability assessment serves as an important 17 management tool for the program to guide the completion of 18 the site characterization by identifying the critical issues 19 that need to be addressed before the Secretary of Energy 20 decides whether to recommend the Yucca Mountain site to the

   - 21  President for development as a repository.

22 While the viability assessment is not one of the 23 decision points defined in the Nuclear Waste Policy Act, its 24 completion is significant because it gives policymakers like 25 the Commission key information regarding the prospects for ANN RILEY & ASSOCIATES, LTD. Court Reporters 1025 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 1014 Washington, D.C. 20036 (202) 842-0034

S- 6 1 geologic disposal at Yucca Mountain. 2 Based on the viability assessment, we believe the 3 work should proceed to support a decision by the Secretary 4 in 2001 on whether to recommend the site. While the 5 viability assessment reveals no show-stoppers, it does 6 identify areas where additional work is required before - 7 suitability can be determined and the Secretary can decide 8 whether to recommend the site. 9 We hope the VA will provide our respective staffs 10 with a frame of reference to conduct the prelicensing 11 interactions necessary to facilitate the timely submittal 12 and review of a high quality license application if the site 13 is found suitable. We expect that the informat.'.on contained 14 in the viability assessment and the performance assessment 15 components will provide an adequate technical basis for a 16 license application when combined with the additional 17 information that will be obtained as a result of the work 18 described in the License Application Plan. 19 The Commission's views regarding the acceptability 20 of our approach will be important to forming a mutual 21 understanding of what will be expected of this program

22 during the licensing process.

23 We are now refining our licensing approach and 24 obtaining the necessary scientific and technical information 25 to support our safety analyses. Central to this work is ANN RILEY & ASSOCIATES, LTD. Court Reporters 1025 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 1014 Washington, D.C. 20036 (202) 842-0034

S- 7 1 refinement of our safety case, which supports the evaluation 2 of the site and the key design decisions that are 3 forthcoming. 4 In addition, we will continue to focus on 5 improving the implementation of our quality assurance a 6 requirements. Today I will provide you with an overview of 7 the program and focus on the program elements that in 8 combination with an updated regulatory framework will be 9 essential to licensing a repository at Yucca Mountain should 10 the site be recommended and approved. 11 For our budget in FY 1999 Congress appropriated 12 $358 million -- $22 million less than President Clinton's 13 budget request. Congress further directed that $4 million 14 of that $358,000,000 be used for the study related to 15 accelerated transportation of waste, thus leaving $354 ; 16 million available to the program at Yucca Mountain. I l 17 The President's request was intended to maintain 18 our schedule for completing necessary site activities for a 19 site suitability determination, issuing environmental impact 20 statements, and submitting a repository license application - 21 if the site is recommended. Congress endorsed this work but 22 reduced the appropriation. The FY 1999 funding is adequate i 23 to continue implementing the revised program approach as 24 refined in the viability assessment. 25 We plan to publish a draft Environmental Impact ANN RILEY & ASSOCIATES, LTD. Court Reporters 1025 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 1014 Washington, D.C. 20036 (202) 842-0034

l S- 8 I

    -1  Statement this coming summer. We have made the necessary                        j 2 programmatic adjustments to maintain our schedule and 3  conduct additional studies of issues identified in the 4 viability assessment.

l i 5 The cumulative effect of the budget reductions I I i 6 over the last three years, however, coupled with the

i 7 additional studies needed to address key scientific issues, 8 is stretching the program's resources. Our FY 2000 budget i

9 request, which has a significant increase for Yucca t 10 Mountain, supports the funding requirements identified in l 11 the viability assessment. As the program continues to build 12 on the momentum achieved over the last five years, our l ' 13 budget request supports the activities necessary to ' 14 determine the suitability of the site and to develop the l 15 documentation needed for a Secretarial decision on the site i i 16 recommendation in 2001. 17 Specifically in 2000 we will issue a final : 18 Environmental Impact Statement. The Nuclear Waste Policy 1 19 Act requires a final Environmental Impact Statement 1 i 20 accompany the site recommendation and to the extent 21 practicable be adopted by the Commission in connection with

22 the issuance of a construction authorization and a license .

23 if we are successful in our licensing endeavor. 24 CHAIRMAN JACKSON: Mr. Barrett, let me -- can I 25 ask you a question? l ) ANN RILEY & ASSOCIATES, LTD. Court Reporters 1025 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 1014 Washington, D.C. 20036 (202) 842-0034 i

l S- 9 1 MR. BARRETT: Sure. 2 CHAIRMAN JACKSON: You mentioned about having the 3 program's resources stretched. Have you had to postpone 4 other aspects of the program like canister design to j l 5 maintain the schedule to complete these addit . onal studies

  -   6 of issues identified in the viability assessment?

7 MR. BARRETT: Unfortunately, we have had to do l l . l 8 that. We have in the national transportation program, we 9 have pretty much had to defer most of our activities in any l l 10 transportation hardware development, the multipurpose 11 canister initiatives. We are basically not doing any 12 Federal work in that area, working on the institutional 13 issues of national transportation -- which are very 14 important -- we have had to unfortunately defer those until 15 a national decision is made on siting, so we have had to 16 basically focus almost exclusively on the scientific aspects 17 of Yucca Mountain that lead toward its suitability and 18 license application. 19 CHAIRMAN JACKSON: Okay. Thank you. l 20 MR. BARRETT: In addition, we will begin

  - 21  evaluating the site for compliance with the repository 22  siting guidelines, that's DOE 10 CFR 960, and we will 23  complete the internal review of a working draft LA and will 24  initiate development of an acceptance draft LA which we will l

25 make available to your Staff starting next year. l 1 'i ANN RILEY & ASSOCIATES, LTD.

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S- 10 1 CHAIRMAN JACKSON: LA being license application. 2 MR. BARRETT: Thank you very much, Madam Chairman. L 3 The viability assessment, as the Chairman 4 mentioned in the beginning, does contain four primary 5 components. ' 6 First, it describes the preliminary design concept ' 7 for the critical elements of a repository and the waste 8 package. Second, it contains the total system performance l 9 assessment based on the design concept and the scientific 10 data analyses available at this time and describes the 11 probably behavior of the repository in the Yucca Mountain 12 geologic setting. Third, it presents a plan and cost 13 estimate for the remaining work to complete -- to submit the l 14 license application. Fourth, it lays out an estimate of the i 15 cost to construct and operate the repository consistent with 16 the reference repository design concept. 17 The VA as published also contains an introduction 18 and a detailed description of the characteristics of the 19 site. In front of each of the Commissioners is a copy of 20 the overview. One thing I will mention we did in the 21 viability assessment is an attempt to make this widely

22 disseminated to interested members of the public. We have .

23 put this entire document on our Internet site, which we have 24 had tens of thousands of hits or visits to by members of the 25 public and also in this is a CD ROM that has the entire ANN RILEY & ASSOCIATES, LTD. Court Reporters 1025 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 1014 Washington, D.C. 20036 , (202) 842-0034

S- 11 1 viability assessment document in it as well. 2 The viability assessment identifies the inherent 3 advantages of the Yucca Mountain as a potential repository 4 site, including its remote location, semi-arid climate and 5 deep groundwater table. Less than half an inch of water

 .      6 reaches the level of the repository per year. Based on the 7  viability assessment, we believe Yucca Mountain remains a 8  promising site for a geologic repository and the work should 9  proceed to support a decision in 2001 whether to recommend 10  the site as the nation's first repository.

11 We understand that the uncertainties remain about 12 the key natural processes, the preliminary design, and how 13 the site and the design would interact and we recognize that 14 our assumptions and analyses have yet to be challenged in a 15 rigorous licensing proceeding. To address these 16 uncertainties, we will focus on improving our understanding 17 of the key natural processes as well as improving the 18 repository and waste package design. 19 The primary objective of our licensing approach is 20 to integrate the rationale and plans for the remaining 21 technical work with the statutory and regulatory framework 22 within which the work must be done and the decisions must be 23 made. 24 We support your efforts to create a site-specific 25 Part 63 that would apply exclusively to Yucca Mountain. To i l l l ANN RILEY & ASSOCIATES, LTD. Court Reporters ! 1025 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 1014 Washington, D.C. 20036 l (202) 842-0034 l l l

S- 12 1 revise 10 CFR Part 63 will address our need to understand 2 the key licensing requirements for a repository site at 3 Yucca Mountain. ' 4 Our current License Application Plan describes our 5 overall approach to completing the site characterization and i 6 is contained in Volume 4 of the viability assessment. The

7 License Application Plan presents the activities we believe l 8 should be completed prior to determining the suitability of 9 the site and preparing a license application. Your review i 10 is essential to forming a mutual understanding of what is 11 expected from the program in the licensing process.

12 We fully expect our approach to licensing will 13 continue to evolve as we work toward understanding and 14 resolving potential licensing issues. 15 Several years ago your Staff refocused your 16 program around 10 key technical issues deemed most important 17 to repository performance. We are continuing to focus on 18 resolving these key technical issues. The LA Plan contains 19 a crosswalk that indicates where each of your key technical 20 issues is addressed in our viability assessment. 21 Of the remaining additional technical work

22 identified in the License Application Plan, the postclosure 23 safety case is clearly the highest priority. Our 24 postclosure safety case must provide reasonable assurance 25 that a repository at Yucca Mountain will protect the public ANN RILEY & ASSOCIATES, LTD.

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S- 13 1 health and safety and the environment after a repository is 2 closed and sealed. The safety case is a set of arguments 3 that will b,e made to show that the repository system will 4 contain and isolate waste sufficiently. 1 5 Underpinning the set of arguments is an 6 understanding of the performance of the repository system. q 7 The repository safety strategy is the framework for l l 8 integrating the performance assessment, site information and l 9 exploration, and the repository design to develop the l 10 postclosure safety case. Our safety strategy is based upon 11 demonstrating that a Yucca Mountain repository with four key 12 attributes would protect the public health and safety and 13 the environment for thousands of years. 14 The four attributes are limited water contact with 15 the waste packages, long waste package lifetime, slow 16 release of the radionuclides from the breached waste l 1 17 packages, and reduction in the concentration of 18 radionuclides as they are transported from the breached 19 waste packages to the environment. 20 Evaluations of these attributes are guided by 21 summarizing current knowledge and developing testifiable 22 hypotheses to address the issues. Each attribute is 23 influenced by natural processes and the placement of the 24 engineered components -- in other words, multiple natural 25 and engineered barrier, iteration among the site l I ANN RILEY & ASSOCIATES, LTD. j Court Reporters l 1025 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 1014 I Washington, D.C. 20036 ! (202) 842-0034 I

S- 14 1 exploration, design, and performance assessment teams 2 produces an evolving picture of what site information and 3 design features are important to the performance of the 4 repository system. 5 The major thrust of the remaining technical work 6 is to select the design which will be carried through

7 licensing. Selecting the design will include comparisons of 8 the options and alternatives. It will require a sequence of 9 decisions regarding criticality issues, approaches to 1C repository sealing and closure and evaluation of design 11 alternatives.

12 The viability assessment reference design was 13 developed to define a workable repository concept for Yucca 14 Mountain and to provide a consistent basis for evaluating 15 the significancc of natural processes and engineered 16 features. The design is not fixed and enhancements will 17 continue to be included throughout the repository design 18 process evolution. l 19 Our design approach balances the need to develop l 20 and maintain a coherent working concept with the recognition 21 that the design concept will invariably evolve throughout ' 22 the process of suitability, licensing, and construction. 23 Our design process has and will continue to consider the 24 potential advantages of alternative design features, 25 concepts, and options. ANN RILEY & ASSOCIATES, LTD. Court Reporters 1025 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 1014 Washington, D.C. 20036 (202) 842-0034

S- 15 , t 1 For example, on the same day that I last briefed ' 2 the Commission Nye County presented its views on ventilation ' 3 and extended monitoring of the repository. We listened to t 4 this exchange and agreed that future generations should make i 5 the ultimate decision on whether it is appropriate to

      .            6  continue to maintain a repository in an open, monitored                                          ?

7 condition or to seal and close the repository if they are , 8 comfortable with the risks involved. 9 To ensure the flexibility for these future 10 decision-makers, the viability assessment reference design 11 allows the repository to be closed as early as 50 years or 12 as late as 300 years from the initiation of waste 13 emplacement. An extended monitoring period also provides 14 the flexibility needed to allow the project to move forward 15 and obtain an improved understanding of the remaining l 16 uncertainties. l 17 As I stated earlier, the viability assessment and 18 License Application Plan guide the completion of a site 19 characterization and the design by identifying the critical 20 issues that need to be addressed and by laying out our

      .          21  technical work plans that will support the resolution of 22  these issues.

23 I am pleased to report that since I last briefed 24 you we have made significant progress in the site 25 exploration, site characterization, science, design, and l l ANN RILEY & ASSOCIATES, LTD. Court Reporters 1025 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 1014 Washington, D.C. 20036 (202) 842-0034

S- 16 l 1 performance assessment areas. The progress has permitted us 2 to evaluate the degree to which the viability assessment 3 reference design exhibits the four key attributes outlined 4 in the repository safety strategy. 5 At this time I would like to point the Commission ! 6 to the monitore and I would like to go through a few of the - ! 7 experiments that have been going on since we last addressed 8 the Commission. 1 9 This is the sketch of the underground area of 1 i 10 exploratory facilities. I 11 The dark is the main five-mile loop that we 12 completed some time ago. The new red is the cross-drift I 13- that is a little over three kilometers long, which goes to r 14 the west side of the block, about 20 meters above the actual , l 15 repository emplacement horizon. I i 16 There are two experiments that I will show in the 17 next slides, but the upper section is the Alcove Number 1 18 where we have done an experiment, and the large heater test l l 19 down at the lower corner here. Next slide, please. ; 20 This is the start of the cross-drift. This is the i 21 small, 16 foot diameter tunnel bar machine being placed into

1 22 the starter tunnel for the cross-drift.

{ 23 This is the cross-drift after it has been 24 completed at the intersection with the main 25 foot tunnel. l 25 This is where you see the conveyers from the two systems ANN RILEY & ASSOCIATES, LTD. ! i' Court Reporters 1025 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 1014 Washington, D.C. 20036 (202) 842-0034

S- 17 1 converging. 2 This is the infiltration experiment that is over 3 Alcove 1. This is where we sprinkled tens of thousands of 4 gallons of water on the surface and below this, directly 5 below this is the Alcove Number 1, where we put in catchers

 . 6  to try to determine our models and calibrate our models on 7 the infiltration rates and seepage into tunnels.

8 This is the sketch of the large heater test. Here 9 the heater test is in the section on your right. It is a 10 160 foot long tunnel. Part of it is concrete-lined, part is 11 not, for emplacement. We put heaters in there. We drilled 12 over three kilometers of instrumented bore holes around this 13 with over 3,000 channels of information for temperature, 14 water, chemistry, rock strain, and we applied heat to the i 15 mountain -- and the next slide, please. 16 This is looking in through some of the insulated 17 windows into the tunnel. We are up to over 300 degrees 18 Fahrenheit inside the tunnel. The way -- we can actually 19 track the water fronts as the water steams and recondenses 20 as we go through. Again, this is where we are comparing

 . 21  this against our models for the thermal zone and the 22  interaction between the engineered aspects of the repository 23  with the natural.        Here you see the predicted on the top and 1

! 24 the measured on the bottom, and you can see over the last 25 year how this has grown and basically our measured ANN RILEY & ASSOCIATES, LTD. Court Reporters 1025 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 1014 Washington, D.C. 20036 (202) 842-0034

S- 18 1 results -- we are very encouraged -- track very nicely with 2 our predicted results in this area, so this is an eight-year 3 test that the Staff, the NRC Staff, follows very carefully. 4 The next area I would like to turn to is our 5 Busted Butte facility which is located nine kilometers south 6 of the tunnel -- the Yucca Mountain tunnel area. Here there

7 is a section of the Calico Hills formation, which is the 8 rock strata below the repository has been thrust up.

9 We have dug into the Busted Butte area and we nave 10 exposed areas of the Calico Hills formation and we are doing 11 chemical tests here to determine what the behavior of the 12 liquids would be in the strata below. This is an experiment 13 where we have put in the Fluorescein Disodium salt tracer 14 material to determine what kind of flow conditions we have 15 here in the Calico Hills, which would be below the 16 repository. We have been encouraged at some of the initial 17 results. It looks like the flow in this area is dominated 18 by matrix flow as opposed to fracture flow, which will be 19 important in the overall performance, but again, a lot of 20 work continues in this next period there. Next slide. 21 Also we have a very active drilling program on the ' 22 surface. Nye County is doing some of the drilling in the 23 saturated zone, south of Yucca Mountain toward Lathrup 24 Wells. They are drilling 22 different wells and they have 25 been drilling around the clock in several locations. I am ANN RILEY & ASSOCIATES, LTD. Court Reporters 1025 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 1014 Washington, D.C. 20036 (202) 842-0034

___.__._ _ ___.._ _.______._ _ _ _.__-_ __ _ . . _ _ . ~ . . . _ _ S- 19 ; l 1 very pleased with the results that we are doing in the i 2 drilling in the saturated zone by Nye County. Next slide, 3 please. 4 There has also been work on the engineering l j i l l 5 aspects. This is a quarter-scale model of the tunnel

      .                     6              actually where we are looking at different backfili -- set 7             up a Richards barrier where we could sort of look for                                    I 8             potential design alternatives where we could diffuse the l                            9             water away from the heated waste package if we were to            -                      l l

10 backfill in the tunnels. Bao ill is not the reference i 11 design, but we have evaluated that as an option to try to

12 improve the performance of a repository in the geologic l

13 setting of Yucca Mountain. I 14 I think that should be the last of the slides. i 15 Now our work is being performed and we believe we 16 have been completing world class science. We also know that 17 world class science is necessary but insufficient for a 18 license application. As I know each of you is aware, your 19 Staff has expressed serious cont $rns about the 20 implementation of our quality assurance program. These ! - 21 concerns have been expressed in the reports by your on-site i 22 representatives, letters from your Staff, and face-to-face l . 1 23 interactions. Although your Staff acknowledges that most of

( 24 the QA issues have been self-identified by the Department, I I 25 want to make it perfectly clear that as we move towards i l

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S- 20 1 licensing a quality assurance program that is capable of 2 identifying issues but is ineffective at preventing and 3 resolving them in a timely manner is unacceptable to the 4 Department of Energy, 5 Let me begin by stating unequivocally that we do l 1 6 not disagree with the conclusions of your Staff regarding - l 7 the implementation of what is structurally a sound quality i 8 assurance program. This program's management team is 9 absolutely committed to making the improvements that are 10 required to become that of a licensee. 11 To date, in the viability assessment we did focus 12 on the world class science and we recognized that that is 13 not going to be sufficient. It must also be performed under 14 an NRC-approved quality assurance program with the necessary 15 processes and documentation that are required. We are 16 working hard to bring that dimension into every scientist, 17 engineer, and administrator's daily routine. 18 During the last fiscal year we completed the 19 consolidation of our multiple quality assurance programs 20 into one overall DOE QA program and have made significant

21 progress in ir.egrating the quality assurance functions of 22 the Office of Quality Assurance with those of the Management 23 and Operating Contractor, TRW. 24 Our QA audit function has been retained solely by 25 DOE and remains independent of TRW. Having one quality ANN RILEY & ASSOCIATES, LTD. Court Reporters 1025 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 1014 Washington, D.C. 20036 (202) 842-0034

l S- 21 1 assurance organization reporting to the Director of the 2 Office of Quality Assurance, who reports directly to me, 3 provides the support to all the program participants and 4 allows a more consistent approach to the implementation and 5 interpretation of the QA program requirements.

