Impacts of the use of institutional controls on risk assessments for U.S. Department of Energy facilities

Abstract

This paper summarizes some of the major issues related to the use of institutional controls at hazardous waste sites under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy Field Office, Oak Ridge/Environmental Restoration Division (DOE-OR/ERD). In particular, the impacts that assumptions regarding institutional controls have on the results and interpretation of the risk assessment, both in the Remedial Investigation (RI) and the Feasibility Study (FS) are addressed. The approaches and assumptions relating to institutional controls focus on the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), since it is the regulatory driver for hazardous waste sites at Department of Energy (DOE) facilities. In order to provide a contrast to approaches adopted under CERCLA, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and radiation regulatory authorities (i.e., Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) regulations/guidance, DOE orders, and U.S. Environmental Pro- tection Agency (EPA) standards) are briefly outlined. To demonstrate the implications of the use of institutional controls at DOE facilities, the approaches and results of a recent baseline risk assessment for Solid Waste Storage Area 6 at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) are summarized.