[DOE LETTERHEAD]
December 4, 2006
The Honorable A. J. Eggenberger
Chairman
Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board
625 Indiana Avenue, NW
Suite 700
Washington, DC 20004-2901
Dear Mr. Chairman:
Enclosed is the Program Evaluation
deliverable as specified in Commitment
3.11 of the Department of Energy’s (DOE)
Implementation Plan (IP), Revision
4, June 2006, for Recommendation 2001-1, High-level Waste Management at the Savannah River Site. This evaluation reports on the program
progress through November 2006 and takes input from various technical reports
and planning documents to highlight key program issues currently being
addressed. As outlined in the IP,
this evaluation reflects the program
impacts experienced as a result of delays in obtaining a regulatory permit to
initiate salt waste processing. It also includes other key issues that have
occurred since the last revision of the IP. These issues include extension of the program
life-cycle as a result of increased sludge volumes anticipated to be processed
and lower processing rates based on higher than projected aluminum
concentrations in some sludge
batches.
The impacts reflected in the program evaluation
are the unmitigated impacts and aggressive action is currently being taken to
develop and implement mitigation actions to reduce or eliminate unacceptable
impacts to the mission objectives. Detailed
System Plans are currently under development that utilizes the issues identified
in this program evaluation, the project Risk Management Plans, and other
planning documents to provide a more comprehensive assessment of adverse impacts and potential mitigation
action benefits. The System Plan is expected
to be issued by June 2007 and will be provided to the Defense Nuclear Facility
Safety Board (DNFSB) when
available.
I n summary, the program evaluation concludes
that although key milestones and mission objectives will be delayed, no changes
to the fundamental strategy are recommended at this time because the basic
scope and sequencing of activities
remain valid. In fact, this strategy and sequencing is
reflected in the draft permit already issued by South Carolina Department of
Health and Environmental Control.
As
evidenced in the program evaluation, future IP commitments for the Actinide
Removal Process, Modular Caustic Side Solvent Extraction Unit, and Tank 48
return to waste service are anticipated
to be delayed but their scope and sequencing remains unchanged. A
revised IP may need to be developed and submitted to the
DNFSB next year after key events are resolved.
If you have any further questions, please
call me at (202) 586-0738, or
Mr. Dae Y. Chung, Deputy
Assistant Secretary for Safety
Management and Operations, at (202) 586-5151.
Sincerely,
Dr. Inés R. Triay
Chief
Operating Officer for
Environmental Management
cc:
Mark Whitaker, Jr., HS-1.1
Jeffrey Allison, SR