     -    6               At our December 9th, 1998 and January 26th, 1999 7  meetings with your Staff to discuss quality assurance 8  issues, we identified actions necessary to address the 9   quality assurance deficiencies, many of which are related to 10   technical data, procurement, software, and model development 11   and use. We recognize the need to adopt an integrated 12   approach to resolution as well as prevention of similar 13  deficiencies in the future.                 To that end, the program has 14  developed and is implementing our corrective action request 15  management plan and response to corrective action requests, 16   which identifies the actions already taken as well as those 17   actions planned to effect the needed improvements in our QA 18   implementation.

19 As you recall, we faced a similar quality 4 20 assurance program implementation issue in 1994 when we began 21 to design and then construct the Exploratory Studies 22 Facility. In that case we also needed to improve the 23 performance in the mining and engineering workforce that was 24 unfamiliar with the nuclear culture and unpracticed in 25 quality assurance processes. ANN RILEY & ASSOCIATES, LTD. Court Reporters 1025 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 1014 Washington, D.C. 20036 (202) 842-0034

1 S- 22 1 We were successful in that transition and we are 2 now taking many of the same steps to effect change in the 3 natural system and performance assessment activities. We 4 recognize the need for comprehensive change in a limited 5 time period, but we have the confidence that we can again do 6 it successfully. - 7 We believe that the implementation of the 8 corrective action report management plan will permit us to 9 employ effective corrective actions that will have a high 10 probability of preventing reoccurrence of the deficiencies. 11 The program is planning to devote adequate resources to this 12 issue. 13 Accordingly, our Corrective Action Board will 14 provide additional management oversight of the corrective 15 action processes. Their objectives are to decrease the 16 overall time for completed corrective actions, to decrease 17 the number of rejected deficiency responses and 18 verifications, and to decrease the overall number of open 19 deficiencies and the ensure the integration of corrective 20 actions for similar deficiencies in the future. 21 The Board charter was approved this January and " 22 the Board members have been selected. The formulation and 23 implementation of the management plan and establishment of 24 the Corrective Action Board illustrate our ongoing 25 commitment to achieving full compliance with nuclear quality ANN RILEY & ASSOCIATES, LTD. Court Reporters 1025 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 1014 Washington, D.C. 20036 (202) 842-0034

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S- 23 1 assurance requirements. We will apply the appropriate level ! 2 of resources and the highest level of management attention 3 to ensure that performance meets management's expectations 4 as well as the NRC's requirements. 5 In addition to the actions mandated by our 6 management plan and as overseen by the Corrective Action 7 Board, it is often appropriate to implement some corrective 8 actions in advance of the identification of root causes. 9 For example, the Yucca Mountain Project began providing 1 10 regulatory and licensing training that portrays quality ' 11 assurance as an integral part of the nuclear culture and a l 12 necessary underpinning of the licensing process. 13 Our four national laboratories are supporting our , i i I 14 program and are being trained in the control and use of 15 scientific notebooks by our program. The training is being 16 conducted to promote a better understanding of the purpose 17 and objectives of scientific notebooks in our program and 18 the rigor of scientific notebook documentation to ensure 19 traceability of our work in any future licensing proceeding. 20 With regard to data qualification, we are o 21 verifying the documentation supporting the status of 22 qualified data and identifying existing nonqualified data l 23 that will be directly relied on in the license application, i l l 24 and must therefore be qualified.

25 Our ongoing process validation and re-engineering i

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S- 24 1 initiative will permit us to develop and implement an 2 interdependent project infrastructure that conforms to 3 project requirements, provides defensibility, traceability, 4 reproduceability, and retrievability for products and 5 information used in the Environmental Impact Statement, the 6 site suitability, the site recommendation and the license - 7 application. 8 Once the process validation and re-engineering 9 initiative is complete, the program will have reviewed and 10 verified work processes, developed a set of integrated work 11 procedures, established an integrated training curriculum 12 supporting the procedures, and create an implementation plan 13 specifying our approach as well as individual roles and 14 responsibilities. 15 DOE considers the improvements and implementation 16 of the quality assurance program to be of paramount 17 importance. As our program moves beyond just world class 18 science, and our quality assurance performance improves, the 19 project expects to enhance its ability to respond to 20 deficiencies and promptly identify root causes and implement 21 the appropriate corrective actions to prevent reoccurrences.

22 We intend to routinely communicate our progress to 23 the NRC Staff and are looking forward to briefing the Staff 24 on the status of our management plan and results achieved to 25 date when we meet this coming April.

ANN RILEY & ASSOCIATES, LTD. Court Reporters 1025 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 1014 Washington, D.C. 20036 (202) 842-0034

S- 25 1 The program is reaching a conclusion of our site 2 characterization efforts. The viability assessment

3 clarified the remaining work required and identified those ' 4 technical issues that should be addressed prior to 5 determining the suitability of the site.

 . 6             We are addressing those issues and have commenced 7

work on assembling the information required to support

8 national decisions on geologic disposal at Yucca Mountain. 9 In closing I would also like to note that since I l 10 last addressed the Commissions, our respective organizations 11 have interacted frequently and have made progress in a l 12 number of areas. The valuable efforts of your Staff have 13 resulted in tough but fair critique an have stimulated j 14 positive change within our team. I hope that we can 15 continue to build on this progress as we move forward. l 16 We intend to keep you and your Staff apprised of ! 17 our progress and look forward to a constructive dialogue as l 18 we carry out our mutual responsibilities. i 1 19 Thank you for the opportunity to brief the 1 20 Commission and I would be pleased to try to answer any l

 . 21  questions that the Commission may have.

22 CHAIRMAN JACKSON: Thank you. I have a couple of 23 questions. Let me ask one question about your QA program. 24 Will you revalidate the aspects of your program, 25 meaning data models and samples, that already comprise your ANN RILEY & ASSOCIATES, LTD. Court Reporters 1025 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 1014 Washington, D.C. 20036 (202) 842-0034

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1 basis for the viability assessment against or, you know, the 2 standards of your improved QA program? I 3 MR. BARRETT: Some of the data has already -- is , t 4 satisfactory and has met the requirements. Some of the data i 5 has not. What we will do as we proceed now toward a license ; 6 application, we will go back and qualify the data that needs - l i 7 to be, and as the budget permits, go back and get that data. 8 We will have to wait and see how the 2000 budget 9 turns out but we have had basically a 20 percent increase 10 for the Yucca Mountain science activity in 2000 and want to , 11 pick that up for one integrated science program that serves 12 all the needs, of which the most restrictive and demanding 13 program is the one the NRC would require for a license t 14 application. 15 CHAIRMAN JACKSON: Will your Environmental Impact 16 Statement address the transportation aspects of high level - 17 waste disposal? ! 18 MR. BARRETT: Yes, it will. It will also -- it : 19 will look at the inter-Nevada transportation among multiple 20 routes and multiple methods of transport as well as it will 21 look at the national transportation from reactors or the ~ 22 high level waste sites to a possible Yucca Mountain ' 23 repository. 24 CHAIRMAN JACKSON: Okay. These are a couple of 25 questions about remaining technical work and then evaluating ANN RILEY & ASSOCIATES, LTD. Court Reporters 1025 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 1014 Washington, D.C. 20036 (202) 842-0034

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                   *1 the design against the four key attributes you mentioned.

2 You know, the review of the design for the waste i 3 packages as well as the repository itself are going to be a f 4 critical factor in terms of time and resources needed by the 5 NRC to review. Does your schedule take into account the !

  .                 6 effect of delaying the finalization of the design by you,                              !

7 the effect that that would have on NRC's completion of the (

8 review of the License Application? i l 9 MR. BARRETT: Yes. In the License Application l 10 Plan in the viability assessment and in supporting , 11 management schedules that we have, and as we have explained, t 12 your Staff is aware of those, we have plans on that. Our f 13 desire in the concentrated activity currently underway on 14 the design alternatives is our goal is this June to . 15 basically select the reference design that we would use for ! 16 site suitability and for licensing that would allow your l 1 17 staffs as well as my staffs to be able to focus on a 18 specific reference design we would wish to carry through the 19 process so it would be an integrated system. 20 CHAIRMAN JACKSON: When do you actually plant to

  .             21               has         the waste packages designed for all the waste forms 22               projected for Yucca Mountain?

23 MR. BARRETT: Well, the key is the majority of the 24 material, which would be the commercial fuel as well as the 25 generic high level waste packages for the Savannah River and ANN RILEY & ASSOCIATES, LTD. Court Reporters 1025 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 1014 Washington, D.C. 20036 (202) 842-0034

S- 28 1 the West Valley borosilicate glass. Also, the Navy is 2 pursuing fairly rapidly their package for the Navy spent 3 fuel. 4 Regarding the many different -- tens of types of 5 DOE's own spent fuel, those are coming along on various 6 schedules as our environmental management colleagues work on - 7 that, so that has a various schedule but the main central i 8 focus is for the classical commercial spent fuel and the DOE 9 borosilicate glass in the Navy. 10 CHAIRMAN JACKSON: Glass in the Navy, and those , 11 are -- so what kind of schedule are they on? 12 MR. BARRETT: The commercial fuel, the waste 13 package design basically would be -- we'd hope to have that 14 pretty well -- the reference design advanced enough for the 15 design, the reference design -- 16 CHAIRMAN JACKSON: To cover those three things -- 17 MR. BARRETT: For those, this summer. 18 CHAIRMAN JACKSON: And are you planning on l 19 disposing of greater than Class C waste at Yucca Mountain? 20 MR. BARRETT: That is not in our reference design. ; 21 the greater than Class C waste is one of the modules that ' ' 22 will be discussed in the Environmental Impact Statement for l 23 Yucca Mountain, but that is not presently part of our

l 24 License Application design. l 25 CHAIRMAN JACKSON: And how will you address failed l ANN RILEY & ASSOCIATES, LTD. Court Reporters l 1025 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 1014 I Washington, D.C. 20036 (202) 842-0034

F S- 29 1 1 spent fuel in terms of credit for cladding and so forth? 2 Have you worked that out? 3 MR. BARRETT: As in the models in the viability 4 assessment, it depends upon the fuel. The algorithm is, for 5 example, stainless fuel, which is about 1 percent of the

 . 6  inventory of the commercial fuel that we have, we do not    --

7 that is not of the higher integrity of the zircalloy fuel, 8 so there it is a higher fraction, assumed to be failed 9 basically we have assumed at 10,000 years. It does not I l 10 provide a barrier at all so it depends upon the fuel. l 11 CHAIRMAN JACKSON: So you are taking a graded 12 approach based on what fraction of the fuel you think has 13 what degree of failed cladding, is that basically -- 14 MR. BARRETT: That is correct. 15 CHAIRMAN JACKSON: -- basically correct. 16 MR. BARRETT: And as we refine the models more, we 17 may take into account burnups and different aspects as we 18 basically develop the sophistication in the models for I 19 modelling the different source material as it relates to the 20 system. l

21 CHAIRMAN JACKSON: Commissioner Dicus?

22 COMMISSIONER DICUS: Yes. One of the conclusions 23 of the U.S. Geological Survey report from this past November 24 states that in view of the enormous technical complexity of l l 25 the total system performance assessment that as they called ANN RILEY & ASSOCIATES, LTD. Court Reporters 1025 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 1014 Washington, D.C. 20036 (202) 842-0034

_ - . - - - . ~ - . . - . - . - _ - - - ~ . . - .. ~ - .- - i S- 30 ' 1 it a semi-quantitative assessment -- in other words, a plain : i 2 English with simple calculations assessments -- of Yucca ' 3 Mountain would be valuable. 4 It went on to state that such an analysis is 5 ! likely to be more readily comprehended by the public, by ( l 6 legislators and by intervenors.

7 Do you have any plans to do such an assessment?

I 8 MR. BARRETT: : We have worked on that and it 9 becomes a very difficult balance between oversimplification , 10 and looking at the true risk-informed -- I think this body 11 has dealt with risk-informed regulation -- so we have done , i 12 some deterministic. We intend to do more deterministic as ; 13 together with your Staff we work on a defense-in-depth 14 aspect of your regulation that we suspect will be there in . 15 your regulation -- it is in your existing -- in your future. 16 That will involve some deterministic as we look at different 17 barriers, but we want to keep the main thrust on the 18 probabilistic risk informed, but we will also be doing some 19 deterministic, but we are very careful with the 20 deterministic that people don't make sound bites out of 21 deterministic calculations that can mischaracterize the ~ 22 situation. l 23 COMMISSIONER DICUS: Okay, thank you. I 24 CRAIRMAN JACKSON: Okay, Commissioner Diaz. 25 COMMISSIONER DIAZ: Yes. This is mostly -- it l < i l P ANN RILEY & ASSOCIATES, LTD. l Court Reporters j 1025 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 1014 ; I Washington, D.C. 10036 (202) 842-00? 4

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S- 31 1 might be a qualitative question, but what is the sensitivity 2 of the design of the engineered barriers as a function of 3 protection standards? Is it -- will changes in protection 4 standards of a factor of two will change your engineered 5 barriers by an order of magnitude in cost or complexity? ! . 6 Have you done sensitivity analyses of the potential impact 7 of protection standards?

B MR. BARRETT: We have done that. We have done 9 some of those. In the viability assessment, we looked at 10 two options past the reference design, which basically were 11 some advanced technology that we could try to put in. 12 We cannot change -- Yucca Mountain is what God 13 made and we really cannot change the natural mountain. The 14 only thing we can control are man-made things and engineered 15 system, so we looked at three. 16 We looked at backfill, which is one of the 17 experiments we showed where you could put like a Richards 18 barrier to diffuse water droplets away from the waste 19 package. We looked at advanced material, ceramic material, 20 which has come from commercial advances over the last ia 21 several decades as well as classified defense work on 22 ceramic barriers. 23 We have looked at ceramics and also drip shields 24 that you could put to try to shed any drips away from the 25 waste package out of various types of material. ANN RILEY & ASSOCIATES, LTD. Court Reporters r 1025 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 1014 l Washington, D.C. 20036 (202) 842-0034

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l S- 32 1 So we have looked at some of these that in theory 2 could basically give you 100 percent containment in theory , 3 for 10,000 years -- at least that is what our models would ! 4 say. I am not sure those would be sustainable in a rigorous i 5 licensing environment based on what science and technology ; 6 could tell you. - i l 7 Part of the reason we did some of these options ! 8 studies was we do not know what the final requirements will j 9 be for Yucca Mountain repository until the standards by EPA : 1 10 are issued and the NRC regulations that we will follow are i 11 issued, so we are trying to be flexible. We are trying to i 12 explore other engineering ways and some of the design l 13 alternatives work looks at 26 different options in different ! 14 cases of different thermal loads, different tunnel 15 diameters, and different things to try to be exploring best 16 available technologies, where we are basically at the I I i l 17 state-of-the-art and pushing the state-of-the-art in i l 18 technologies to try go toward a goal of basically zero l 19 release, if one can get there, but I don't believe we could l i t 20 ever sustain it for 10,000 years or more, as the case may , 21 be. " [ 22 COMMISSIONER DIAZ: Who will pay for it? 23 MR. BARRETT.: Pardon? I 24 COMMISSIONER DIAZ: Who will pay for it? l ) 25 MR. BARRETT: Cost is one of the lesser issues we i 1 !i i ANN RILEY & ASSOCIATES, LTD. Court Reporters l 1025 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 1014 Washington, D.C. 20036 l l (202) 842-0034 ' b

S- 33 1 looked at. We did evaluate the cost of the advanced, say l l 2 the ceramic coatings. I mean we are looking at different 3 costs of around a billion dollars added on. The cost was 4 not a maj or driver. We were really looking at the 5 performance and the sustainability of those performance

 -   6 claims in a licensing process.

7 Then there is also the national debate, I would 8 predict, in the EPA standards as to at what cost for what 9 benefit. If one were, say, to change by a fraction of a 10 millirem or something 10,000 years in the future, what is 11 that cost worth relative to today's dollars in a billion 12 dollars, so we wanted to have that information available for 13 organizations and policymakers like the Commission, like the 14 Congress to look at that in the future. 15 CHAIRMAN JACKSON: Thank you. Commissioner 16 McGaffigan? 17 COMMISSIONER McGAFFIGAN: Commissioner Dicus has 18 already referred to this USGS report that was sent to the 19 Director of USGS back in November and if there is a thrust 20 to it, and I am sure you saw it at the time, it's that

21 there's a lot of overly conservative, from their 22 perspective, design features and assumptions in your 23 viability assessment.

