WIPP TRANSURANIC WASTE
INVENTORY
2006 EPA WIPP FACT SHEET No. 4
How has the WIPP TRU Waste Inventory Changed
Since the 1998 Certification Decision?
As DOE proceeds with site clean-ups across the country,
knowledge about TRU waste improves. At the time of the
1998 Certification Decision, no waste had been emplaced
in WIPP, therefore the entire waste inventory was an es-
timation of the waste DOE might put in WIPP. The recer-
tification waste inventory contains the actual data for the
waste that has been disposed of in WIPP as of September,
2002, and an estimate of the waste that will fill the rest of
the repository. With a few exceptions, the waste inventory
for recertification is very similar to the waste inventory that
was used for the first certification and performance assess-
ment. There were no significant changes to DOE's waste
characterization program in terms of measurement tech-
niques, or quantification and tracking of waste.
What steps must be taken before waste included
in the TRU waste inventory can be disposed of at
WIPP?
Only defense related TRU waste that has been character-
ized using EPA inspected and approved waste character-
ization processes can be disposed of at WIPP. EPA approv-
al covers two types of inspections at TRU waste generator
sites: (1) Quality Assurance audits verify that there are
qualified and independent inspectors on-site that check a
site's ability to characterize TRU-waste; and and (2) waste
characterization inspections evaluate sites' characteriza-
tion capabilities showing that the waste proposed for WIPP
disposal meets the limits for radiological, physical, and
chemical contents established as part of the WIPP certifi-
cation decision. Through these inspections, EPA ensures
that only waste characterized using acceptable processes
are em placed at WIPP.
What is the Transuranic (TRU) Waste Inventory?
The TRU waste inventory describes the type, volume, and
radioactivity of waste already disposed of in the WIPP,
as well as waste at various sites across the country that
could potentially be sent to WIPP. This information is
used in the performance assessment (PA) calculations to
demonstrate compliance with EPA's disposal regulations.
Before the disposal of any waste at WIPP, EPA inspects
the site that generated the waste to confirm that DOE
can measure and track the amount, and radioactive and
physical form of the waste. Since 1998, EPA has conduct-
ed over 100 inspections at DOE waste generator sites.
EPA also inspects operations at the WIPP site annually.
During annual inspections EPA verifies tracking of waste
being shipped from other DOE sites, and confirms that
WIPP continues to meet the waste limits established by
EPA's certification.
Does the Current WIPP Waste Inventory Contain
High-level Waste (HLW)?
According to the WIPP Land Withdrawal Act, HLW cannot
be disposed of at WIPP. EPA will not allow DOE to ship
any waste that does not meet the legal and technical re-
quirements for disposal at WIPP. However, the recertifica-
tion waste inventory does contain a small amount of tank
waste from the Hanford site that is currently managed as
high-level waste. None of this waste has been approved by
EPA for disposal at WIPP.
DOE has provided documentation that indicates that the
Hanford tank wastes will be treated and will eventually be
able to meet the WIPP waste acceptance criteria. For the
purpose of recertification, EPA allowed DOE to keep this
waste in the projected inventory. EPA believes that it was
United States Environmental Protection Agency I Office of Air and Radiation (6608J) I EPA402-F-06-009
www.epa.gov/radiation/wipp
March 2006
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prudent to include the characteris-
tics of waste that may potentially be
disposed of at WIPP to ensure com-
pliance with the Agency's disposal
regulations for TRU defense waste.
The recertification performance as-
sessment shows that WIPP continues
to meet the disposal regulations,
even with the Hanford tank wastes
included. Prior to disposal at WIPP,
EPA will ensure that all wastes meet
the legal and technical requirements
for disposal.
Can Waste that is not Currently
in the Inventory go to WIPP?
As DOE continues to characterize
waste throughout its facilities, waste
will continue to be identified for
disposal at WIPP. TRU waste that
is not included in the current waste
inventory may still be allowed for
disposal at WIPP, but only if all of
the following conditions are met:
1. EPA determines that the waste
characteristics meet the limits for
WIPP disposal,
2. Waste characteristics are reflected
in the performance assessment,
and
3. The waste meets all the criteria
for acceptability at WIPP.
EPA's Evaluation of the Waste
Inventory
EPA asked for and received addition-
al information on the Hanford Tank
Waste and K-Basin Sludges that
were included in the waste inventory
for recertification. EPA specifically
required DOE to update the waste
inventory estimates for use in the
revised performance assessment.
As part of the completeness review of
the recertification application, EPA
also asked DOE to provide additional
information on volumes and weights
of all materials placed in the reposi-
tory, including the waste containers
and packaging material. EPA also
requested DOE's waste inventory
database.
EPA determined that DOE adequately
described all the required aspects of
the waste inventory and appropriately
incorporated the waste inventory into
the recertification performance
assessment.
For more information on EPA's evalu-
ation of the waste inventory, go to
EPA's WIPP website or docket, to
the Certification Application Review
Documents, Section 15, 23 and 24.
Locations of WIPP Generator Sites
Legend
Major DOE TRU Waste Sites
Major site with all WIPP waste
already shipped
Small Quantity Sites
Waste Limits
The WIPP Land Withdrawal Act (LWA)
limits the amount of TRU waste that can
be disposed of at WIPP to 6.2 million
cubic feet (175,570 cubic meters). Of
this amount, DOE is limited to disposal of
250,000 cubic feet (7,080 cubic meters)
of remote-handled waste according to an
agreement with the State of New Mexico.
Contact-handled (CH) waste is TRU waste
with a surface dose not greater than 200
millirem per hour. This waste is typically
disposed of in 55-gallon steel drums, 100
gallon drums, ten drum overpacks, stan-
dard waste boxes or similar containers.
Remote-handled (RH) waste is TRU waste
with a surface dose rate of 200 millirem
per hour or greater. Because this waste
has higher radioactivity it must be dis-
posed of at WIPP using remotely operated
equipment. Specialized containers have
been developed for this type of waste.
This waste will be placed in the walls
of the repository. The LWA puts several
limits on RH TRU waste including the
radioactivity concentration that any one
RH container may contain, the total curies
of waste activity that may be emplaced,
and the maximum surface dose rates of
RH containers.
EPA has approved DOE's general plans
for the disposal of RH waste at WIPP. The
next step will be for DOE to request EPA
approval of site-specific plans to charac-
terize RH waste. EPA will then conduct a
thorough review of waste characterization
activities at each site.
Fact Sheets in this Series:
Recertification Fact Sheet No. 1
Public Involvement Fact Sheet No. 2
Performance Assessment Fact Sheet No. 3
TRU Waste Inventory Fact Sheet No. 4
Groundwater
Karst
Fact Sheet No. 5
Fact Sheet No. 6
United States Environmental Protection Agency I Office of Air and Radiation (6608J) I EPA402-F-06-009 I March 2006
www.epa.gov/radiation/wipp
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