Audit Report: IG-0577

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), located near Carlsbad, New Mexico, is the Department
of Energy's underground repository for defense-generated Transuranic (TRU) waste. TRU waste
consists of such items as clothing, gloves, and tools contaminated with small amounts of
radioactive elements. TRU waste that can be safely handled without special equipment when
contained is referred to as contact-handled TRU waste. As of December 2000, the Department
was responsible for the safe disposal of an estimated 167,000 cubic meters of contact-handled
TRU waste at 26 sites in 15 states nationwide.
Currently, contact-handed TRU waste is characterized before it is sent to WIPP. In June 2001,
however, the Department notified the New Mexico Environmental Department of its intention to
establish a centralized characterization capability for this material at the WIPP site. The
Department estimated that the proposed capability – consisting of new equipment, modification
of an existing building, new processes, and additional personnel – would expedite the removal
of contact-handled TRU waste from temporary storage sites and minimize total costs of disposal.
The objective of our audit was to determine whether the centralized capability would, in fact,
meet these expectations.ms-x