24 Perhaps from a regulator's perspective that is a 25 good thing but they claim at times in here that it can lead ANN RILEY & ASSOCIATES, LTD. Court Reporters 1025 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 1014 Washington, D.C. 20036 (202) 842-0034

l 1 l S- 34 ; l 1 to perverse results in terms of you are optimized for one l 2 thing and you actually end up having an adverse result 3 somewhere else. 4 I could go through bit by bit but have you all 5 analyzed the USGS critique and is there a document that has 6 been prepared to sort of deal with the comments, or do you - 7 agree with some of them? What io the situation -- because 8 they are ahead of us. We are still at least a month away 9 probably from giving you a response to the viability l 10 assessment. 11 MR. BARRETT: Well, the USGS Director's Review 12 Team is valuable input to us as the Commission's views, I am 13 going from the Staff, and in the future from the Commission 14 is valuable. The Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board input 15 has been valuable, so we are factoring all of these in, 16 basically to our ongoing dynamic work plans which, you know, 17 are spelled out in general in the viability assessment and 18 more and more detail as they go on. 19 We will look at some of those issue, but for 20 every -- as you mentioned, these are all inter-related. For 21 every place that may look like it's an advantage there is

22 also an uncertainty on the other side, so on water flow and 23 a lot of these issues on future climate, we are looking to 24 have expert elicitations on future climate but then again, 25 you know, who knows what future climate is going to be and 1

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_ . _ . _ - _ . . _ ._ .. - _. _ . _ _ _. _ .- . _ ..- . _ ._ _ _.._ . _ _ _ _ _ . _ m._ . . I S- 35 1 is that really where we can put our resources on some of 2 . these when we have near-term engineering issues. We have 3 got quality assurance issues which are a major time and cost 4 thing for us to do is to get our earth scientists to l 5 basically do what they need to do as far as the

        .               6       documentation and process and maybe not go on to the 7       absolute best piece to it, so we are evaluating our work i        .

l I 8 plans in light of that and in light of all the input to try : i 9 to get the right balance to get the best progress that we 10 can as far as the scientific aspects of Yucca Mountain, how 11 it does perform in the future, balancing the resources. ; i 12 We try to avoid excess pieces of paper. We are 13 not planning a specific response to the USGS but we will < 14 fold that into our work plans of which'the USGS is part of 15 the team. l 16 COMMISSIONER McGAFFIGAN: You said that you plan 17 to select your reference design for the site suitability 18 determination by June. Somewhere in your testimony -- I 19 couldn't find it exactly -- you also suggested that this is 20 a design that will change again perhaps all through this

21 what will undoubtedly be a very long process.

22 How do you build flexibility in and to allow for 23 those changes? I assume that the site suitability reference 24 design will be different from the viability assessment 25 reference design, depending on the sort of comments you get I l l I l ANN RILEY & ASSOCIATES, LTD. Court Reporters l 1025 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 1014 Washington, D.C. 20036 (202) 842-0034 l 1

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S- 36 1 and your reaction to them, and then there could be other 2' design changes just as more science comes in or more i 3 analysis comes in. ' 4 Is there enough flexibility in the process to ; 5 allow that? 6 MR. BARRETT: This is a constant balance we make - 7 as we go forward. Design never, never stops. It is never

8 stagnant. It is always trying to do as good as or better ' 9 than your reference, and when you start looking at things, t 10 is this design concept better? -- you have to look "better" 11 from what perspective.

12 One of the things, for example, we have had a lot ' 13 of internal debates about is the placement tunnel diameters. ! 1 14 Here you are trading off one design aspect from another. 15 From a tunnel stability point of view, if you make the 16 tunnel smaller, they are more stable than a larger , 17 emplacement tunnel, but then if you line up 100 waste i 18 packages down the tunnel if for some reason you want to take 19 one out from the center you would have to take, you know, 49 20 to get to that. Now you have an operational concern versus f 21 a 100,000 year performance concern, and you try to balance

l 22 these two.

23 So we are looking at these and we are very careful 24 about decisions that will sort of preclude another decision. 25 For example, some of the basic concepts of tunnel diameter, t ANN RILEY & ASSOCIATES, LTD. ' Court Reporters ; 1025 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 1014 Washington, D.C. 20036 (202) 842-0034 - r

S- 37 ; 1 heat load, and some of those kinds of things we are very , 2 careful about, so we put most of our focus on the issues 3 that given us less flexibility in the future. ' 4 We have deferred much of our preclosure surface 5 design work and left that very conceptual, focusing on the j

          .               6 postclosure aspect, so we constantly go at this.                                                    There is 7 no right single answer, and then as the natural system                                                                   ;

8 information becomes more refined'and more specific, we want 9 to make sure that we can accommodate that, those situations, 10 in the design. ! I 11 You find out that maybe a higher water i 12 infiltration design is not so good for a drier and vice 13 versa, so we are trying to balance these things and it is l l 14 n;t a simple answer to how to do it, l 15 COMMISSIONER McGAFFIGAN: And this may be a 16 question more fair to address to our own Staff than to you, 17 but in our licensing process, how will this be handled? 18 Will there be license conditions, do you envision that will 19 allow flexibility or how does it get built into the license l 20 application and then our license which if granted, you know, l 8 21 how do they deal with the uncertainty as to what the final 22 design will look like? 23 MR. BARRETT: In the existing 10 CFR 60 -- I don't 24 recall, I think it is still 10 CFR 63, is the Staff requires l l 25 that we evaluate alternatives and provide information of i 1 j ANN RILEY & ASSOCIATES, LTD. l i Court Reporters l 1025 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 1014 l Washington, D.C. 20036 I (202) 842-0034 ) y.- .-

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S- 38 1 these types of things for the Staff to look at. 2 Now I think when it comes to specific license 3 conditions I think we are far away from that level of 4 detail, you know, until we come up with a design that would 5 go into the license application phase, and then it becomes a 6 reference design, and as we go through the licensing - 7 process, through construction, it is always as good as or 8 better than, and we do hope to be able to advance the 9 designs as technology advances hopefully over the next many 10 decades, that we can do it better, better quality assurance, 11 better fabricability, better QC issues as well as maybe 12 lower costs we could hope too that we could achieve. 13 CHAIRMAN JACKSON: Commissioner Merrifield. 14 COMMISSIONER MERRIFIELD: I just have one brief 15 question. 16 There has been a lot of notoriety in the news 17 lately about some of the seismic activity that has been l 18 present near the site, within 10 miles of the site. I was 19 wondering if you could comment on that -- any of the 20 information that you received from out at the site, 21 information related to how that has affected the site ' 22 itself. 23 MR. BARRETT: We know we are in a seismically 24 active area in Nevada. The whole state of Nevada is 25 seismically activity -- not a seismically active as ANN RILEY & ASSOCIATES, LTD. Court Reporters 1025 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 1014 Washington, D.C. 20036 (202) 842-0034

S- 39 1 California but seismically active. ) l

2 l We have had earth tremors and earthquakes there !: 3. and these are constantly ongoing.. The underground

l 4 postclosure, which is our main focus, is not heavily 5 influenced by earthquakes because the earthquake energy goes l

  .        6          through the ground and dissipates at the surface much like a 7          wave at the beach will dissipate its energy when the wave 8          hits the shore, so in the cases of the recent events, we had l

9~ people-in the tunnels -- didn't feel a thing -- whereas you - 10 could actually feel the ground shake at the surface over 11 near the test site, so we are looking at this. 12 We are not surprised by these tremors. They are 13 expected. We believe that we can design surface facilities 14 that can withstand it. That o a matter of concrete and 15 steel. i l- 16 The Commission, as you said, we have submitted two l 17 topical reports to the Staff over the last several years ! 18 concerning seismic design criteria and we have another l l i 19 ! topical report that is scheduled I think it is later this i l 20 year or next for the Staff, so we believe that through ; i

  )   21              design we can deal with the seismic risks and it is not i

22 going to be a major determinant regarding the site. 23 COMMISSIONER MERRIFIELD: Okay. 24 CHAIRMAN JACKSON: You had some concerns that you 25 had expressed relative to the prescriptive performance l l } ANN RILEY & ASSOCIATES, LTD. Court Reporters i 1025 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 1014 Washington, D.C. 20036 (202) 842-0034

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l i i S- 40 , l j 1 confirmation requirements that were in the draft, 10 CFR 2 Part 63. Could you elaborate upon those a bit? i i l 3 MR. BARRETT: I will ask Dr. Stephan Brocoum, who t 4 is our Assistant Manager of Licensing and Regulatory, to I l 5 come and assist me on that one. i 6 CHAIRMAN JACKSON: Okay. Welcome, Mr. Brocoum. ' t l 7 MR. BROCOUM: I am not sure what -- we haven't

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8 formally to my knowledge --

t 9 CHAIRMAN JACKSON: -- responded --

10 MR. BROCOUM: -- responded on 63, okay -- l i 11 CHAIRMAN JACKSON: Okay. ., 12 MR. BROCOUM: -- so we have had informal , 13 discussions with your Staff -- i 14 CHAIRMAN JACKSON: Right. l 15 MR. BROCOUM: -- and offhand I don't know what the , I l 16 concerns were -- i 17 CHAIRMAN JACKSON: Okay. ! i 18 MR.-BROCOUM: -- on the performance confirmation. ! l 19 CHAIRMAN JACKSON: All right. This inay be i 20 something that is too sensitive for you to answer because of I i l 21 litigation, but -- ' 1 1 22 MR. BROCOUM: No -- let me ask Mr. Jack Bailey l 23 here. I 24 CHAIRMAN JACKSON: Okay, while he is coming 25 forward, let's do this one. i i. ANN RILEY & ASSOCIATES, LTD. Court Reporters 1025 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 1014 Washington, D.C. 20036 (202). 842-0034 l

S- 41 1 Are you looking at alternative funding, like 2 funding dry storage facilities at licensee sites, that kind 3 of thing? 4 MR. BARRETT: That answar is no. We are not. 5 We are executing the law as it is presently 6 written. 7 CHAIRMAN JACKSON: Okay. 8 MR. BARRETT: There are discussions about changing 9 the statute. You know, those would be a matter of 10 administration record. Regarding the Act said specifically 11 that we are to prepare a repository for the waste, the 12 eventual disposition of the waste, regarding paying for ! 13 onsite storage through our inability, Secretary Pena had a 14 proposal to utilities, a deferred payment option, to try to 15 resolve some of the lawsuits. That was not accepted by the 16 contract-holders. We are in 100 different lawsuits in 17 different courts at this time, but that will run its own 18 course, but as far as the program, he's not planning -- 19 CHAIRMAN JACKSON: -- following the existing 20 nuclear waste policy? 2 21 MR. BARRETT: Yes, ma'am. 22 CHAIRMAN JACKSON: Did you have -- 23 MR. BROCOUM: No. We don't have any issues with i 24 the current 63 as you have published it on the Internet. 25 CHAIRMAN JACKSON: Right. If you anticipate the l I ANN RILEY & ASSOCIATES, LTD. Court Reporters 1025 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 1014 Washington, D.C. 20036 (202) 842-0034 1

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f S- 42 , i 1 need for the use of advanced materials or engineered 2 barriers, have you folded that in? Are you going to be able 3 to complete the testing and demonstration of these materials ! 4 on a schedule to support the license application? 5 MR. BARRETT: It depends on what that is. l 6 The reference design is with C-22, or commercially " i 7 known years ago as hastalloy,'for those of us who used to do 8 valve work. That -- there is material, 50 years' worth of 9 data on that material and the A516 outer is well-known I 10 material to the engineering field for 100 years. t l t 11 Here -- for that case we feel that we could make a : i e 12 case on the schedule we have. If we were to drastically 13 change designs, we would not submit a license application , 14 until we felt it was one that was sustainable and would be ! 15 accepted by the Commission, so it depends upon what it is. ! 16 CHAIRMAN JACKSON: Okay, and one last question. i 17 You have the Busted Butte tracer tests -- you know, the 18 large migration study. . Will those results be available in i 19 time to support a licensing application or are you planning l 20 to use that information as part of a performance ; 21 confirmation?

i 22 MR. BARRETT: No , that will b3, much of that 23 information will be available for the license application 24 part of our license application case. !

25 We will also probably continue to do some l 1 ANN RILEY & ASSOCIATES, LTD. Court Reporters l 1025 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 1014 i Washington, D.C. 20036 (202) 842-0034

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i _l1 l S- 43 I l 1 performance confirmation work indefinitely at that facility. l 2 CHAIRMAN JACKSON: Okay. 1 l l 3 MR. BARRETT: Funding permitting. 4 CHAIRMAN JACKSON: Funding permitting. Any other 5 comments, Commissioners? l - 6 N ['o response.) t 7 CHAIRMAN JACKSON: Well, let me thank you, Mr. i

8 Barrett and Dr. Brocoum and the Department for today's ;

9 briefing. Obviously you have made substantial progress in l l 10 the repository program since our last meeting. 11 I think we will be meeting a little more 12 frequently than every two years. The Commission and the NRC I \ l 13 Staff will benefit from the clarity of your presentation l i 14 that you have given of the DOE viability assessment process 15 considerations and conclusions. l l 16 It helps us. It helps to facilitate the NRC's 17 ongoing review of the viability assessment and it will be l 18 useful, I believe, to the Staff's general review of the 19 issues with regard to your continuing efforts -- and so, if 20 there is nothing more, then I thank you and the meeting is l 4 21 adj ourned . i 22 MR. BARRETT: Thank you. l l l l 23 [Whereupon, at 3:10 p.m., the triefing was 1 24 concluded.] 25 i 4 JJRJ RILEY & ASSOCIATES, LTD. , Court Reporters ! 1025 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 1014 l l Washington, D.C. 20036 i ! (202) 842-0034 l i I

CERTIFICATE This is to certify that the attached description of a meeting of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission entitled: TITLE OF MEETING: BRIEFING ON THE HIGH LEVEL WASTE PROGRAM VIABILITY ASSESSMENT PUBLIC MEETING PLACE OF MEETING: Rockville, Maryland j i l DATE OF MEETING: Monday, February 8, 1999 [ was held as herein appears, is a true and accurate record of the meeting, and that this is the original transcript thereof taken stenographically by me, thereafter reduced to i typewriting by me or under the direction of the court-t reporting company ! Transcriber: Rose Gershon ! i i Reporter: Mark Mahoney ! { i i _- , . = _ . - -_

                                                                      = - .

STATEMENT FOR TIIE RECORD ! PRESENTATION TO TIIE U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION STATUS OF THE CIVILIAN RADIOACTIVE WASTE l MANAGEMENT PROGRAM 1 BY LAKE 11. BARRETT, ACTING DIRECTOR , OFFICE OF CIVILIAN RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY February 8,1999 1 Introduction ! Chairman Jackson and Members of the Commission: l Since I last appeared before you, The Civilian Radioactive Waste Management Program has continued to make substantial progress in carrying out its responsibilities under the Nuclear Waste Policy Act. Despite reduced FY 1998 and FY 1999 appropriations, we have maintained and often exceeded our schedules by achieving efficiencies and reprioritizing work activities, while maintaining the safety and integrity of the scientific work. The size, complexity, and sheer number of scientific tests being conducted at Yucca Mountain are unprecedented. We have developed and are applying some of the world's most advanced scientific techniques to answer questions about Yucca Mountain with emphasis on l hydrologic flow in the unsaturated zone. We are conducting the world's largest heater tests to determine the effects of heat from the waste packages on the geology and hydrology at Yucca Mountain. Our Sample Management Facility has documentation for over 60,000 specimens. We 1

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i will conduct field and laboratory tests and make hundreds of thousands of measurements. Yucca Mountain is, without question the most studied geologic setting in the world. We have also [ developed unique waste package material corrosion test facilities to give us insights into i corrosion processes that othenvise would not be obtainable. j - When I spoke to you last, the Program was focused on preparation of the Yucca Mountain l . i ! Viability Assessment. On December 18,1998, DOE submitted the Viability Assessment and its ! companion documents to the President and the Congress, and released it to the public. The ! Viability Assessment serves as an important management tool for the Program to guide the ! completion of site characterization by identifying the critical issues that need to be addressed before the Secretary of Energy decides whether to recommend the Yucca Mountain site to the - l President for development as a repository. While the Viability Assessment is not one of the ; decision points defm' ed in the Nuclear Waste Policy Act, its completion is significant because it { gives policy makers key information regarding the prospects for geologic disposal at Yucca Mountain. l l i l Based on the Viability Assessment, we believe that work should proceed to support a j l decision by the Secretary in 2001 on whether to recommend the site. While the Viability 1 Assessment reveals no "show stoppers", it does identify areas where additional work is required ! before site suitability can be determined and the Secretary can decide whether to recommend the ; site.

We hope that the Viability Assessment will provide our respective staffs with a frame of 4 reference to conduct the prelicensir.g interactions necessary to facilitate the timely submittal and review of a high-quality License Application,if the site is found suitable. We expect that the information contained in the Viability Assessment design and performance assessment components will provide an adequate technical basis for a License Application, when combined l with the additional information that will be obtained as a result of the work described in the

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1 l l l License Application Plan. The Commission's views regarding the acceptability of our approach i to licensing as set fonh in the License Application Plan will be important to forming a mutual understanding of what will be expected from this program during the licensing process. l We are now refining our licensing approach and obtaining and analyzing necessary scientific and technical infonnation to support our safety analyses. Central to this work is refinement of our safety case, which suppons the evaluation of the site and the key design decisions. In addition, we will continue to focus on improving the implementation of Quality 1 Assurance requirements. Today, I will provide you with an overview of our program and focus on those program elements, that in combination with an updated regulatog framework, will be essential to licensing a repository at Yucca Mountain, should the site be recommended. Program Overview Budeet For our budget in FY 1999, Congress appropriated $358 million, $22 million less than the President's budget request. The President's request was intended to maintain our schedule for completing necessary site activities for the site suitability detennination, issuing an Environmental Impact Statement, and submitting a repository License Application, if the site is recommended. Congress endorsed this work, but reduced the appropnation and funher e stipulated that the program reduce management and administrative suppon service contractors by 10 percent. Within this amount, Congress appropriated 55.5 million for the local counties and

                      $250 thousand for oversight by the State of Nevada. Congress further directed that $4 million be used for a study related to accelerator transmutation of waste. Specifically, we are developing, with international collaboration, a road map to identify the benefits and issues regarding treatment of civilian spent nuclear fuel with accelerator transmutation technology. Issues that 3

l must be addressed are technical feasibility, time schedules, capital and operating costs, and the institutional challenges involved in such an endeavor. The FY 1999 funding is adequate to continue implementing the revised program

approach as refined by the Viability Assessment. We plan to publish a draft environmental impact statement this coming summer. We have made the necessary progra.nmatic adjustments to maintain our schedule and conduct the additional studies ofissues identified in the Viability , Assessment. The cumulative effect of the budget reductions over the last three years, however, coupled with the additional studies needed to address key scientific issues, is stretching the ! Program's resources. i Our FY 2000 budget request suppons the funding requirements identified in the Viability . Assessment. As the Program continues to build on the momentum achieved in the last four years, ; our budget. request supponc the activities necessary to determine the suitability of Yucca Mountain and to develop the documentation needed for a Secretarial decision on Site Recommendation in FY 2001. Specifically, in FY 2000 we will issue the Final Environmental ; Impact Statement. In addition, we will complete an internal review of a Working Draft License ! Application, and we willinitiate development of the Acceptance Draft License Application. I I Waste Acceptance Litication l Monetary damages that may be awarded in litigation between the Department and the , utilities are being considered in our out-year budget forecasts. The Depanment is in litigation j with utilities in several courts. As you already know, in 1996 the U.S. Court of Appeals for the i D.C. Circuit held that the Depanment has an obligation to stan disposing of utility spent nuclear fuel no later than January 31,1998. In 1997, the same coun held that the Depanment could not excuse its delay because it was " unavoidable." The coun also held that the contracts between the i I 4 l

l Depanment and utilities provide a potentially adequate remedy for the Depanment's delay and therefore, refused to order the Depanment to remove the fuel from reactor sites. The State agencies and the Federal government each sought to have the Supreme Coun review ponions of the court's decision. The State agencies assened that the coun should have ordered the i Department to begin removing spent fuel from utility sites and sought a Supreme Coun review of that ponion of the ruling. The Federal govemment requested that the Supreme Coun review the ponion of the ruling which prohibited the Department from making a determination that the delay in removing utility spent fuel was " unavoidable." On November 30,1998, the Supreme Court declined to accept either request for review and the appeals court ruling stands. The Depanment will comply with the court's ruling and process any claims presented to it under the standard disposal contract. Viability Assessment

