Technical Criteria for Byproduct Material Disposal Sites - Control of Radiation Hazards

Section 332 Section 332.240  Technical Criteria for Byproduct Material Disposal Sites − Control of Radiation Hazards a)         Licensees shall place an earthen cover over byproduct material at the end of source material milling operations and shall close the disposal site in accordance with a design which assures compliance with the requirements specified in Section 332.170(d) of this Part for a period of 1,000 years.  Lands not decommissioned in accordance with Section 332.150(b)(1) of this Part shall be incorporated into the disposal area.  Monitoring for total radon after installation of an appropriately designed cover is not required.  Total radon emissions from cover material shall be estimated as part of developing a closure plan.  The standard for total radon release rate specified in Section 332.170(d) of this Part, however, applies only to emissions from byproduct material.  In computing required byproduct material area cover thicknesses, average moisture in the cover shall be determined from similar soils and under similar circumstances.  The effects of any synthetic layer shall not be taken into account in determining the calculated total radon release rate.  If material other than soil is proposed as cover material, it shall be demonstrated that such material will not crack or degrade by differential settlement, weathering or other mechanism, over long-term time intervals.  Near surface cover material within the top three meters shall not include byproduct material or rock that contains elevated levels of radium; soils used for near surface cover shall be essentially the same, as far as radioactivity is concerned, as that of surrounding surface soils. b)         The licensee shall ensure that disposal sites are closed in a manner that assures no active maintenance will be required.  The licensee shall address the nonradiological hazards associated with the wastes in planning and implementing closure.  To the extent necessary to prevent threats to human health and the environment, the licensee shall control or eliminate postclosure escape of nonradiological hazardous constituents, leachate, contaminated rainwater or waste decomposition products to groundwater, surface water or to the atmosphere.