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Bruno Zovi, AMWTP LLW/MLLW Program Manager

This article discusses Waste Management's critical role in consolidating and delivering the Idaho Cleanup Project. The quick consolidation of workforces and focus on critical work scope have been key strategies. Challenges like breaking down barriers and ensuring proper training were addressed effectively. Several successful low-level waste disposal capabilities have been achieved, including the use of new casks and advanced treatment methods. Successes also include the retrieval of above-ground waste and exhumation of buried waste. The Waste Management program continues to leverage industry practices and unique technologies for efficient waste disposition.

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Bruno Zovi, AMWTP LLW/MLLW Program Manager

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  1. Waste Management’s Role in Safely Consolidating, Accelerating, and Delivering the Idaho Cleanup Project Core Mission Bruno Zovi, AMWTP LLW/MLLW Program Manager

  2. Fluor Idaho Team • Assumed ICP Core contract on June 1, 2016 • Quick consolidation of incumbent workforces (and 1,663 employees ) under single, streamlined organization • The company was organized to focus on critical work scope

  3. Consolidation of Work Scope • Combine all waste operations under Waste Ops director • Provides strong continuity for achieving Idaho Settlement Agreement milestones • Phased approach • Early engagement with unions and workers • Create collaborative and mutually beneficial work arrangement • Worker involvement in assessment and optimization to implement “best of best” procedures, systems, and tools • Business and program management system consolidation • Adopt and adapt best practices of both CWI and ITG systems where practical

  4. Challenges • Breaking down barriers, both physical and perceived • A fence between connecting facilities was removed to signify a united workforce • “Them versus us” mentality had to be broken down • Union interface • Early on there were disagreements over which union was responsible for specific work • We drafted memorandums of understanding allowing unions to do similar work as long as it didn’t impact jurisdictional boundaries • Training • Since Waste Management personnel support all Fluor Idaho-managed facilities, we had to implement a uniform training system • This effort is continuing

  5. Low-level Waste Successes/Capabilities • Assumed contract June 1, 2016; released 1st shipment of mixed low-level waste June 8, 2016 • 364 low-level/mixed low-level waste shipments completed • 3,774 m3 low-level/mixed low-level waste shipped • Met all contractual milestones for low-level/mixed low-level waste disposition for both FY16 and FY17 • EnergySolutions, Perma Fix, DSSI, WCS and NNSS assisted Fluor Idaho with the disposition of problematic waste

  6. Low-level Waste Successes/Capabilities (cont’d) • Received DOE approval to use new 8-120B cask for shipment of remote-handled low-level wastes to offsite disposal facilities, increasing allowable fissile gram equivalent from 325 to 2,200 • This allows us to ship as many as eight containers versus the previous cask’s one • Continuing to utilize our onsite low-level waste landfill for disposal of a host of CERCLA-generated cleanup wastes

  7. Low-level Waste Successes/Capabilities (cont’d) • Continuing to use real-time radiography and gamma spectrometry equipment at the Advanced Mixed Waste Treatment Project to characterize waste, segregating low-level waste from the transuranic waste inventory and shipping to offsite facilities for permanent disposal • Using a macroencapsulation process for mixed low-level waste shipments to an offsite disposal facility has resulted in significant savings.

  8. Other Waste Management Successes/Capabilities Retrieval of Above-Ground Waste • All remaining boxes and barrels of radioactive and hazardous waste from an inventory of 65,000 cubic meters were retrieved in February 2017, six months early • Shipments to WIPP resumed in April • As of mid-October, Fluor Idaho has completed nearly 60 shipments • The Advanced Mixed Waste Treatment Project is a one-stop shop for characterizing, treating, certifying, and shipping waste offsite • It is being considered for additional DOE Complex TRU waste processing

  9. Other Waste Management Successes/Capabilities (cont’d) Exhumation of Buried Waste • Completed the exhumation and packaging of a combined 7,485 cubic meters of radioactive and hazardous wastes in September last year – a key provision of the 2008 record of decision • 1 acre left to remediate under Fluor Idaho’s contract • Approximately two years ahead of schedule

  10. Other Waste Management Successes/Capabilities (cont’d) Other Waste Disposition • Two hot cells at the INTEC facility are being used to treat/repackage remote-handled transuranic waste • One of the hot cells was highly modified this summer to allow for larger waste containers • Three unique sodium-treatment methods are being deployed to treat the RH-TRU waste • Spritzing • Immersion • Distillation • This treated material will ultimately be shipped to WIPP

  11. Summary • The transition to a single cleanup contract at Idaho was challenging but manageable • Some activities, such as the creation of a uniform training system, are ongoing • We are leveraging existing industry practices as well as unique processes to characterize and disposition our mixed low-level wastes • The Waste Management program is using one-of-a-kind technologies to treat and disposition other waste types • Some of our Waste Management facilities have the capability to treat other DOE Complex wastes, which is being considered

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