     ,Pumose of the Viabilitv Assessment i

We released the Viability Assessment in December 1998. The assessment contains four i primary components. First, it describes the preliminary design concept for the critical elements of j a repository and waste package. Second, it contains a total system performance assessment, based on the design concept and the scientific data and analyses available, that describes the probable behavior of a repository in the Yucca Mountain geologic setting. Third, it presents a plan and cost estimate for the remaining work required to complete and submit the License Application. Founh, it lays out an estimate of the costs to construct and operate a repository consistent with the reference design concept. The Viability Assessment, as published, also contains an introduction and a detailed description of the characteristics of the site. l i i I l 5 i

Viability Assessment Results in Brief Based on the Viability Assessment, we believe that Yucca Mountain remains a promising site for a geologic repository and that work should proceed to support a decision in 2001 on whether to recommend the site. We understand that uncenainties remain about key natural processes, the preliminary design, and how the site and design would interact and we recognize that our assumptions and analyses have yet to be challenged in a rigorous licensing proceeding. To address these uncertainties we will focus on improving our understanding of the key natural processes, as well as improving the repository and waste package design. The Viability Assessment identifies the inherent advantages of Yucca Mountain as a potential repository site, including its remote location, semiarid climate, and deep groundwater table. Less than half an inch of water per year reaches the level of the repository. About seven inches of water a year fall on Yucca Mountain, nearly all of which runs off or evaporates. The nearest groundwater, which is about 1,000 feet below the repository, is isolated in a closed basin and does not flow into any rivers that reach the ocean. This closed basin feature is unique to the southwestern region of the country. Studies of past climates indicate that the precipitation may increase to a long-term average of about 12 inches per year. However, most of the water would run off or evaporate. Even if future climates are much wetter than today the water table is not expected to rise high enough to reach the waste. The Viability Assessment also addresses the potentially adverse characteristics at the Yucca Mountain site. Our analysis considers both the likelihood and the effect of possible , disruptive processes and events, such as volcanism, earthquakes, human intrusion, and " nuclear criticality." We have concluded that there is little likelihood that such processes or events at Yucca Mountain would significantly affect the long-term performance of the repository. l l 6

The results of 15 years of testing and analysis have validated many, but not all of the expectations of scientists. One important test result was finding traces of chlorine-36 associated with above-ground nuclear weapons tests at the repository horizon. This finding suggests that, while most groundwater travel times are considerably greater than 1,000 years, some water traveled from the ground surface to the level of the repository in less than 50 years. More data and improved models are needed to fully evaluate groundwater travel times along potential

pathways of radionuclide travel in both the unsaturated and saturated zones. Additional data collection and analyses are currently undenvay, including the Nye County drilling program. This program consists of new wells in approximately 22 locations,500-2,500 feet deep, down gradient from Yucca Mountain to investigate the shallow and deep saturated zone hydrology. These efforts are expected to reduce some uncenainties associated with the current models and to enhance confidence in our understanding of the processes that affect water movement, radionuclide transport, and dilution. Licensing Approach To obtain an NRC license, we must demonstrate with reasonable assurance that a repository can be constructed, operated, monitored, and eventually closed that would protect the health and safety of workers and the public. The challenge in licensing a geologic repository is demonstrating a reasonable assurance of compliance with long-term safety standards for many thousands of years. The primary objective of our licensing approach is to integrate the rationale and plans for remaining technical work with the statutory and regulatory framework within which the work must be done and decisions must be made. We supp3n your effons to create a site-specific Pan 63 that would apply exclusively to Yucca Mountain. The revised 10 CFR Pan 63 will address our need to understand the key licensing requirements. ( Our current License Application Plan describes our overall approach to completing site characterization and is contained in Volume 4 of the Viability Assessment. The License

r l Application Plan presents the activities we believe should be completed prior to determining the site suitability and preparing a License Application. Your review is essential to forming a mutual understanding of what is expected from this program in the licensing process. We fully expect that our approach to licensing will continue to evolve as we work toward understanding and resolving potential licensing issues. Several years ago, your staff refocused your program around ten key technical issues deemed most important to repository performance. We are continuing to focus on resolving these key technical issues. The License Application Plan contains a crosswalk that indicates where each of your key technical issues is addressed in the Viability Assessment. Remainine Technical Work The additional technical work identified in the License Application Plan falls into three major areas: refining the postclosure safety case, refining the preclosure safety case, and supponing remaining design decisions. Preparing our postclosure safety case is clearly the highest priority. Our postclosure safety case must provide reasonable assurance that a repository at Yucca Mountain will protect public health and safety and the environment after the repository is closed. The safety case is the set of arguments that will be made to show that the repository system will contain and isolate waste sufficiently. Underpinning this set of arguments is an understanding of

the performance of the repository system. Performance assessments are used to evaluate how a repository system is likely to work over long time periods. From the results of scientific studies, analysts build detailed mathematical models or " representations" of the features, events, and processes that could affect the performance of the design. They then abstract these detailed process models into an overall riodel of the repository system. The models are used to assess how the natural and engineered i 8 i

l elements of a waste disposal system are likely to work together over the long period required to isolate wastes. They help identify which uncenainties about the behavior of a disposal system are significant and which are not. They also help identify which elements of the repository system are most important to how well it is likely to work and where scientists and engineers should focus their effons to improve performance. These assessments are repeated and refined during the course of developing, evaluating, and improving a repository design. The Repository Safety Strategy is the framework for integrating performance assessment, site information, and repository design to develop the postclosure safety case. Our safety strategy is based upon demonstrating that a Yucca Mountain repository with four key attributes would protect public health and the environment for thousands of years. These four attributes are: limited water contact with waste packages; long waste package lifetime; low rate of release of radionuclides from breached waste packages; and reduction in the concentration of radionuclides as they are transponed from breached waste packages. Evaluations of these attributes are guided by summarizing current knowledge and developing testable hypotheses to address the issues. Each attribute is influenced by natural processes and the placement of engineered components,in ! other words, multiple natural and engineered barriers. Iteration among the site, design, and performance assessment teams produces an evolving picture of what site information and design features are important to the performance of the repository system. The preclosure safety case must demonstrate that worker and public health and safety will be protected in accordance with your regulations while waste is being emplaced and monitored. l There are four key elements that comprise our preclosure safety case: a systematic evaluation of design basis events; classification and design of the structures, systems, and components that are important to safety; verification that our design complies with all applicable requirements; and reliance on the use of demonstrated technology and accepted design criteria. 1 9

The major thrust of the remaining technical work is to select the design that will be carried through licensing. Selecting the design will include comparisons of options and altematives. It will require a sequence of decisions regarding criticality issues, approaches to repository sealing and closure, and evaluation of design altematives. The Viability Assessment reference design was developed to define a workable repository concept for Yucca Mountain and to provide a consistent basis for evaluating the significance of natural processes and engineered features. The design is not fixed and enhancements will continue to be included throughout the repository design process. Our design approach balances the need to develop and maintain a coherent working concept with the recognition that such a design concept will invariably evolve throughout the process of determining the suitability of the site, licensing, and construction. Our design process has, and will continue to consider the potential advantages of alternative design features, concepts, and options. For example, on the same day that I last briefed the Commission, Nye County presented its views on ventilation and extended monitoring of a repository. We listened to this exchange and agree that future generations should make the ultimate decision on whether it is appropriate to continue to maintain the repository in an open monitored condition or to seal and close the repository. To ensure flexibility for these future decision makers, the Viability Assessment reference design allows the repository to be closed as early as 50 years or as late as 300 years from initiation of waste emplacement. An extended monitonng period could also provide the flexibility needed to l allow the project to move fonvard and obtain improved understanding of remaining uncenainties. l . l We are factoring several considerations into the design selection process. First, we want to determine whether there are fundamentally different repository design concepts that could meet performance standards more effectively than the reference design. Second, we will evaluate whether there are design features that could be added or incorporated into either the reference design or any alternative design with significant benefit. Lastly, we will consider whether there 4 10 l l l

i l l l l ! i are alternative concepts or features that, in addition to meeting performance standards, could provide advantages with regard to operational and regulatory issues. t l l l Obtaining and Analyzing Scientific and Technical Information

I As I stated earlier, the Viability Assessment and the License Application Plan guide the completion of site characterization and design by identifying the critical issues that need to be addressed and by laying out the technical work plans that will support resolution of the issues. I i am pleased to repon that, since I last briefed you, we have made significant progress in i construction, site characterization, science, design, and performance assessment. This progress q has permitted us to evaluate the degree to which the Viability Assessment reference design exhibits the four key attributes outlined in the Repository Safety Strategy. l l Constmetion. Site _C,haracterization. and Science l Construction in the Exploratory Studies Facility (ESF) progressed significantly since I l last briefed you. The Project completed construction of two more experiment location mehes in the ESF main drift. Excavation of the repository block cross drift was completed on October 13, l 1998. Exploration of the cross drift also progressed. Geotechnical mapping revealed ground conditions and stratigraphy generally consistent with predictions, with the exception of a few unpredicted minor faults in the western half of the potential repository block. The faults are not apparent at the ground surface and are thought to be older than the Tiva Canyon Tuff, which is one of the rock units overlying the proposed repository. This would indicate that there has been no movement on these faults during the last 12 million years, supponing our analysis of disruptive events. t r 11 i l

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We have continued to collect data that address key issues and advance our modeling capability to better understand natural processes significant to repository performance. We extended Borehole USW WT-24 below an upper zone of perched water to further characterize l the large hydraulic gradient nonh of the proposed repository site. Since encountering a water. ;

l filled fracture on May 12,1998, no other water-bearing fractures have been encountered. Further characterization of the aquifer is planned. Another borehole, USW SD-6,is being drilled on the l westem edge of the repository footprint to acquire stratigraphic data and provide more accurate inforTnation on the various rock layers near the repository. No perched water has been 1 encountered in this borehole. ! We completed updates to both the Geologic Framework Model and the Integrated Site Model. The updated Geologic Framework Model represents the Project's significantly improved understanding of geologic variability at Yucca Mountain, as well as having improved our capabilities to predict geologic conditions in the site area. The Integrated Site Model integrates i the geologic framework with rock properties and mineralogical models. These data supponed a l 3-dimensional representation of the site, and provide a consistent documented set of initial l conditions on which to run process models, such as flow and transport models. There are also direct applications of the Integrated Site Model to repository design, which must accommodate the geometry of favorable waste emplacement horizons. The Project completed construction of the Drift Scale Test in the Thermal Testing Facility and the heating phase of the test was started in December,1997. Comparative analyses of measured and predicted temperatures in the rock mass surrounding the heated drift indicate generally good agreement between measured and predicted values, although measured temperatures are slightly lower than the predicted values. One of the reasons for the overprediction of rock temperatures is that the actual heater power is slightly lower than the heater power used in making the predictions. Measured values of rock displacements indicate that the heated rock mass is expanding and moving toward the open heated drift. Concentrations 12

of carbon dioxide in the gas samples collected from the test block after the start of heating are substantially higher than that in the atmosphere. The source of the increased carbon dioxide is the porewater of.the rock and the calcite in the fractures, both of which give out carbon dioxide on heating.

                              'Within the mountain, at the approximate level of the proposed repository a drip detection system has not detected any water movement at the repository horizon as a result of the El Ni5o storms of last winter and spring. Liquid release seepage testing in niches has helped determine seepage threshold values, and comparison of field data to modeling results shows good correlation. Investigations in ESF Alcove I were used to evaluate the infiltration rate and travel time through the Tiva Canyon Tuff.

j Scientists working at the Busted Butte analog site are studying tracer movement and using those results to evaluate fluid flow and transport behavior in rock of the Calico Hills Formation. The Calico Hills Formation lies between the repository horizon and the water table. These tests are yielding infonnation that can be used to evaluate how far and how fast key radionuclides may move in the non-welded rock below the repository in the unsaturated zone. Preliminary results from the Busted Butte tracer tests indicate that a majority of the flow in the Calico Hills non-welded rocks is through the matrix. In addition, only when the matrix becomes nearly saturated is there substantial fracture flow. These results,if generally applicable to the nonwelded tuffs in the unsaturated zone below the repository, suggest that significant retar&uon of radionuclides by sorption processes will occur in these rocks. In the natural system, there are mineral phases that act as chemical sponges to certain radionuclides, and this is called sorption. Sorption can occur by either " ion exchange", a process similar to that used to purify drinking i water, or " surface complexation", a process to remove radionuclides from the waste waters at the National Labs. At Busted Butte, we are investigating, in both field and laboratory tests, how I efficient this process may be at Yucca Mountain in slowing the migration of radionuclides away I from the proposed repository. 13 i i 4 2

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Testing in the Prow Pass welded hydrogeologic unit is important to assessing repository performance because this unit is the uppermost hydrogeologic unit in the saturated zone immediately downgradient from the potential repository. Hydraulic and tracer testing in the

Prow Pass Tuffin the upper part of the saturated zone is nearing completion. C-Well tracer testing of the Prow Pass interval in the saturated zone below the level of the proposed repository was initiated to better characterize the flow and dilution potential in the saturated zone. Results to date indicate that, as expected, the hydraulic conductivity and the rates of groundwater flow within this interval are less than in the more transmissive deeper interval that was tested previously. The tracer testing indicates that diffusion of solutes into the rock matdx from water moving through fractures is a mechanism for reducing solute concentration in the moving water, as was also indicated in previous testing. More sorption of a reactive tracer was observed in the field testing than predicted by laboratory expedments, indicating that the laboratory results are conservative. Tracer testing with two sizes of microspheres, which were used to investigate potential transport of colloids, suggest appreciable physical filtration by the formation. Evaluations of oxidation / reduction potential for two boreholes that penetrated the saturated zone indicate that reducing groundwater exists in the vicinity of Yucca Mountain. Reducing water could greatly decrease the transpon of technetium and neptunium in the saturated zone. Waste Packace Desien Waste package design took a step forward with successful demonstrations of remote , welding and non-destructive examination. Shrink fit of twqcylindrical shells, similar to those under consideration for the waste package, was accomplished with a much lower preheat than had previously been demonstrated. This lower heat resulted in little oxidation on the contacting surfaces, thereby facilitating a complete contact. In another activity, the Project performed a criticality evaluation of a degraded model of the 44-BWR waste package. This evaluation applied 14

1 I i the disposal criticality analysis methodology outlined in a topical report recently submitted to your staff. The evaluation is used as an example and described in an appendix to the report. l To allow waste package barrier materials selection in time for reference License i

Application design selection, a short term materials test program was formulated and initiated at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories on October 1,1998. This program supplements on-going experimental and modeling efforts and is focused on resolving key potential matenals issues. Performance Assessment Performance assessment activities focused on final development ani refinement of the approach, methodology, and technical basis for assumptions and results of the Tctal System Performance Assessment for the Viability Assessment. Our Repository Safety Strategy calls for the integration of performance assessment with the development of site information and repository design. Revision 01 of the TSPA-Viability Assessment Technical Basis Document, which provides the technical basis for assumptions and results of the TSPA-Viability Assessment, was issued in November 1998. TSPA-Viability Assessment presents analyses representing the " base-case" parameters and models for the Viability Assessment reference design, as well as sensitivity analyses that examine alternative models and parameter sets. Other analyses described in the performance assessment include consequ:nce analyses for disruptive events and analyses of altemative engineered barrier system designs. These analyses show which factors, such as waste package corrosion rates and net infiltration rates, have the most influence on dose rate during different time intervals. These results are helping us design a repository that will protect the environment and public health and safety, using, the best of

today's technology.

