Subpart B - Standards for Cleanup of Land and Buildings Contaminated with Residual Radioactive Materials from Inactive Uranium Processing Sites

§192.10 Applicability.

This subpart applies to land and buildings that are part of any processing site designated by the Secretary of Energy under section 102 of the Act. section 101 of the Act, states, in part, that “processing site” means -

(a) Any site, including the mill, containing residual radioactive materials at which all or substantially all of the uranium was produced for sale to any Federal agency prior to January 1, 1971, under a contract with any Federal agency, except in the case of a site at or near Slick Rock, Colorado, unless -

§192.11 Definitions.

(a) Unless otherwise indicated in this subpart, all terms shall have the same meaning as defined in subpart A.

(b) Land means any surface or subsurface land that is not part of a disposal site and is not covered by an occupiable building.

(c) Working Level (WL) means any combination of short-lived radon decay products in one liter of air that will result in the ultimate emission of alpha particles with a total energy of 130 billion electron volts.

(d) Soil means all unconsolidated materials normally found on or near the surface of the earth including, but not limited to, silts, clays, sands, gravel, and small rocks.

(e) Limited use groundwater means groundwater that is not a current or potential source of drinking water because (1) the concentration of total dissolved solids is in excess of 10,000 mg/l, or (2) widespread, ambient contamination not due to activities involving residual radioactive materials from a designated processing site exists that cannot be cleaned up using treatment methods reasonably employed in public water systems, or (3) the quantity of water reasonably available for sustained continuous use is less than 150 gallons per day. The parameters for determining the quantity of water reasonably available shall be determined by the Secretary with the concurrence of the Commission.

[48 FR 602, Jan. 5, 1983, as amended at 60 FR 2866, Jan. 11, 1995]

§192.12 Standards.

Remedial actions shall be conducted so as to provide reasonable assurance that, as a result of residual radioactive materials from any designated processing site:

(a) The concentration of radium-226 in land averaged over any area of 100 square meters shall not exceed the background level by more than -

(1) 5 pCi/g, averaged over the first 15 cm of soil below the surface, and

(2) 15 pCi/g, averaged over 15 cm thick layers of soil more than 15 cm below the surface.

(b) In any occupied or habitable building -

(1) The objective of remedial action shall be, and reasonable effort shall be made to achieve, an annual average (or equivalent) radon decay product concentration (including background) not to exceed 0.02 WL. In any case, the radon decay product concentration (including background) shall not exceed 0.03 WL, and

(2) The level of gamma radiation shall not exceed the background level by more than 20 microroentgens per hour.

(c) The Secretary shall comply with conditions specified in a plan for remedial action which provides that contamination of groundwater by listed constituents from residual radioactive material at any designated processing site (§192.01(1)) shall be brought into compliance as promptly as is reasonably achievable with the provisions of §192.02(c)(3) or any supplemental standards established under §192.22. For the purposes of this subpart:

(1) A monitoring program shall be carried out that is adequate to define backgroundwater quality and the areal extent and magnitude of groundwater contamination by listed constituents from residual radioactive materials (§192.02(c)(1)) and to monitor compliance with this subpart. The Secretary shall determine which of the constituents listed in Appendix I to part 192 are present in or could reasonably be derived from residual radioactive material at the site, and concentration limits shall be established in accordance with §192.02(c)(3).

(2) (i) If the Secretary determines that sole reliance on active remedial procedures is not appropriate and that cleanup of the groundwater can be more reasonably accomplished in full or in part through natural flushing, then the period for remedial procedures may be extended. Such an extended period may extend to a term not to exceed 100 years if:

(A) The concentration limits established under this subpart are projected to be satisfied at the end of this extended period,

(B) Institutional control, having a high degree of permanence and which will effectively protect public health and the environment and satisfy beneficial uses of groundwater during the extended period and which is enforceable by the administrative or judicial branches of government entities, is instituted and maintained, as part of the remedial action, at the processing site and wherever contamination by listed constituents from residual radioactive materials is found in groundwater, or is projected to be found, and

(C) The groundwater is not currently and is not now projected to become a source for a public water system subject to provisions of the Safe Drinking Water Act during the extended period.

(ii) Remedial actions on groundwater conducted under this subpart may occur before or after actions under Section 104(f)(2) of the Act are initiated.

(3) Compliance with this subpart shall be demonstrated through the monitoring program established under paragraph (c)(1) of this section at those locations not beneath a disposal site and its cover where groundwater contains listed constituents from residual radioactive material.

[48 FR 602, Jan. 5, 1983, as amended at 60 FR 2867, Jan. 11, 1995]