Mock-up Prepares Idaho Crews to Ship Transuranic Waste Drums for Disposal

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho — Idaho Cleanup Project (ICP) crews developed a mock-up to demonstrate the process they will follow to safely package and ship remote-handled transuranic waste drums for permanent disposal out of the state for the first time in over a decade.

While cleanup crews at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) Site routinely ship contact-handled transuranic waste to the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management (EM) Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) for disposal, this marks the first time in over 10 years they will ship remote-handled transuranic waste to the underground repository. Contact-handled transuranic waste has a lower radiation dose rate than the remote-handled type. Click here to learn more about contact- and remote-handled transuranic waste.

This spring, ICP anticipates resuming remote-handled transuranic waste shipments to WIPP since the last one made in 2014. ICP Manager Nick Balsmeier recognizes the importance of restarting these shipments and the role they will play in achieving EM’s cleanup mission.

“Resuming these shipments will remain a key component in not only meeting our obligations to the state but also in the Department’s efforts to protect the underlying Snake River Plain Aquifer,” Balsmeier said.

The mock-up will allow crews to gain proficiency in loading waste drums into protective shielded overpacks compliant with safe shipping and disposal requirements. While a challenging aspect of handling remote-handled transuranic waste drums is the higher radiological activity of the waste stored in them, the mock-up will help crews develop the skills needed to manage this challenge and safely support the effort.

Much of the ICP’s remote-handled transuranic waste was generated from the 1970s through the 1990s at Argonne National Laboratory – East in Illinois, as well as some locations at the INL Site, including the Advanced Mixed Waste Treatment Project. That facility was built to retrieve, characterize, treat, repackage, certify and ship transuranic waste to WIPP.

Dan Coyne, president and program manager for ICP contractor Idaho Environmental Coalition, acknowledged the significance of this achievement to the state of Idaho.

“The process to package and ship remote-handled transuranic waste has changed significantly from previous years. The ICP has spent several years preparing to resume shipments of this waste after a 12-year hiatus,” Coyne said. “The mock-ups make up the final preparations before we begin this important effort to meet our commitments to the citizens of Idaho.”

-Contributor: Carter Harrison