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Evaluatine the Desien Aeainst the Four Kev Att ibutes In the reference design, waste packages would be placed about 1,000 feet below the mountain's surface and about 1,000 feet above the water table. Our studies indicate that, even if future climates are much wetter than today, the mountain is not expected to erode and leave the waste exposed, and the water table is not expected to rise high enough to reach the waste. Nearly all precipitation would run off or evaporate. Once watte packages are placed in the repository, the heat generated from radioactive decay would raise the temperature in the tunnels above the boiling point of water. Using the reference design, our models show that the heat is expected to dry out the surrounding rock and drive any water away for hundreds to thousands of years. However, as the waste decays and the repository cools, some water is expected to seep into the drifts through fractures in the rock and pass through the repository. We estimate that, after the repository cools, about five percent of the packages could experience dripping water, under the cunent climate. If the climate changes to a wetter long-term average, about 30 percent of the packages could experience dripping water. The waste package in the Viability Assessment refer ace design has two layers: a thick outer layer made of carbon steel that provides structural strength and delays any contact of water with the inner layer, and a thinner inner layer of a high-nickel alloy that resists corrosion after the outer layer is penetrated. Preliminary results, utilizing conservative assumptions, indicate that most of the waste packages would last more than 10,000 years, even if water is dripping on them. However, we estimate that dripping water could cause the first penetrations-tiny pinholes-to , appear in some waste packages after about 4,000 years. More substantial penetrations could begin to occur about 10,000 years later. Once water enters a waste package,it would have to penetrate the metal cladding of the spent nuclear fuel to reach the waste. The majority of the commercial spent nuclear fuel is clad 16

in a highly conosion-resistant metal that is designed to withstand the extreme temperature and radiation environment in the core of an operating nuclear reactor. While current models indicate that it would take thousands of years to corrode cladding sufficiently to allow water to reach the waste and begin to dissolve the radionuclides, estimates of cladding integrity are uncertain. Although the Viability Assessment assumes cladding credit in our performance analyses, we recognize these assumptions will be challenged in the licensing process. It is expected that most of the waste would not migrate from the package even ifit were breached. However, cenain long-lived, water-soluble and colloidal radionuclides could move down through about 1,000 feet of rock to the water table. As these radionuclides begin to move down through the rock, we believe some will stick (or adsorb) to the minerals in the rock and be delayed in reaching the water table. After reaching the water table, radionuclides will disperse to some extent in groundwater beneath Yucca Mountain, and the concentrations will be diluted. Eventually, groundwater with varying concentrations of different radionuclides will reach locations down gradient from Yucca Mountain where the water could be withdrawn and consumed. Improving Implementation of Our Quality Assurance Program l Your staff has expressed serious concerns about the implementation of our Quality Assurance (QA) program. These concerns have been expressed in the reports of the on-site representatives, in letters from your staff, and in face-to-face interactions Although your staff acknowledges that most QA issues have been self-identified by the DOE, I want to make it perfectly clear that, as we move towards licensing, a Quality Assurance program that is capable of identifying issues but is ineffective at preventing and resolving them in a timely manner is unacceptable.12t me begin by stating unequivocally that we do not disagree with the conclusions , of your staff regarding the implementation of what is structurally a sound program. This 17 l r

l program's management team is absolutely committed to making the improvements that are required to become a licensee. i l To date,in the Viability Assessment, we focused on world-class state-of-the-art science. l

We recognize, though, that world-class state-of-the-an science alone is not sufficient for a ' License Application. It must be performed under an NRC approved QA program with necessary

processes and documentation. We are working hard to bring that dimension into every scientist's, engineer's, and administrator's daily routine. I During the last fiscal year, we completed the consolidation of our multiple QA programs into one overall DOE QA Program and have made significant progress in integrating the QA functions of the DOE Office of Quality Assurance with those of the Management and Operating contractor. Our QA audit function has been retained solely by DOE and-remains independent of the M&O. Having one QA organization, reporting to the Director of our Office of Quality Assurance who repons directly to me, providing the support to all program panicipants allows a more consistent approach to implementation and interpretation of the QA program requirements. At our December 9,1998 and January 26,1999 meetings with your staff to discuss i Quality Assurance (QA) issues, we identified actions necessary to address the QA deficiencies. l many of which are related to technical data, procurement, software, and model development and use. We recognize the need to adopt an integrated approach to resolution as well as prevention of similar deficiencies. To that end, the Program has developed and is implementing our CAR Management Plan and Response to Corrective Action Requests, which identifies the actions , already taken as well as those actions planned by the Yucca Mountain Project to effect the needed improvements in our QA implementation. As you may recall, we were faced with a similar QA Program implementation issue in 1994 as we began to design and then construct the Exploratory Studies Facility. In that case we l l 18 l

also needed to improve performance in the engineering work force that was unfamiliar with the nuclear culture and unpracticed in quality assurance processes. We were successful in that transition and we are now taking many of the same steps to effect change m the natural system and performance assessment activities. We recognize the need for comprehensive change in a

limited time period, but have the confidence we can again be successful. We believe that the implementation of the CAR Management Plan will permit us to employ effective corrective actions that will have a high probability of preventing recurrence of the deficiencies. The Program is planning to devote adequate resources to this issue. Accordingly, our Corrective Action Board will provide additional management oversight of the corrective action process. Their objectives are to decrease the overall time for completing corrective actions, to decrease the number of rejected deficiency responses and verifications, to decrease the overall number of open deficiencies, and to ensure integration of corrective actions for similar deficiencies. The Board charter was approved on January 12,1999, and Board members have been selected. The formulation and implementation of the Management Plan and the establishment of the Corrective Action Board illustrate our ongoing commitment to achicving full compliance with nuclear quality assurance requirements. We will apply the appropriate level of resources and the highest level of management attention to ensure that performance meets management's expectations as well as the NRC's requirements. In addition to the actions mandated by our Management Plan and overseen by our Corrective Action Board,it is often appropnate to implement some corrective actions in advance l of identification of root causes. For example, the Yucca Mountain Project began providing l Regulatory and Licensing training that portrays QA as an integral pa,t of the nuclear culture and a necessary underpinning of the licensing process. The four national laboratories (LANL, LBNL SNL and LANL) that are supporting our program are being trained on the control and use of 19

1 scientific notebooks for OCRWM activities. The training is being conducted to promote a better understanding of the purpose and objectives of scientific notebooks in our program and the rigor of scientific notebook documentation to ensure traceability of our work. With regard to data qualification, we are verifying the documentation supponing the I status of qualified data and identifying existing, non-qualified data that will be directly relied on l in the License Application and must be qualified. Our ongoing Process Validation and Re-engineering (PVAR) initiative will permit us to develop and implement an interdependent project infrastructure that conforms to project requirements and provides defensibility, traceability, reproducibility, and retrievability for products and information used in the Environmental Impact Statement, Site Recommendation and License Application. Once the PVAR initiative is complete, the program will have: reviewed and verified work processes; developed a set of integrated work procedures; established an integrated training curriculum supponing the procedures; and created an implementation plan specifying our approach as well as individual l roles and responsibilities. l l DOE considers improvements in the implementation of the QA Program to be of paramount importance. As our program moves beyondjust world-class science and our QA pe:formance improves, the Project expects to enhance its ability to respond to deficiencies and to promptly identify the root causes and implement the appropriate corrective action to prevent recurrence. We intend to routinely communicate our progress to NRC staff, and we are looking

forward to briefing the staff on the status ofimplementation of the Management Plan and results ! achieved to date when we meet in April. i Conclusion The Program is reaching the conclusion of our site characterization efforts. The Viability Assessment clarified the remaining work required and identified those technical issues that 20

i l l should be addressed prior to determining the suitability of the site. We are addressing those j issues and have commenced work on assembling the information required to support national decisions on geologic disposal at Yucca Mountain. -; l " In closing, I would like to note that since I last addressed the Commission, our organizations have interacted frequently and have made progress in a number of areas. The valuable efforts of l your staff have resulted in tough, but fair critique and have stimulated positive change. I hope i that we can continue to build on this progress as we move forward. We intend to keep you and your staff apprised of our progress and look forward to a constmetive dialogue as we carry out , our mutual responsibilities. Thank you for the opportunity to brief the Commission. I would be happy to answer any questions you may have. t 21 i j

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U.S. Department of Energy Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Office 1 j l

This publication was produced by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management. For further information contact: U.S. Department of Energy Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Office P.O. Box 30307 North Las Vegas, Nevada 89036-0307 or call: Yucca Mountain Information Center 1-800-225-6972 or visit: ! Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Project website http://www.ymp. gov (o Printed with soy ink on recycled paper. 1 1 1 l l l I i l

r k l l l Contents introduction The Viability Assessment. . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . .1 Results in brief.. . ..... . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

Background

 .       The nuclear waste problem .. . .. . . . . . . . . .. .                                                        ... .                        ...                 ......4 Geologic disposal. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .                                               . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..                                  .6 The law and the regulations .. ..                            . . . . . . .          .             . ..               .. .. ....                                ..            .     .8            1 How geologic disposal would work .. . ... . . ... .. .                                                      . . . . . . . . . . . . .                               . . .          .9 Why Yucca Mountain?. .                                                                                                                                                                           ]
                                                            .                  . . . . . . .          .            . .. . . . . . . . . .                                ...               .10 Reference design The design process..                         .                   . . . .                    . . . .                   .           . .. . . . . . . .                               .12 The reference design. ....                 .. ...                . . . .                      .....                ..             . . .          .....                  .     . 13                ;

l Performance assessment ' Performance assessment models . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .. . ... .. .18 The attributes of safe disposal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Possible dose . .. . . . . .. . . . . . .24 Other safety issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .25 i What we are learning . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .. . . . .26 License application Plan to complete a license application . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .. . . 27 Operational safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 28 Long-term safety. . . ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . .. . . . . . .. ... .29 Estimated cost i Cost oflicensing, building, operating, monitoring, and closing a repository.. .. . . . . . . . . . . . ... .. . . .... . . . . . . . .. .32 Repository costs . ... .... .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .33 Total system life cycle costs ... . ... . .. . . . .. . . . . . . .34 Who pays? .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35

 . Conclusion Concluding observations .. . ..                        . ...... ....                                 ..                  . . . . . . . .                  ........ 36 Back matter Endnotes . . .. ...           ..         . . . . .                   . . . . . . . . . . .                        . . . . . . . . . . . .               .                .     . 38 l        Glossary. . .. .. ...                . . . . . . .         . . . .         .      . . . . . ... . . . . . . .                                           .                   .... 40 Acronyms. . . . . . .                   .. . . . . . . . . . . . .                         .. . . . . . . . . .. . ..                                     .            ..        . 42 i

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The Viability Asse.ssment The U.S. Department of Energy t' DOE) has tary of Energy on whether to recommend been studying a site at Yucca Mountain, the Yucca Mountain site for a repository. Nevada, for more than 15 years to deter. mine whether it is a suitable place to build This overview of the Viability Assessment a geologic repository for the nation's com- o/a Repositoryat YuccaMountain describes

mercial and defense spent nuclear fuel and the nuclear waste problem and explains high-level radioactive waste. This overview why the United States and other nations presents the results of DOE's study to date. are considering deep geologic disposal as the solution. The overview describes why the In 1996, DOE announced that it would com- United States is considering Yucca Moun-plete in 1998 a viability assessment of the tain and how a monitored geologic reposi-Yucca Mountain site that would describe tory would work in the mountain. It pre-the following: sents a repository design, an assessment of its expected performance, and an evalua-

The preliminary design concept for the tion of the possible effects on people living critical elements of a repository and near Yucca Mountain. Also presented is the waste package work remaining to be completed prior to a license application, along with the esti.
A total system performance assessment, mated cost of building and operating a geo-based on the design concept and the sci- 1 logic repository at Yucca Mountain. Finally, entific data and analyses available by based on the information in the viability as-1998, that describes the probable behav- sessment, the overview concludes with l

ior of a repository in the Yucca Mountain geologic setting DOE's assessment of whether work at Yucca Mountain should proceed.

A plan and cost estimate for the remain-ing work required to complete and sub-mit a license application to the Nuclear l Regulatory Commission
An estimate of the costs to construct and rNTog c

operate a repository in accordance with

4 g the design concept 4

 '                                                     k                 "k In the 1997 Appropriations Act,' Congress required DOE to prepare the viability as-        O h=*                    bd sessment.

gg The purpose of the viability assessment is to provide Congress, the President, and the . public with information on the progress of Eb the Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Project. The assessment also identifies the critical issues that need to be addressed before a decision can be made by the Secre-gAh Ch l

Introduction i

l l 1 i

Results in brief j Based on the viability assessment, DOE ~~

                                                                                                                     ~ ~ ~ ~ - ~

believes that Yucca Mountain remains a promising site for a geologic repository and i that work should proceed to support a deci-1 , sion in 2001 on whether to recommend the site to the President for development as a [ repository. For the site to be recommended, ! DOE needs to demonstrate that a reposi- , l tory can be designed and built at Yucca Mountain that would protect public health and safety and the environment for thou-l sands ofyears. Uncertainties remain about ] key natural processes, the preliminary de-l sign, and how the site and design would

!                             interact. To address these uncertainties, 1                              DOE plans to advance the design, complete critical tests and analyses, and prepare

draft and fimal environmentalimpact state-i ments. When this work is completed in 2001, a decision will be made by the Secre-2 tary of Energy on whether to recommend the site to the President.

! The advantages of Yucca Mountain as a po-j tential repository site include its location. /

semiarid climate, and deep groundwater s v-table. basin feature is unique to the western region of the country.

Yucca Mountain is about 100 miles north-j west of Las Vegas, Nevada, on unpopu- The preliminary repository design includes I

lated land owned by the Federal Govern- a long. lived waste package and takes ad- ! ment and adjacent to the Nevada Test vantage of the desert environment and geo- . I Site. More than 900 nuclear weapons logic features of Yucca Mountain. Together, 1 tests have been conducted at the Nevada the natural and engineered barriers can j Test Site. keep water away from the waste for thou- - l i sands of years. Analyses of the preliminarv Water is the primary means by which ra- ~ ! design using mathematical models, thougii dioactive elements (radionuclides) could be transported from a repository. Yucca subject to uncertainties, indicate that pub-j Mountain is located in a desert environ lic health and the environment can be pro-j ment. with an average rainfall of about tected' 7 inches per year. l For 10.000 years after the repository is l The nearest groundwater, which is about ci sed, people living near Yucca Moun-i 1,000 feet below the planned location of t in are expected to receive little or no the repository, is isolated in a closed re-increase in radiation exposure. gional basin and does not flow into any rivers that reach the ocean. This closed The maximum radiation exposure from i the repository is expected to occur after 1

Introduction about 300,00s years. People living ap- Prepare an environmental impact state. proximately 20 kilometers (12 miles) from ment, publish it for public comment in ) Yucca Mountain at that time might re- j 1999, and finalize it in 2000 ceive additional radiation exposures equivalent to present-day background These tasks will cost approximately $1.1 bil-radiation. ! lion to complete. If the site is suitable and ; DOE submits a license application in 2002, j Although current assessments of repository the estimated cost to successfully complete performance are encouraging, more work is l the licensing process, build a licensed re- l

~   needed before the site can be recommended                          pository, emplace the waste, and monitor and a license application for construction                                                                                  )

of a repository can be submitted to the and close the repository is approximately i

                                                                       $18.7 billion, in constant 1998 dollars.                 l Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).

Given adequate funding and successful l Current schedules anticipate that the Sec- completion of the licensing process, the first retary of Energy will decide whether to rec- waste could be emplaced in a repository in . 2010, and the last waste, in 2033. With I ommend the site to the President in 2001, after considering the views of States, af- NRC approval, a repository could be closed l and sealed as early as 10 years after the fected Indian tribes, and NRC, as required l by the Nuclear Waste Policy Act. In turn, last waste is emplaced; or it could be kept i open and actively monitored for hundreds the President will decide whether to recom- ofyears, ifit appears desirable to do so. The mend the site to Congress. If Congress agrees with the President's recommenda- $18.7 billion cost estimate assumes a moni-tion and the site is designated, DOE would toring period of 100 years, beginning with 3 submit to NRC in 2002 a license applica- initial waste emplacement. The repository is being designed to allow future genera-tion for construction authorization. To sup-port these plans, DOE will: tions to decide how long the repository should be monitored, and whether and Obtain more information on key natural processes, including how radionuclides could be transported by groundwater be- A monitored geologic repository is one com-neath the repository ponent of a total waste management sys-tem. The total estimated future cost to com-Test the performance of candidate waste plete the program, including transportation package materials and evaluate alterna- f waste and storage at the repository, is tive repository designs $36.6 billion in constant 1998 dollars. This meludes costs from 1999 through closure Continue analvzing the interaction be. nd decommissioning, assumed to begin in tween the repository and the natural pro. 2110 and to be completed in 2116. It does cesses not include $5.9 billion that has been spent on the program through fiscal year 1998. Mabdify Assesament 2000 j l Envronmentalimpact Statement j t j 2001 2h3 -211b 3 3.' h Sde Recommendaten Octioca! Assumed Cet oca 0,osce Closse C7see

    *MM                         y L-- 2010                - 2033 Emplacement begins     Emplacement completed I

Lcense Apphcation l

         " Stop 11siteis unsuitable Schedule for major repository milestones

Background

The nuclear waste problem Countries worldwide have accumulated high-level radioactive waste by using nuclear materials to produce electricity, to power naval vessels. and to make nuclear ' weapons. Some elements of this waste are hazardous for a few years to several hun-dred years; some elements are hazardous - for many thousands of years. This waste '~

AU must be safely contained until it no longer -

Ltstihana poses a significant risk to human health and

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                     ,                                                                       mulated approximately 2,500 metric tons F ' j:                                                                  of spent nuclear fuel from reactors that pro-duce materials for nuclear weapons, from
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r research reactors, and from reactors on the Storage poo! for commercial spent nuclear fuel Navy's nuclear-powered ships and subma-Commercial spent nuclear fuel rines. The majority of DOE spent nuclear fuel is currently stored at three major sites As of December 1998, the Um.ted States had in Idaho, South Carolina, and Washington. accumulated 38,500 metric tons of used or Under a negotiated settlement agreement spent nuclear fuel from commercial between the State ofIdaho, the Navy, and - nuclear power plants; this amount could DOE, all spent fuel must be removed from more than double by the year 2035 if all Idaho by the year 2035.8 currently operating plants complete their , initial 40 yearlicense period. The spent fuel is now stored in 33 states at 72 power plant sites and one commercial storage site and I is likely to remain where it is until a dis-posal or central storage facility is con-structed. When a power plant ceases op-erations, the spent nuclear fuel and other radioactive materials must be removed be-fore the plant can be fully decommissioned and the site used for other purposes. F Area Tank Farm at Savannah River Site, near Aiken, SC

Background

High-level radioactive waste The production of nuclear weapons has left must be disposed ofin a secure facility that a legacy of high-level radioactive waste that will not only keep the waste away from was created when spent nuclear fuel was people but will also keep people away from treated chemically to separate uranium and the weapons-usable material for thomands plutonium. The remaining high-level waste of years. Ensuring national securit. nd is in liquid and solid forms; 100 million gal- preventing the proliferation of nus r lons are stored in underground tanks in weapons depends on developing a pe2 .- Washington, South Carolina, Idaho, and nent, safe, and secure disposal facility ior New York.4 Under agreements between surplus plutonium and other weapons ma-DOE and the states where the waste is terials. stored, this high-level waste will continue to be solidified and placed in about 20,000 Totalinventory canisters for future disposalin a permanent geologic repository. At present, spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste are temporarily stored at Surplus plutonium and other nuclear 78 locations in 35 states, as shown below. weapons materials Some of these storage sites are close to popu. lation centers and are located near rivers, The end of the Cold War has brought the lakes, and seacoasts. The stored materi-problem of cleaning up and closing weap- als,ifleft where they are indefm' itely, could ons plants that are no longer needed and become a hazard to nearby populations and 5 disposing of surplus plutonium and other the environment. These nuclear materials nuclear materials associated with weapons require safe and permanent disposal. production. These radioactive materials x v.

