Plant Operating Standard

WD-32 Radioactive Waste Disposal

A. Liquid Waste

• 1. All radioactive liquid wastes shall be accumulated in tanks aboard ship and analyzed prior to discharge. The waste shall then be discharged according to the following criteria.
  • Zone 1 - Harbors, estuaries and coastal waters out to two miles from the shoreline.
    • a. To a properly licensed subcontractor in port.
    • b. To he N.S.V. ATOMIC SERVANT, in accordance with AEC license restrictions for that vessel.
    • c. To the harbor, estuary or coastal waters if the waste fails to meat the definition of radioactive waste (1x10^-7 uc/cm^3, per page 3, NAS-658) and the vessel is underway at a speed greater than 8 knots.
    • d. To the harbor, estuary or coastal waters, if the waste contains no detectable radioactivity (i.e., the gross radioactivity is equal to or less than 1 x 10^-7 uc/cm^3 if it is known that Ra 226 or Ra 228 are not present).
  • Zone 2 - The coastal area between two and twelve miles from the shoreline
    • a. While underway, discharge shall be to the sea, provided the gross radioactivity level of the waste is less than 1 x 10^-4 uc/cm^3.
  • Zone 3 - The outer continental shelf from twelve miles off shore to the 200 fathom depth contour.
    • a. While underway, discharge shall be to the sea, provided the gross radioactivity level of the waste is less than 1 x 10^-1 uc/cm^3.
  • Zone 4 - The open sea, more than twelve miles from any shore and having depths greater than 200 fathoms.
    • a. No limit shall be placed on the concentration of liquid waste discharged to this zone, other than that indirectly by the Total Discharge Limit below.
    • 2. The discharge of radioactive liquid wastes to harbors, estuaries, coastal waters and the sea shall be limited to less than two curies of gross radioactivity per month.
    • 3. If shall be the ship's policy to discharge liquid waste to Zones 3 and 4 only, insofar as this is practical.

    B. Solid Waste

    All radioactive solid wastes shall be discharged to either a licensed or an authorized waste disposal agent.

    Gaseous Waste

    The release of radioactive gaseous waste shall be controlled so that no passenger or member of the public is exposed to concentrations of radioactive gases in excess of those specified by Table II, Appendix B of 10 CFR 20.

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    My text copyright 2020 Tommy Johnson, all rights reserved. I believe the Savannah documentation is property of MARAD or the US government.