[DOE LETTERHEAD]

 

May 9, 2008

 

The Honorable A. J. Eggenberger, Chairman

Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board

625 Indiana Avenue, NW, Suite 700

Washington, DC 20004-2901

 

Dear Mr. Chairman:

 

The Department of Energy has completed Commitments 2.10 and 2.13 of the Department's Implementation Plan (IP) for Recommendation 2001-1, High-Level Waste Management at the Savannah River Site. Following resolution of legal challenges, the due date for these two commitments had been revised to May 2008, as delineated in the letter sent from Secretary Bodman on October 24, 2007.

 

Commitment 2.10, "Demonstrate the viability of the Actinide Removal Process (ARP)" entailed completing the first batch of waste through the ARP process. On April 21, 2008, approximately 3,686 gallons of radioactive waste feed was transferred from Tank 49 to strike tank 1 of the ARP process. The alpha removal process was successfully completed in accordance with the operational expectations on May 1, 2008.

 

Commitment 2.13, "Begin Modular CSSX (Caustic Side Solvent Extraction) Unit (MCU)

radioactive operations" commenced on May 2, 2008, when the clarified salt solution from the ARP process was transferred to the salt solution receipt tank at the MCU facility. MCU processing of this first batch of radioactive waste feed was successfully completed on May 3. From MCU, decontaminated salt solution was transferred to Tank 50; and the high cesium stream from the MCU was transferred to the Defense Waste Processing Facility on May 5.

 

If you have any further questions, please call me at (803) 952-6337 or Mr. Terry Spears,

Assistant Manager for the Waste Disposition Project, at (803) 208-6072.

 

Sincerely,

 

Jeffrey M. Allison

Manager