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Background 1

i l 1 I Geologic disposal I

Geologic disposal of radioactive wa.cte has been the focus of scientific research for more

i than 40 years. As early as 1957, a National Academy of Sciences' report to the Atomic Energv Commission recommended burying 4 '

radioactive waste in geologic formations.5

In 1962, the Atomic Energy Commission i began investigating salt formations, includ- .

ing bedded salt and salt domes, as poten-tial host rock for repositories. In 1975, the Energy Research and Development Admin-istration, predecessor to DOE, selected a site near Carlsbad, New Mexico, for the - Waste Isolation Pilot Project, which is to Dry cask storage of commercial spent nuclear fuel dispose of transuranic waste. In 1976, the Energy Research and Development Admin-istration also began to investigate other geo. proach for nuclear waste disposal. A panel logic formations and to consider different of the National Academy of Sciences noted disposal concepts, including deep seabed in 1990 that there is "a worldwide scien-disposal, disposal in the polar ice sheets, tific consensus that deep geological disposal, 6 and rocketing waste into the sun. After ex. the approach being followed by the United tensive evaluation of the options, DOE con. States, is the best option for disposing of cluded in 1981 that disposal in an under. high-level radioactive waste l ground mined geologic repository remained l the preferred option.o However, there are differing views on how l rapidly waste should be disposed of and Unlike the hazards of toxic materials such whether it should be disposed of irrevers-as lead, mercury, and arsenic, which do not ibly. Some argue that waste should be break down, the hazard of radioactive ma. stored for several generations to allow sci-terials declines over time. Early efforts to entists to learn more about geologic disposal study disposal options, therefore, sought to and to take advantage of new and better find the most effective ways for available technologies that may come along. That . technology to isolate waste long enough for would keep all options open for future gen-the hazard to decline to low levels. That erations. But it would also require them to search led to geolegic environments that bear all the costs ofexercising those options. . have remained stable for millions of vears and are likely to remain so. Scientists One way to preserve these options and still widely agreed that waste packaged in ro, provide a permanent solution is to dispos bust,long lived waste packages and placed of waste in a manner that permits, but does deep in such stable geologic environments not require, the retrieval of waste; the waste could be isolated from the biosphere for the would be disposed of, but not irreversibly. long time periods necessary. The Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982

re-quires that spent nuclear fuel emplaced in Since the first scientific study in 1957, vir. a repository be retrievable for any reason tually every expert group that has looked pertaining to public health and the environ-at the nuclear waste problem has agreed ment, or to permit recovery of the poten-that a geologic repository is the best ap. tially valuable contents of the spent fuel Ii rior to permanent closure of a repository.

Background

i l I 1 Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) allowable under NRC regulations, or of l regulations require that a geologic reposi- keeping it open and monitoring it for hun-tory be designed for waste retrieval at any dreds of years. time up to 50 years after waste emplace- 1 ment begins.9 A geologic repository will not require per-petual human care and will not rely on the The DOE is designing a monitored geologic stability of society for thousands of years I repository at Yucca Mountain that could into the future. It will rely instead on geo-give future generations the choice of clos- logic formations that have remained rela-

   -  ing and sealing the repository as early as                                 tively stable for millions of years and on long-lived engineered barriers.

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E{zf $ j E$ M 5 a e i sic Operating Reactors { e10 buong hear: tors E *10 Oraenng or Plannmg Reactors Worldwide status of nuclear power reactors in the United States.104 operating reactors produce 20 percent of the nation's electncity Worldwide data is frorn the files of the Austrahan Nuclear Scence and Technology Organisation. based on inforrnation as of June 5.1998 I

Background

The law and the regulations I The Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 program-to pay for that effort. The NWPA (NWPA) directed DOE to develop a system requires utilities with nuclear power plants for the safe and final disposal of spent to pay a fee to fund the disposal program. nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive The Federal Government bears the costs of waste. disposing of defense waste. ~ The NWPA set an ambitious schedule for The NWPA also assigns distinct roles to the DOE to site two geologic repositories and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

required DOE to contract with utilities to and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission begin disposal in the first one by January (NRC). The EPA is required to establish 31,1998. The DOE formallyidentified nine standards for protection of the general en-potentially acceptable sites across the na- vironment from releases of radioactive ma-tion and later narrowed the list to three terial from a repository. The NRC is re-sites: Deaf Smith County, Texas; Hanford, sponsible for establishing technical Washington; and Yucca Mountain, Nevada. requirements and criteria, consistent with In 1987, Congress directed DOE to study EPA standards, for approving or disapprov-only one of the sites-the one at Yucca ing applications to construct, operate, and

Mountain-to decide whether it is suitable eventually close a repository. In 1981 and

{ for a repository. This legislation, known as 1983, NRC issued regulations for a geologic { the Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act repository in anticipation of EPA stan-8 of 1987,20 also established the Nuclear dards.22 Waste Technical Review Board, composed l of experts appointed by the President to re. Subsequently, the Energy Policy Act of view the DOE program. 1992" modified the process for setting en-vironmental standards for a repository at The NWPA reaffirms the Federal Yucca Mountain. The Act directed the Na-i Government's responsibility for developing tional Academy of Sciences (NAS) to pro-l repositories for the permanent disposal of vide findings and recommendations on i spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioac- these standards and directed EPA to issue j tive waste. It also affirms the responsibil- standards for the Yucca Mountain site

                           ,   ity of the generators of          based on and consistent with the NAS find-j A the waste-the nuclear               ings and recommendations. The Act di-i                          w       utilities and the fed-         rected NRC to revise its regulations as nec-eral defense nuclear         essary to be consistent with the EPA standards, once issued. The NAS published       .

*"'"'. its report in 1995.23 The EPA is currently

                       '--                                       developing its standards.

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Background , 4 I i

 ;                  How geologic disposal would work
'                  The basic concept of geologic disposal is to they differ in the barriers they emphasize.

place carefully prepared and packaged The German disposal concept, for example, j waste in excavated tunnels in geologic for- relies heavily on the geologic barrier, the mations such as salt, hard rock, or clay. The rock salt formation at the prospective dis-concept relies on a series of barriers, natu. posal site. The Swedish method, on the ral and engineered, to contain the waste for other hand, relies heavily on thick copper thousands of years and t.o minimize the waste packages t.o contain waste. amount of radioactive material that may eventually be transported from a repository The U.S. approach, as recommended in the and reach the human environment. 1979 Report to the President by the Inter-agency Review Group on Nuclear Waste i ] Water is the primary means by which ra. Management,"is to design a repository in dionuclides could reach t he human environ. which the natural and engineered barriers ) ment. Therefore, the primary functions of work as a system, so that some barriers will i the barriers are to keep water away from continue to work even if others fail, and so i the waste as long as possible, to limit the that none of the barriers is likely to fail for amount of water that finally does contact the waste, to slow the release of radionu. the same reason or at the same time. This l design strategy is called defense in depth. clides from the waste and to reduce the con-centrations of radionuclides in groundwa-The barriers include the chemical and ter, physical forms of the waste, the waste pack- { ages and other engineered barriers, and the 9 1 All countries pursuing geologic disposal are natural characteristics of Yucca Mountain. taking the multibarrier approach, though atural Barrier , , a, 5 .,,,

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Background

i Why Yucca Mountain? ) Yucca Mountain is remote from population years. 13ased upon what is known about centers. Located about 100 miles northwest the site, disruption of a repository at Yucca of Las Vegas, Nevada, Yucca Mountain is Mountain by volcanoes, earthquakes. ero-on the edge of the nation's nuclear weap- sion, or other geologic processes and events ons test site, where more than 900 nuclear appears to be highly unlikely. tests have been conducted. This unpopulated land is owned by the Federal Yucca Mountain has a desert climate. This Government. is important because water movement is the ' primary means by which radioactive waste Yucca Mountain provides a stable geologic could be transported from a repository. On environment. A flat-topped ridge running average, Yucca Mountain currently receives six miles from north to south, Yucca Moun- about seven inches of rain and snow per tain has changed little over the last million year. Nearly all the precipitation, about 95 i l percent, either runs off or evaporates. Geo- i f logical information indicates that the n y gional climate has changed over the past .

s~ ! Reno .3 e , i 10 .h ' Yucca l e g 1 t 1 1 I k l l I I 1 1 Location of tne proposed monitored geologic reposdory at Yucca Mounta n. Nevada l

                                                                      . - ~ . _ _ _ _ . - . - _                    - _ _ _ . _ . _ _ _ . . _ . . _ -

Background

l million years and the long-term average groundwater in the region is trapped within j precipitation has been about 12 inches per i a closed desert basin and does not flow into year-comparable to that of present day any rivers that reach the ocean. Santa Fe, New Mexico. Even if this were to he the case in the future, most of the water The concept of disposing of waste in the un-4 would run off or evaporate rather than soak saturated zone in the desert regions of the into the ground and possibly reach the re. Southwest was first advanced by the U.S. pository. Geological Survey in the 1970s. In 1976, i the director of the Geological Survey sug-

        ,               A repository would be built about 1,000 feet          gested that the region in and around the below the surface and 1,000 feet above the            Nevada nuclear weapons test site offered a l                        water table in what is called the unsatur-            variety of geologic formations and other at-1 ated zone. The water table is about 2,000             tractive features, including remoteness and j                        feet beneath the crest of Yucca Mountain,             an arid climate." In 1981, a Geological Sur-

Any precipitation that does not run off or vey scientist noted that the desert South-i evaporate at the surface would have to seep west has water tables that are among the j down nearly 1,000 feet before reaching the deepest in the world and that the region g

repository. Between the repocitory and the contains multiple natural barriers that 1 water table, it would have to move through could isolate wastes for " tens of thousands another 1,000 feet of the unsaturated zone to perhaps hundreds of thousands of before reaching the water table. The years."5 I

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) I l i View of Yucca Mountain from the south i i A.. . - - . .- - -

Reference Design The design process Designing a repository is an iterative pro- materials that are chosen to be compatible cess. The process begins with defining the with the underground thermal and primary design objectives: protecting the geochemical environment, and the layout health and safety of both the workers and of tunnels takes into consideration the ge-the public during the period of repository ology of the mountain. ' operations; minimizing the amount of ra-dioactive material that may eventually Through successive evaluations and im-reach the accessible environment; and keep- provements, the repository design has ~ ing costs down to an acceptable level. evolved to the current reference design. The reference design represents a snapshot of To achieve the design objectives, engineers the ongoing design process, thus providing work with scientists to design the man- a frame of reference to describe how a re-made components of a repository to work pository at Yucca Mountain could work. effectively with the natural system. The The repository design also offers insights engineered barriers are intended to work about how to reduce uncertainty and modify with the natural barriers-the geology and the design to improve its performance. Im-climate of Yucca Mountain-to contain and provements are expected to continue as isolate waste for thousands of years. The more work is completed and more informa-waste package design, for example, includes tion about the site is obta.ned. 12

                                                                      %(M A conceptual model of the design process. Design objectves for reposby componentsareidentfied,andthenthedesignsaredeveloped evaluated, and improved

Reference Design 1 1 i the reference design i + At the north entrance to the underground jln the current reference design, spent repository would be the facilities and l nuclear fuel and high level radioactive equipment to transfer waste from ship-l waste would be transported to Yucca Moun- ping containers to waste packages. Each l tain by truck or rail in specially designed, waste package would be welded closed shielded shipping containers licensed by the and thoroughly checked before being Nuclear Regulatory Commission; removed loaded onto a shielded transporter to be i from the shipping containers and placed in taken underground. , long-lived waste packages for disposal; car-j ried into the underground repository by rail

At the south entrance would be the fa- l cars; placed on supports in the tunnels; and cilities to support the excavation and con-l monitored until the repository is finally struction of the tunnels.

closed and sealed. Near the top of the mountain would be Surface facilities and operations the facilities that house the air intake and exhaust fans for ventilating the reposi-Surface facilities would be designed to re. tory. ' ceive the waste and prepare it for fm' al dis-posal, and to support the excavation, con- Workers would be shielded from direct ex-struction, loading, and ventilation of the posure to radiation and contamination be- 13 repository tunnels. The entire surface lay. cause waste would be handled remotely. l out would cover about 100 acres and have three main areas: 1 I l n n,- g-

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Reference Design Underground facilities and operations The underground repository would consist would lift the waste package, carry it along of about 100 miles of tunnels. The main the drift, and lower it onto its supports. t unnels would be designed for moving work-ers, equipment, and wasto packages. Ven- Current schedules anticipate that waste tilation tunnels would provide air for work. emplacement would begin in 2010 if a li- - ers. The emplacement tunnels (or drifts) cense is received from the Nuclear Regula-would accommodate the waste packages. tory Commission, after construction of sur. Two gently sloping access ramps and two face facilities, the main tunnels, ventilation - vertical ventilation shafts would connect the system, and initial emplacement drifts. Ad-underground and surface areas. ditional drifts would be constructed over a period of about 20 years while waste is be-Transportation underground would be by ing emplaced. The current design would rail. A locomotive would haul the shielded accommodate 70,000 metric tons of waste, transporter with its waste package under- a limit imposed by the Nuclear Waste Policy ground from the waste-handling building Act of 1982. However, the site is large to the entrance of an emplacement drift. enough to accommodate additional waste, Then a remotely operated crane (or gantry) if that were authorized. d i i i s 1 " I t l l .,i I ) I l Artists concept of repository underground faciktes and operations I l

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?i Reference Design j i s j The engineered barrier system i The engineered barrier system is designed l i to work with the natural geologic barriers. , , The reference repository design fea- 3 ,,,,,

tures a long h,ved waste package ,,,

and includes the waste -'*""^"**"""'"B""" form, the concrete tunnel floor (or in- corrosion a. istantinner aarner l vert), and the steel j and concrete sup-port for the waste Backfill would consist of package. crushed rock or other granu-U"."*Juw s lar material that would be l The current waste placed around the waste packages package design would _ oute B*'"" W in the emplacement drifts just before have two layers: a structur. the repository is closed. l ally strong outer layer of car-bon steel nearly four inches thick, The DOE also is evaluating alternative de-l and a corrosion resistant inner layer of a signs, some of which might reduce uncer-high-nickel alloy about three-fourths of an tainties regarding repository performance. inch thick. These two layers would work (Design alternatives are discussed further 15 i l together to preserve the integrity of the under Long-Term Safety, page 30.) waste package. f ; ? The waste forms inside the waste package would provide additional barriers against transport of radionuclides away from the Waste Emplacement repository. Most spent nuclear fuel is en- Tunnel cased m, Zircaloy, a metal cladding that is ~- highly resistant to corrosion. Defense high-f level radioactive waste would be solidified M' #7 s as glass inside stainless steel canisters. Ceramic Coating e- [ 'o e As the design process continues, DOE is w orip shield yx sackfiii evaluating several design options that jQ:9 g$ 4 ' might increase the ability of the engineered ,16 ~ wg s. ,n l barrier system to contain waste. These in-

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Backfill that could protect the waste packages from falling rock or tunnel col-j lapse, raise the waste packages' tempera-ture and lower the relative humidity 1

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Reference Design Confirmation and retrieval i Activities to confirm that a repository would rounding rock. The effects of a repository work as expected begin long before the first would be monitored, and the observed ef-waste is emplaced. In the current site char-fects would be compared to the model pre-acterization phase, information about Yucca dictions. These confirmation activities Mountain and the surrounding environ- would help determine whether a repository ~ ment is being collected and compiled to pro- is operating as expected. vide a baseline against which to compare what would happen if a repository were If a problem is detected prior to closing the - built and waste were emplaced. repository, remedial action or retrieval of the waste would be possible using remotely Using mathematical models based on the operated equipment. The Nuclear Regula-collected data and analyses of the engi- tory Commission currently requires that a ' neered components, scientists forecast the repository be designed to allow the retrieval ' probable behavior of the engineered system of waste at any time up to 50 years after and the effects of a repository on the Yucca waste operations begin. Retrieval of waste, Mountain environment, If repository op- if needed, would follow, in reverse order, erations begin, remote sensors would moni-the same steps taken in emplacing the tor the waste packages, tunnels, and sur- waste. 16 Perfonnance confamahon r-2[43 -21% -23L i options. Assumed opt >ona i Casum closwe Closum 1%3 gg sa 2001 - I l- 2010 Empinsamallages L203h Empiument compiad 1 2110 l Decamn The performance confmation program begins with site charactenzation to estabhsh a baseline and contnues until reposito

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Reference Design i 8 I l Repository closing 1 Even under the most ambitious schedules and prevent water from entering through for disposal, future generations would make these openings. the final decision to close a repository. To give future generations the option of clos. At the surface, all radiological areas would

            .             ing the repository or monitoring it for long                                                          be decontaminated, all structures removed.

} periods of time, DOE is designing the re. and all wastes and debris disposed of at ap. ] pository so that it could (with Nuclear Regu. proved sites. The surface area would be ! . latory Commission approval) be either restored as closely as possible to its origi- { closed as early as 10 years after emplace- nal condition. Permanent monuments

ment of the last waste package, or kept open would be erected around the site to warn 4

, for hundreds ofyears from the start of waste any future generations of the presence and j emplacement. nature of the buried wastes. 1 i Permanently closing the repository would The DOE also would continue to oversee the l require the sealing of all shafts, ramps, ex. Yucca Mountain site to prevent any activ- { ploratory boreholes, and other underground ity that could breach a repository's engi-l openings. These actions would discourage neered or geologic barriers, or otherwise i any human intrusion into the repository increase the exposure of the public to ra-l diation beyond allowable limits. i a 17 l 4 l w -. j _ f G n w'*'"

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j . 1 1 } j . A 1 ! Vew of Yucca Mountain frorn the northwest 1 i i___ _ ___ _ - , ._ . . _ , . _ _ _ _ - - . . . . . _ . . _ . . . . - . _ - . . . , . .. . _ - ~ _ _ _ - _ . , _ _ . _ _ _ , _ _ . . .

4 i Performance Assessment i 4 i l 1 4 i Performance assessment models 1 Performance assessment evaluates how a svstem are most important to how wellit is j repository system is likely to work over long likely to work, and where scientists and en-3 time periods. From the results of scientific gineers might most usefully focus their ef. 4 studies, analysts build detailed mathemati- forts to improve performance. These assess-j cal models or " representations" of the fea- ~ ments are repeated and refined during the

tures, events, and processes that could af- course of developing, evaluating, and im-i feet the performance of the design. They proving a repository design.

! then incorporate the results of these de- ' ) tailed process models into an overall model A total system performance assessment rep-i of the repository system, which is called the resents a reasonable approach to the chal-total system performance assessment lenging task of projecting how a repository model. The models are used to assess how would work over thousands of years. How-the natural and engineered elements of a ever, as a National Academy of Sciences waste disposal system are likely to work panel observed, " Confidence in the disposal together over the long period required to techniques must come from a combination , isolate wastes. of remoteness, engineering design, math-

ematical modeling, performance assess-Performance assessments help identify ment, natural analogues and the possibil-l which uncertainties about the behavior of ity of remedial action in the event of i

a disposal system are significant and which unforeseen events."" The DOE is taking 18 l are not, which elements of the repository this combined approach. t l l t JB : j Approach to constructing a total system performance assessment (TSPA) model Analysts develop detailed mathematical models of the retural processes that are %wtant to repositcry 4 i performance and then combine these models into a model of the entire reposstory system. l i

L ! l Performance Assessment The attributes of safe disposal The results of fifteen years of testing and The results indicate that a repository at analysis, including four years of under- Yucca Mountain would need to exhibit four ground exploration, have validated many, key attributes to protect public health and but not all, of the expectations of scientists the environment for thousands of years.

