FACILITATOR: Laura Till

Tom Marshall called the meeting to order at 6:40 p.m.

BOARD / EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS PRESENT: Carol Barker, Susan Barron, Ray Betts, Eugene DeMayo, Gerald DePoorter, Mary Harlow, Victor Holm, Bob Kanick, Jim Kinsinger, Tom Marshall, LeRoy Moore, Bryan Taylor / Steve Gunderson, Jeremy Karpatkin, Joe Legare

BOARD / EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS ABSENT: Alan Aluisi, Shawn Burke, Tom Clark, Tom Davidson, Derek Dye, Tom Gallegos, Beverly Lyne, David Navarro, Linda Sikkema / Tim Rehder

PUBLIC / OBSERVERS PRESENT: Anna Martinez (DOE), Terje Langeland (Colorado Daily); John Corsi (K-H); Brad Wright (DOE); Alan Trenary (citizen); Patrick Etchart (DOE); Ken Korkia (CAB staff); Erin Rogers (CAB staff); Deb Thompson (CAB staff); Brady Wilson (CAB staff)

PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD: No comments were received.

DISCUSSION OF CLEANUP/CLOSURE DEFINITIONS AND END-STATE VISION: Following up on a previous conversation about cleanup and closure, Board members were given a worksheet to help them organize their thoughts on various phases of cleanup, and whether or not they agree with the site’s plans for closure. The worksheet covered the following topics: 1) cleanup/environmental restoration; 2) waste disposition (specifically low level and low level mixed waste, transuranic and transuranic mixed waste, residues, and building rubble); 3) D&D; 4) special nuclear materials; and 5) stewardship. Each member discussed their thoughts on what they felt comprised an end-state for the Rocky Flats site. Highlights of Board member comments follow. (Note: These comments reflect only individual Board member views and are not to be construed as official CAB positions or recommendations.)

• Cleanup should be to average background levels and protective of human health
• Continual review of the Soil Action Levels is necessary and incorporate ALARA goals beyond SALs
• No caps should be used
• Building foundations removed
• Entire site should become open space

• Storage in state-of-the-art facilities that are monitored and allow for retrievability
• Don’t transport from contaminated areas to areas that are not contaminated
• Not in favor of constructing storage facilities onsite
• Minimize the number of sites used for disposition
• WIPP is the only feasible disposal site for TRU/TRU mixed waste
• Interim storage could become permanent; need to consider other options
• Both agreement and disagreement regarding sending residues to Savannah River
• Clean building rubble can go to a sanitary landfill, or be used as fill onsite

• All buildings demolished and industrial area returned to open space
• Utilities/lines and building foundations removed
• Cleanup underground sources; contamination beneath buildings

• Needs to go offsite
• Should be sent to Savannah River
• Favors immobilization of the materials in glass or ceramic

• A continuing monitoring program must be in place
• Site managed as open space accessible to the public
• Ultimate cleanup levels need to be defined before DOE releases the site
• Some federal agency should continue to be responsible

The Board then worked backward from the end-state and agreed on a timeline that shows the end-state as cleanup to background levels, safe for any use, and reuse as open space. During a second phase of cleanup, or Phase B, new cleanup levels would be established; there should be ongoing cleanup, technology development and research; and a federal agency is responsible for stewardship of the site. The current phase of cleanup remains to be more specifically defined — will it be to RFCA closure standards and completion of the closure project as defined by DOE, or some modified approach_ CAB will continue its discussion on issues related to cleanup during this phase. Staff will prepare a definition of ALARA, or alternative cleanup levels, to aid the Board in defining its ultimate goal.

DISCUSSION OF WIPP CONTINGENCY STORAGE OPTIONS AND PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT STRATEGY: Because of the delayed opening of WIPP, the site has had to evaluate options for interim storage of TRU waste. Plans have been made for storing the waste generated in the short term; however, planning must begin soon about the type of facility to be constructed for longer-term storage needs. Design and construction of such a facility generally takes from 18 months to 2 years. A public participation strategy for input into these decisions has been developed as part of the planning process. CAB was asked to comment on that strategy. A few comments were made by Board members, primarily about whether the site plans to contact targeted communities to get their input, and to make certain that communities around Rocky Flats have adequate opportunity to review storage plans. The site will contact local communities and interest groups directly and offer a briefing to those organizations, and any others interested will also be given information and an opportunity to be involved in planning.

Next, Joe Legare gave a brief presentation on WIPP contingency storage options. Right now the site has approximately 2,000 cubic meters of transuranic waste. More waste will be generated and by next summer DOE expects to exceed the 4,000 cubic meter storage capacity currently available. The new waste generated primarily will be residues and through D&D activities. To provide more storage space in the short term, the site will upgrade space in Building 440, and upgrade two of the tents on the 750 Pad. This strategy allows more time to plan for and discuss options should the WIPP site remain closed. However, these facilities will not be good for long-term storage as they are scheduled for D&D in the future. The site needs to develop a plan for consolidation and to design and construct facilities for longer, interim storage. If WIPP does not open by October 1999, the site will need to implement the first phase/module of its plan so that the facility is open and ready to accept waste by 2001. If there is a prolonged delay in opening WIPP, further modules will need to be constructed as well. DOE is simultaneously taking steps to be operationally ready and EPA-certified to ship wastes when and if WIPP does open. The facilities the site hopes to have constructed are modules similar to Butler buildings. The 750 Pad tents are in the protected area, but Buildings 440 and 664 are not. Residues will be stored in the tents in pipe containers. The pipes are then placed in drums and packed with a foam substance to keep them stable and in place. DOE considers the greatest risk to the pipes is building collapse, so the tents are a good option in terms of seismic compatibility.

NEXT STEPS: The Board requested additional information on transuranic waste storage options. CAB requested information on Buildings 991, 440, 664, and a history of those buildings plus the basis and grounds for their selection as storage facilities. The Board would also like information on anticipated exposures from storage (gamma); how the tents will structurally be able to hold up in tornadoes, high winds, snow loads, etc.; and descriptions of other candidate buildings than those presented by DOE. At the December 3 meeting, the Board will continue its discussion regarding waste management and disposition options.

Date: December 3, 1998, 6 - 9:30 p.m. (work session)

Location: Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities, 6901 Wadsworth Boulevard, Arvada

Agenda: Continuing discussion of waste management and disposition; follow-up on end-state vision discussion; follow-up on transuranic waste storage options and WIPP contingencies

1. Define ALARA as it relates to cleanup or closure, or an alternative cleanup level to aid Board in developing vision - Brady Wilson

2. Requests for information from DOE/Kaiser-Hill - DOE/Kaiser-Hill

• Information on Buildings 991, 440, 664 (history, basis for selection)
• Information on anticipated exposures from storage (gamma)
• Structural ability/capacity of tents on 750 Pad

(* Taped transcript of full meeting is available in CAB office.)

_______________________________________________

The Rocky Flats Citizens Advisory Board is a community advisory group that reviews and provides recommendations on cleanup plans for Rocky Flats, a former nuclear weapons plant outside of Denver, Colorado.