 . who first suggested that remote desert re.                       The four key attributes are:

gions are well-suited for a geologic reposi-tory. One important and unexpected test Limited water contact with waste pack-result was finding underground, at the level ages of the proposed repository, traces of a ra-dioactive isotope (chlorine-36) that is asso- Long waste package lifetime l ciated with above-ground nuclear weapons tests. As atmospheric nuclear testing be-

Low rate of release of radionuclides from gan in the mid-1940s, this finding suggests breached waste packages that some water travels from the ground surface to the level of the repository in about Reduction in the concentration of radio-50 years or less. Another important find, nuclides as they are transported from ing was evidence that the average amount breached waste packages of water that filters down through the mountain is about a third of an inch per Based on performance assessment models, year, which, while only about five percent DOE has evaluated the degree to which the, of the average annual pr ecipitation, is more reference design exhibits these four key at- 19 than DOE initially expected. Taken to- tributes, and has identified additional sci-gether, the findings, both expected and un- entific studies and design improvements expected, underscore the importance of that could reduce uncertainties and enhance l

building engineered barriers that work with I ng-term repository performance. ' the natural barriers to keep water away i from the waste. i l l

Performance Assessment i

t j } i ) Limited water contact with waste packages i i In the reference design, waste packages Once waste packages have been placed in j would be placed about 1,000 feet below the the repository, the heat generated from ra-j mountain's surface and about 1,000 feet dioactive decay would raise the tempera-j above the water table. Even if future cli- ture in the tunnels above the boiling point j mates are much wetter than today, the of water. The heat is expected to dry out

j mountain is not expected to erode and leave the surrounding rock and drive any water

the waste exposed, and the water table is away for hundreds to thousands of years.
not expected to rise high enough to reach However, as the waste decays and the re- '

) the waste. pository cools, enough water to cause drips l i would begin to seep into the drifts through In the current semiarid climate, about seven fractures in the rock. i inches of water a year from rain and snow i fall on Yucca Mountain. Nearly all of that Using mathematical models, analysts esti-

precipitation, about 95 percent, runs off or mate that, after the repository cools enough, evaporates. Only about one-third of an inch about five percent of the packages could ex-of water per year moves down (or percolates) perience dripping water, under the current through the nearly 1,000 feet of rock to climate. If the climate changes to a wetter reach the level of the repository. Studies of long term average, about 30 percent of the l past climates indicate that the precipitation packages could experience dripping water.

j may increase to a long-term average of These estimates are based on a number of j 20 about 12 inches per year. However, most assumptions that remain to be validated. i of the water still would run off or evaporate Nonetheless, the results suggest that lim- ! rather than soak into the ground. ited water would contact the waste pack-1 ages. { so vo - . gs j J .y Ongoing testing in the exploratory tunnels : { ? a. is providing more information on how much 4 w water could enter the repository and con-tact 'he waste packages under a variety of

                                                       '                  con       sns. The DOE is also evaluating al-i ter. tve waste package designs and other options that would mitigate the effects of        ,

water contact and improve performance of a repository. IhkrTdie

i

                   's Performance Assessment 1

1 i Long waste package lifetime ! The waste package in the reference design has two layers: a thick outer layer made of that dripping water could cause the first carbon steel that provides structural penetrations-tiny pinholes-to appear in ; strength and delays any contact of water some waste packages after about 4,000 l years. More substantial penetrations could with the inner layer, and a thinner inner i begin to occur about 10,000 years later. Pro-layer of a high. nickel alloy that resists cor-j jections of waste package performance also rosion after the outer layer is penetrated. assume that at least one waste package will ( Based on preliminary results of corrosion fail in 1,000 years due to a manufacturing defect. experiments and the opinions of experts, l computer simulations indicate that most of the waste packages would last more than To reduce the uncertainty in waste pack-j age performance, further research on the 10,000 years, even if water is dripping on conditions that waste packages will be ex-

them. The longevity of man-made materi-
als in the repository environnient over such posed to and testing of waste package ma-terials is underway. In addition, DOE is long periods of time is subject to significant l evaluating alternative waste package de-uncertainty, however, and some waste pack-

! signs and materials that could compensate ages could fail earlier. Scientists estimate 1 for the uncertainty and enhance longevity. l 21 3 I i ,

1 1

4 i 1 Amargosa Valley - i

Performance Assessmeni I i o Low rate of release of radionuclides from breached waste packages Once water enters a waste package,it would During the thousands of years required for have to penetrate the metal cladding of the water to reach the waste, the radioactivity j spent nuclear fuel to reach the waste. For of most of the radionuclides would decay to j about 99 percent of the commercial spent virtually zero. For the remaining radionu. l nuclear fuel, the cladding is highly corro- clides to get out of the waste package, they - sion-resistant metal that is designed to must be dissolved in water, but few of the ]- withstand the extreme temperature and ra- remaining radionuclides could be dissolved l diation em*ironment in the core of an oper- in water at n significant rate. Thus, only - ating nuclear reactor. Current models in- the long-lived, water-soluble radionuclides, dicate that it would take thousands ofyears such as isotopes of technetium, iodine, nep-to corrode cladding sufficiently to allow tunium, and uranium, could get out of the water to reach the waste and begin to dis- waste package. Althcugh most of the waste solve the radionuclides. However, esti- would not migrate from the package even mates of cladding performance are uncer- if it were breached, the release of any ra-tain, and more work in this area is planned. dionuclides is reason for concern and moti-vation for seeking improvements in the re-pository design. Ongoing tests are providing more information on how radio-nuclides dissolve in water. 22 w

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(.__.__.- ! l i i Performance Assessment l i i l Reduction in the concentration of radionuclides as they are transported from the waste packages I i Long-lived, water-soluble radionuclides ! transported by moving groundwater be. that migrate from the waste packages will cause they do not adsorb well to minerals. l 1. ave to move down through about 1,000 feet Two isotopes-plutonium-239 and plato-of rock to the water table and then travel nium-242-tend to adsorb but could be about 20 kilometers (about 12 miles) to mobile because they can attach themselves l reach a point where they could be taken up to small particles (or colloids) and then be l in a well and consumed or used to irrigate transported along with those particles. g crops. l ' Given the uncertainty about the rate at As the long lived, water-soluble radionu-which groundwater moves and the possible { clides begin to move down through the rock, existence of fast pathways or channels some will stick (or adsorb) to the minerals through the saturated zone, the DOE is con-f in the rock and be delayed in reaching the tinuing to investigate groundwater flow l water table. After reaching the water table, characteristics and is analyzing the possible radionuclides will disperse to some extent effects on radionuclide transport and dilu-in the larger volume of groundwater be- tion. ) neath Yucca Mountain, and the concentra-

tions will be diluted. Eventually, ground-water with varying concentrations of different radionuclides will reach locations 23 near Yucca Mountain where the water could i be consumed.

Of the approximately 350 different radio-active isotopes present in spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste, six are ' present in su0icient quantities and are suf-ficiently long-lived, soluble, mobile, and l hazardous to contribute significantly to cal-culated radiation exposures. Four of these isotopes-technetium-99, iodine-129, nep-a tunium-237, and uranium-234-can be a i l A Amargosa Valley T-

Performance Assessment Possible dose Analysts have calculated the possible radia-tion dose rate to people who may be living Radiation is a form of energy that is everywhere near the repository thousands of years in

                                                                                                                                                                      ' n the natural and man-made world. The basic the future. Because where and how people                          unit for measuring the damage that a given dose will be living in the distant future cannot                                                                          ,

of radiation can cause to human tissue is called be predicted, analysts base their calcula- a rem. Each year in the United States, the av-tions on the current situation. They assume erage person receives a dose of about 360 mil-that the nearest population lives 20 kilo- . lirem (a millirem is one one-thousandth of a rem) meters (about 12 miles) from the repository from natural and man-made sources. Natural boundary and has a lifestyle similar to the sources---cosmic rays, radon gas, soil and rock, average person living today in Amargosa and the human body itself-account for about Valley, about 30 kilometers (about 19 miles) 300 millirem of the total annual average dose, from Yucca Mountain. with man-made, mostly medical, sources ac-counting for the remaining 60 millirem.'8 Man-During the first 10,000 years after the re-made sources of radiation include diagnostic X-pository is closed, current models indicate rays and other medical procedures, television that the mean peak annual dose rate to an sets, and computer monitors. Radiation expo-average individualin this future population sures vary widely depending on geographic lo-would be about 0.1 millirem. However, given the uncertainties associated with the cation and life choices. For example, a person 24 living at an altitude of 5,000 feet in Denver, Colo-assumptions and the performance assess-rado, receives nearly two times as much cos-ment models, the peak dose could be higher mic radiation as a person living near sea level or lower than the estimated average. There in Washington, D.C." is a 5 percent (1 in 20) chance of exceeding 0.8 millirem and a greater than 25 percent chance of no exposure at all. During the first 1 million years, the mean During the first 100,000 years, the mean peak annual dose rate to an average indi-peak annual dose rate to an average indi. vidual is estimated to reach 200 millirem, vidualis estimated to be 30 millirem with with a 5 percent chance of exceeding 1,000 a 5 percent chance of exceeding 200 mil. millirem (or 1 rem) and a 5 percent chance lirem and a greater than 20 percent chance of being lower than 0.07 millirem. , of zero dose. 360 mrem average present-day exposure 1,000,000 years 100,000 years stMr%gp hfyhyr 2 0.01 mrem 0.1 mrem 1.0 mrem 10 mrem 100 mrem 1000 mrem er 1 rem 10 rem Mean peak annual dose rate frorn the repos! tory

t Performance Assessment t Other safety issues The analysis of the safety of a repository at ture generations to drill or otherwise ex. Yucca Mountain must also consider both the plore for gold, hydrocarbons, or other ma-likelihood and the effect of possible disrup- terials. tive processes and events, such as volcan-o ism, earthquakes, human intrusion, and The National Academy of Sciences (NAS)

              " nuclear criticality." The DOE has con-         concluded that there is no scientific basis cluded that there is little likelihood that      for predicting such human activities over              l such processes or events at Yucca Moun-          the very long periods of time for which the tain would significantly affect the long-term    repository must function. The NAS, there.

performance of a repository, fore, recommended that future human in-trusion not be considered in the quantita-Volcanism tive performance assessments. However, to evaluate how the repository would per. The area around Yucca Mountain was very form if humans were to intrude, the NAS active volcanicu'ly millions of years ago. recommended," and DOE has conducted, a The rock of Yucca Mountain-called tuff- separate analysis of a theoretical case in is composed of volcanic ash from eruptions which a waste package is penetrated by that occurred about 13 million years ago. someone drilling into the repository in the However, large-scale volcanism in the area future. Performance assessments indicate ceased about 7.5 million years ago, and the that peak dose rates would increase if a last, small eruption occurred about 75,000 waste package were penetrated by explor. 25 years ago. Experts have concluded that the atory drilling and if waste were then car. chance of future volcanic activity disrupt- ried down the drillhole to the water table. ing the site is negligible. As a result, volca. However, as noted, natural resource assess-nism wou'd be unlikely to affect the long- ments indicate that the Yucca Mountain term perf mance of the repository. site does not exhibit characteristics that would make it an attractive location for Earthquakes exploratory drilling. Yucca Mountain is located in the southern Nuclear criticality Great Basin, a large region that has some earthquakes. Yucca Mountain itself is a A nuclear criticality occurs when sufficient 4 tilted block of rock that is bounded by geo- quantities of fissionable materials come to-logic faults. A magnitude 5.6 earthquake gether in a precise manner and the required

     ,       occurred about 12 miles away in 1992. A          conditions exist to start and sustain a repository and surface facilities would be        nuclear chain reaction. The waste packages designed to withstand earthquakes, as are         would be designed to prevent a criticality              ,

i modern tunnels, buildings, and power from occurring inside a waste package. In l plants in seismically active areas. addition, it is very unlikely that a sufficient ' quantity of fissionable materials could ac-Accidental human Intrusion cumulate outside of the waste packages in the precise configuration and with the re-It is possible that future human activities quired conditions to create a criticality. If, might intrude on the repository. One pos- somehow, an external criticality were to sible activity would be exploration for valu- occur, analyses indicate that it would have able natural resources. However, Yucca only minor effects on repository perfor-l Mountain exhibits few characteristics that mance. An explosive external criticality is would make it an attractive location for fu- not credible.

Performance Assessment l l What we are learning The performance assessment shows that the most significant single fac-tor affecting the ability of the repository to protect public health and a safety would be the amount of water that directly contacts the waste. Yucca Mountain itself would provide the first major barrier to such con-tact, ensuring that the repository would not be flooded by either a rise in ~ the deep water table or by infiltration of water from the surface during periods much wetter than the present. However, some waste packages will experience dripping water, and the amount is uncertain.

To address this concern, the reference design includes multiple barriers to limit water contact with the waste. The inner and outer waste pack-age layers and the metal cladding on the spent fuel are barriers between water and the waste.

The vast majority of the radionuclides in the waste are not mobile in water and thus pose no threat to public health and safety, even when the waste package and cladding are breached and the waste is exposed to 26 water. However, a very small fraction of the radionuclides (representing less than 0.2 percent of the initial radioactivity of all the radionuclides) are able to dissolve and move. While the quantities of the radionuclides l that could reach the environment appear to be small, they nevertheless j pose a potential health hazard that must be addressed. i l Total system performance assessments of the reference design indicate

               ! that, for 10,000 years after the repository is closed, people living near
               ' Yucca Mountain would receive little or no increase in radiation expo-sure. After about 300,000 years, people living about 20 kilometers (12 miles) south of Yucca Mountain might receive additional radiation doses i that are comparable to present-day doses from natural background ra-diation.                                                                       4
               , Although the performance assessments are encouraging, there are re-              ,

1 maining uncertainties that should be addressed before a site recommen-I dation decision is made and a license application is submitted to the l Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Therefore, DOE plans to conduct fur-l ther tests of the site and of candidate waste package materials in sup-port of the license application. The DOE also plans to evaluate alterna-i tive repository designs that could reduce the possible doses to people l living near Yucca Mountain thousands of years in the future.

License Application ; l Plan to complete a license application In the next four years, DOE will focus on To obtain an NRC license, DOE must dem-improving the repository and waste pack- onstrate that a repository can be con-age design, strengthening the understand- structed, operated, monitored, and eventu-ing of the key natural processes, preparing ally closed without unreasonable risk to the , the emironmental impact statement, and health and safety of workers and the pub-developing the information needed to sup- lic. The challenge in licensing a geologic port the site recommendation decision. Be- repository is demonstrating a reasonable as-cause a license application takes years to surance ofcompliance with long term safety prepare, DOE has begun to assemble the standards for many thousands of years. information needed to support one. However, the recent issuance of a permit by the Er vironmental Protection Agency for Before DOE can submit a license applica- the disposal oflong-lived transuranie waste tion to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), the Nuclear Waste Policy Act re- in the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant shows that compliance with long-term safety stan-quires the following decisions, any one of dards is achievable. In preparing to sub-which can stop the process: mit a license application, DOE is drawing The Secretary must decide, based on a on the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant experi-ence and focusing on both operational and formal evaluation / the site and after long-term safety issues. considering tb new , of States, affected Indian tribes ard 'he NRC, whether to , recommend the site to the President. A 27 site recommendation must be accompa-nied bv an emironmental impact state- , ment,'which is scheduled for completion 133b in 2000. Current schedules plan for a site ViabilityAssessment recommendation to be made in 2001. The President will then decide, possibly - 2000 m 2001, whether to recommend the T ucca l Environmentalimpact Statement i Mountain site to Congress, ! If the Governor and legislature of Nevada i t , r--2001 D l Site Recommendation submit a notice of disapproval to Con- I l ; gress, Congress must then decide L . ) 0 / whether to override Nevada's objections 1 i and approve the Yucca Mountain site. 2010 i Emplacement If the preceding decisions are made in a - 2002 begins timely manner and ultimately support de- License velopment of a repository at the Yucca Application Mountain site, DOE would submit a license t application to NRC in 2002. jtopIf site is unsuitable 1 1

i License Application i 1 Operational safety To ensure that a repository can be operated ers and the public during the preclosure pe-l safely, DOE is using demonstrated technol- { riod of repository operations. } ogy and accepted design criteria, system-atically identifying design-basis events, and identification of design-basis events l classifying all repository structures, sys- and safety classifications ' i tems, and components on the basis of their importance to safety. Nuclear Regulatory Commission regula- , tions require DOE to identify internal de-Demonstrated technology and sign. basis events (such as dropping a waste accepted design criteria package) and external design basis events (such as an earthquake) that could cause Designing waste-handling facilities and op- accidents resulting in unacceptable radia-

erations is not a unique endeavor. Many tion exposures to workers or to the public. codes, standards, and Nuclear Regulatory The regulations require that DOE protect Commission regulatory guidance docu- l both workers and the public when design- ) ments, along with many years ofindustry ing any engineered structures, systems, or ' experience in the operation of nuclear fa- components that are important to safety: cilities, can be applied to preclosure reposi- all such elements must be able to withstand tory design and operations. (Preclosure re- design basis events. The DOE is now iden-28 fers to the time when waste is being tifying design basis events, performing emplaced and monitored.) Many elements safety classifications, and incorporating the of the reference design are based on dem- resulting design requirements into its de-onstrated technology and accepted design sign requirements documentation. criteria to ensure protection of both work-fl. q

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s--- - Art:st's concept of operations to move waste underground. Remote-controlled equipment would be used to place waste packages on rail cars and move the rail e,ars into shielded transporters. Human-operated electnc locomotwes would take loaded transporters underground.

6 } l License Application i I Long-term safety To reduce current uncertainties and in- being injected into the rock, and scientists crease confidence that a repository can con-are measuring how much and how quickly tain and isolate waste for thousands of water moves through the rock. In another years, DOE is focusing its ongoing efforts

      .                   on three major areas:                                               experiment, microspheres are being injected into the rock to simulate possible colloidal transport of radionuclides. These experi-Increasing understanding of the key                             ments will provide more data on how much natural processes that are important to long-term performance of a repository water might infiltrate the repository and how water could transport radionuclides to the water table.

Improving the design of key engineered components of a repository The DOE is also conducting experiments on Increasing confidence in performance as- the effect of heat generated by the waste i sessment models packages on moisture in the surrounding } rock. Large heaters have been placed in i areas of the existing tunnel, and scientists These three sets of activities will be the fo- , are observing the effect of the heat on the ' cus of DOE work between this viability as-unsaturated rock. These experiments will sessment and the site recommendation de-cision, which could lead to submission of a increase understanding of how water would license application. be driven avmy from the waste packages during the ; ,od of high temperature and 29 Increasing understanding of the key how, later, declining temperatures could affect water movement through the unsat-naturalprocesses that are important urated zone. to long-term performance of a repository Additional information on the movement of water in the saturated zone below the wa-The key natural processes are water move- ter table will be gained from a series of wells ment through the unsaturated zone above installed by DOE and from wells being in-and below the repository, the effect of heat stalled by Nye County, Nevada. from the waste packages on moisture in the rock around . - - - . . D the tunnels, and the move- ..... ment of groundwater beneath

      ,                 the repository. Increased un-

derstanding of these pro-cesses will reduce the . uncertainties about the performance of a repository. . .

The DOE is conducting ex- '

i periments to determine how .

                                                                                ~
                                                                                                                                             ~

water could move through the ~ unsaturated zone above and e below the repository tunnels. # ~ In one experiment, water con- .- . N - ' taining chemical tracers is - ' Completed single-element heater test

License Application l Evaluating ways to improve the design of key engineered components of a j repository \ As the design process progresses, DOE is r~

evaluating several design options and al. ,, y ternatives that could reduce existing uncer- ! ,) '

s tainty and improve the performance of the o ~ ceramic coating =v repository system. Some of these options .- and alternative concepts were suggested by , Backfill s Drip Shield c3 ; the Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board . / S . , i and by stakeholders such as the Nuclear av f m 4 oa Waste Repository Project Office of Nye - County, Nevada. l

                                                                                                                                ,.        /

The repository design will incorporate de- " ' cY sign margin and defense in depth to in- - - crease confidence in repository perfor- " #' mance. Design margin provides an extra n,m ,o margin of safety. For example. the waste N /4 package thickness could be increased to pro- '

                                                                                          , re s c =e oe e '*'

vide extra design margin. Defense in depth is intended to ensure that failure in any one 30 barrier would not lead to unacceptable per- erence design. One alternative involves a formance of the entire repository system. much cooler, ventilated repository design, so that moisture in the surrounding rock The DOE will continue evaluating drip would never reach the boiling point. This shields, ceramic coatings, and backfill op- alternative would reduce the complexity of tions that could increase both design mar- the interaction between the natural and gin and defense in depth. engineered barriers. Another alternative is to use a shielded waste package that The DOE is also considering alternative re-would allow human entry into the emplace-pository design concepts, some of which are ment drifts for inspection and, if necessary, significantly different from the current ref- remedial action. l 9

1. . _ .

i f License Application increasing the reliability of performance assessment models While forecasts of repository performance models, analysts can assess how well their over thousands of years can never be models represent the natural processes and proven, laboratory and field studies and ex-engineered features of a repository. Vali-periments provide opportunities to validate dating the performance assessment models

   .                the performance assessment models. By comparing the empirical results of the ex.                                                               will reduce uncertainties and increase con-fidence that a repository will work as ex-periments with the predicted results of the                                                              pected.

i i i

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Schematic cross-section of Yucca Mountain and depiction of processes that are important to repository performance

r Estimated Cost Cost of licensing, building, operating, monitoring, and closing a repository The estimated cost to complete the reposi- full scale rate of approximately 3,000 tory design and other necessary work and metric tons per year. to prepare and submit a license application ,, in 2002 is approximately $1.1 billion, in con- A total of 70,000 metric tons of waste is stant 1998 dollars. This includes the costs emplaced, including 63,000 metric tons of completing an environmental impact of commercial spent nuclear fuel, . statement in 2000, and providing the infor- 2,333 metric tons of defense spent ; mation needed by the States, the Secretary, nuclear fuel, and 4,667 equivalent met-the President, the Congress, and the pub- ric tons of high-level radioactive waste. lic. The repository remains open for 100 The estimated cost to complete the licens- years after the start of operations. Clos-ing process and construct, operate, moni- ing and sealing the repository begin in tor, and close a repository is approximately 2110 and are completed in 2116.

           $18.7 billion,in constant 1998 dollars. This

cost estimate is based on the following as. The DOE is evaluating options for con-sumptions: structing and operating the repository that would reduce construction costs before em-32 A license application is submitted in placement begins in 2010. The surface fa-2002, and the Nuclear Regulatory Com- cilities and tunnels could be constructed in mission approves construction of the re- phases, or modules. This modular approach pository in 2005. could reduce annual costs but also could increase the total cost of constructing and Emplacement of waste in the repository operating the repository. These options will begins in 2010 and ends in 2033. be evaluated in conjunction with the study of alternative designs described in the pre-After a five-year start up phase, commer- ceding section.

cial spent nuclear fuel is emplaced at a e e

Estimated Cost i I Repository costs The $18.7 billion estimated repository cost fuel-3,000 metric tons per year. Perfor-reflects several factors. The repository sub-mance confirmation and monitoring would surface facilities would consist of approxi- continue for 100 years before closing and mately 100 miles of steel- or concrete-lined sealing the repository.

                  .               tunnels, and underground operations would involve remotely operated equipment. The                                                   Because research is ongoing and the reposi-waste packages would be made of high                                                       tory design has not yet been selected, there grade materials and manufactured under                                                     is uncertaintyin the cost estimate. To com-strict quality controls and standards. The                                                pensate for the uncertainty, contingencies surface facilities would be designed to                                                   have been incorporated into the cost esti-handle a high volume of commercial spent                                                  mates.

1 i 33 l l Performance Regulatory, infrastructure, Confirmation and Management Support

                                                                            $2.1B                    ,                                  $2.2B Waste Packages Subsudace
                                        $4.0B                                                                                                              Facilities
                                                                                                                                                        - $5.0B e

s Surface Facilities Allocation of costs to construct. operate, monitor, and close a geologic repository at Yucca Mountain i

Estimated Cost l l l l l 1 Total system life cycle costs A monitored geologic repository is only one then build, operate, monitor, close. and component of a total waste management seal the repository are $18.7 billion. system, which would also include overall system management, transportation, and

The estimated costs of expanding the re-benefits to the State of Nevada. The total pository to accommodate additional
life cycle costs for a complete waste man- waste beyond the current 70,000 metric-agement system include the following ele- ton statutory limit, if authorized, would be approximately $4.5 billion.

ments: Total program costs from 1983 through

The estimated costs of transporting i 1998 were approximately $5.9 billion in wastes to Yucca A1ountain are approxi-year-of-expenditure dollars. Site charac- mately SG.7 billion.

terization activities at all nine of the ini-tial candidate sites and the five-mile ex- Estimated payments equivalent to taxes ploratory tunnel at Yucca Alountain and other benefits to the State of Nevada 1 account for the largest portion of the costs and affected units oflocal government are i i to date. approximately $3.2 billion.

The estimated costs to complete a license
The estimated costs of managing the en-

, application and supporting documents is tire system are $2.5 billion. j 34 $1.1 billion, in constant 1998 dollars. i The total of estimated future costs is $36.6 I

The estimated costs to complete the re- billion. in constant 1998 dollars. (The ad-I pository design and licensing process. and ditive total of the elements above differs due '

to rounding.)

                 $1.200 l                                                                                                                                                                                                   ,

51.000 ' in a Total Hstorical Costs (Year-of-Emendsture

                   $800                                                                ,,,y            Dows)                                                                         -
                                 .,,,,f                    '                                '

a 8 .; t" : Total Estmated Future Costs (Constant

                                                                                                                          $}
            '5     5600    - - -

[ i g License Applicaton Costs (1998 Dollars) e I

!           S h                                                                                       a Repository Costs (1998 Dollars)
                   $200 i

so hhhh hhhhhhhhh hhh l Fiscal Year Profie of total system hfe cycle costs. These cost estimates reflect DOE's best projections. given the scope of tne work identified and planned I ) scheduie of required activities Future events and information could result in changes to botn costs and schedules Future budget requests for i the progsm have yet to be estabitshed and will be determined through the annual executwe and congressiona! budget process i ) l l 4 s'

Estimated Cost Who pays? The Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 re-funding-free from normal budgetary pres-quires entities that generate spent nuclear sures-required for such a long-term effort. fuel and high level radioactive waste to pay for the costs of disposal. The utilities with nuclear power plants pay a fee to fund the The Nuclear Waste Fund is intended to cover the entire cost of disposing of com-disposal of wastes from their plants, while mercial spent nuclear fuel. The Secretary the Federal Government uses tax revenues of Energy regularly reviews the Fund and to pay for the disposal of radioactave waste projected costs of the program to determine from the nation's defense progrants. whether the fees will be enough to recover the full costs. If the fees are too high or too The Act directs the Secretary of Energy to low, the Secretary is authorized to propose enter into fee-for service contracts with any required changes. utilities for disposing of the waste. In re-turn for this service, uiilities pay annual fees that are deposited into a Nurlear Waste The DOE has determined that the amount generated by the current fees, including the Fund where the money earns ir.terest until unspent balance and accumulating inter-spent. In setting up the Fund. Congress est, is sufficient to cover the total system recognized that the disposal program is an life cycle costs of disposing of commercial extremely complex, first-of-a kind scientific spent nuclear fuel. This assumes that the and engineering project and one that can unspent balance and interest income from succeed only through a susteined effort over the Nuclear Waste Fund will remain avail. 35 many decades. Thus, the Fund is designed able for their originally intended purpose. to provide the adequate, assured, and stable 3.000 2.500 Ems Year-of-Emenditure Dollars (Hstonca0 f E Ellum CMhan Contnbutions p g 2M pp . , y man inestet income h ~

                                                                             ' C Defense Contributsons
                                                                                 -Total System Late Cycle Costs 1 000                                0 NOO   f                         -
                                                         % h 4PiniiiiT 5                                               ,

1 5*

                                                ~                                                                         3 miII,Illllllililllilim il nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnt u   I,  i e n s.e e r s s e e e s e e r s : s s e e s s e e r s e s (500) -

Fiscal Year H:stoncal and projected program income and costs through the waste emplacement phase These cost estimates reflect D g!ven the scope of the wot identified and planled schedule of required activities Future events and inforrnation could result in change both costs and schecules Future budget requests for the program have yet to be estabhshed and will be determined tMouch the annu executive and congress onal budget process

Conclusion Concluding observations Based on the viability assessment, DOE believes that Yucca Mountain remains a promising site for a geologic repository and that work should proceed to support a decision in 2001 on whether to recommend the site ~ to the President for development as a repository. Over 15 years, exten-sive research has validated many of the expectations of the scientists who first suggested that remote, desert regions of the Southwest are l well-suited for a geologic repository. Engineered barriers can be designed

             ! to contain waste for thousands of years, and the natural barriers can delay and dilute any radioactive material that migrates from the waste packages. Current models indicate that the possible radiation exposure to future populations living nearby could be comparable to present-day exposure levels from natural background radiation. Design alternatives that may improve performance and reduce remaining uncertainties are            l l now being evaluated.                                                              !

i 36 i The performance of a geologic repository over such long time periods-I longer than recorded human history--cannot be proven beyond all doubt. Forecasts about future geologic and climatic conditions and engineering

estimates of how long the waste packages will remain intact cannot be

           ' directly validated. The mathematical models used in the performance assessrnent are subject to uncertainties that can be reduced but never completely eliminated.                                                          l t
           ! The Nuclear Regulatory Commission's general standard for meeting geo-              !

j logic repository regulatory criteria and objectives is reasonable assur- l

           ! ance. While considerable uncertainties remain today, DOE believes that

{

reasonable assurance should be achievable in the licensing process after , i

           , the planned work is completed. The DOE believes, therefore, that ongo-l ing work at Yucca Mountain should proceed as planned.                           l l

1 h 37 P 4 9 r

r- ; Endnotes 1 I Endnotes The numbers at the end of each reference are

Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982. Public Law Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Manage- 97-425. 222165.

ment accession numbers. See the inside front cover of this document for whom to contact

10 CFR [ Code of Federal Regulations] 60.

regarding more information. Energy: Disposal of High-Level Radioactive ' 5 Waste in Geologic Repositories. 239474. Energy and Water Dr.elopment Appropria-tions Act,1997. Public Law 104 206.238115. " Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act of - 2 1987. Public Law 100-203. 223717. For a description and discussion of radioac-tive waste and its management, see The " 10 CFR 60. Energy: Disposal of High Level League of Women Voters 1993. The Nuclear Iulicactive Wastes in Geologic Repositories. Waste Primer: A Handbook for Citizens. New 239474. York: League of Women Voters Education Fund.210G97. " Energy Policy Act of 1992. Public Law 102-3 486.233191. U.S. District Court, Utah 1995. Joint Motion for Entry of Consent Order Based on Settle-

                                                                 " National Research Council 1995. Technical ment Agreement and Consent Order in the Bases for rucca 3 fountain Standards. Wash-Case of Public Service Co. of Colorado v. Batt. ington, D.C.: National Academy Press.

October 17,1995. Civil Case No. 91-0054.S- 104723. 38 EJL (Legal Pleadings). U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho. 240346. " Interagency Review Group on Nuclear Waste

Management 1979. Report to the President by U.S. Department of Energy 1997. Linking the Interagency Review Group on Nuclear Legacies: Connecting the Cold War Nuclear Waste Afanagement. TlD.29442. p. 37. Wash-Production Processes to Their Environmental ington, D.C.: DOE. MOL.19980625.0169.

Consequences. DOE /EM-0319. pp. 34-38. Washington, D.C.: DOE. 241255. 25 Letter from Dr. Vincent McKelvey to Richard 5 W. Roberts, Assistant Administrator for National Academy of Sciences / National Nuclear Energy, U. S. Energy Research and Research Council 1957. The Disposal of Development Administration, Washington, Radioactive Waste on Land. Publication 519. D.C. July 9,1976 238792.

p. 4. Washington. D.C.: National Academy Press.241256. Winograd. I.J.1981. " Radioactive Waste ,

Disposalin Thick Unsaturated Zones."

U.S. Department of Energy 1980. Final Science, 212, pp.1457 1464. Washington, Environmentalimpact Statement, Afanage- D.C.: American Association for the Advance-ment of Commercially Generated Radioactive ment of Science. 217258.

I Waste. DOE /EIS-0046F. Washington, D.C.: i DOE. 205022. " National Research Council 1990. Rethinking l High. Level Radioactive Disposal, A Position

           ' National Research Council 1990. Rethinking            Statement of the Board on Radioactive Waste l

High-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal. A 31anagement, pp. 5--6. Washington, D.C.: Position Statement of the Board on Radioac- National Academy Press. 241260. tive Waste 31anagement, p. vii. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press. 241259. 2* DOE 1992. Science, Society, and America's Nuclear Waste Unit 1, Teacher Guide. DOE / RW 0361 TG. Washington, D.C.: DOE. 214909. I I

Endnotes ; I I l

     League of Women Voters 1993. The Nuclear                  '

I

        \\'aste Primer: A Handbook for Citi: ens, p.12.

New York: League of Women Voters Educa- l tion Fund. 210697, I-

National Research Council 1995. Technical Bases for Yucca Mountain Standards, p.12.

 '     Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press.                 !

I 104273. , 4 l l 39 P t l l

1 Glossary j i l Glossary 1 1 i Adsorb To transfer dissolved materials, including radionuclides, in groundwater to the ; solid geologic surfaces with which they come in contact. ! Background Radiation arising from natural radioactive material always present in the I l radiation environment, including solar and cosmic radiation, and radiation from radon ' i gas, soil and rocks, and the human body. l Cladding The metallic outer sheath of a nuclear reactor fuel element, generally made of a ~ l zirconium alloy. It is intended to isolate the fuel element from the external environment. 7 Colloid Small particles in the size range of 10' to 108 meters that are suspended in a i solvent. Naturally occurring colloids in groundwater arise from clay minerals. Defense in A strategy based on a system of multiple, independent, and redundant barriers, depth designed to ensure that failure in any one barrier does not result in failure of the entire system. Design margin Margin of safety in specifications for engineered components to account for r i uncertainty in the conditions to which the components will be subjected and for ! variability in the properties of component materials. 40 f i Dose A quantity of radiation or energy absorbed by any material; measured in rads. Equivalent dose measures the amount of damage to human tissues from a radiation dose; equivalent dose is measured in rems. Drift From mining terminology, a horizontal underground passage. Gantry A movable crane carried on a four-legged portal frame that runs along rails. ; High-level Highly radioactive material resulting from the reprocessing of spent nuclear ! radioactive fuel. Originally produced in liquid form, high-level radioactive waste must be . waste solidified before disposal. ! Invert (1) The low point of something such as a tunnel, drift, or drainage channel. (2) An engineered structure or material placed on excavated drift floors (the low points) to serve as structural support for drift transportation or emplacement , systems. , 5 Isotope One of two or more atomic nuclei with the same number of protons (i.e., the [ same atomic number) but with a different number of neutrons (i.e., a different i atomic weight). For example, uranium-235 and uranium.238 are both isotopes of uranium. s Metric ton In this document, metric ton means a metric ton of heaev metal. A metric ton is a unit of mass equal to 1,000 kg (about 2,205 lb). Heavy metals are those with ! atomic masses greater than 230. Eiamples include thorium, uranium, pluto- : I l nium, and neptunium. ! [ l i f

I Glossary i Millirem : A millirem is one one-thousandth of a rem, which is the unit of equivalent dose. ' Equivalent dose is a measure of the effect that radiation has on humans. The equivalent dose takes into account the type of radiation and the absorbed dose. Rem is an initialism for Roentgen equivalent man. k Natural analog Natural geologic systems that parallel situations that can develop in man made l systems. An example of a natural analog is the natural nuclear reactor at the , Oklo uranium deposit in Gabon, Africa, which can be used as a source of analog data for conceptual models of nuclear criticality. Non welded See Tu//. tuff Percolate Referring to the movement of water downward through soil and rock. Performance An analysis that predicts the behavior of a system or system component under assessment a given set of constant and/or transient conditions. Repository performance assessments will include estimates of the effects of uncertainties in both data and modeling. Radioactive For the purpose of this document, spent nuclear fuel or high level radioactive waste waste. 41 Radionuclide A radioactive isotope. Saturated zone The region below the water table where rock pores and fractures are completely saturated with groundwater. Spent nuclear Fuel that has been withdrawn from a nuclear reactor following irradiation, the fuel constituent elements of which have not been separated by reprocessing. Transuranic Waste contaminated with uranium 233 or with radionuclides having atomic waste numbers greater than that of uranium. g Tuff Rock derived from volcanic ash. It'elded tu//results when the volcanic ash is hot enough to melt together and is further compressed by the weight of overlying materials. Non-welded tuff results when volcanic ash cools in the air suffi. ciently that it doesn't melt together, yet later becomes rock through compres-sion. Unsaturated zone The zone of soil and rock between the land surface and the water table. l t Water table The upper limit of the portion of the ground wholly saturated with water. Welded tuff See Tuff. l l l l l

4 Acronyms l 1 Acronyms i DOE Department of Energy EPA Environmental Protection Agency NAS National Academy of Sciences l g i { NilC Nuclear llegulatory Commission NWPA Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 i i i i 1 l l l l 42 x g Gr s i N1

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