§192.02. Standards. — Inbound Citations

A groundwater monitoring plan shall be implemented, to be carried out over a period of time commencing upon completion of remedial actions taken to comply with the standards in § 192.02, and of a duration which is adequate to demonstrate that future performance of the system of disposal can reasonably be expected to be in accordance with the design requirements of § 192.02(c). This plan and the length of the monitoring period shall be modified to incorporate any corrective actions required under § 192.04 or § 192.12(c).

(a) Long term stabilization means the addition of material on a uranium mill tailings pile for the purpose of ensuring compliance with the requirements of 40 CFR 192.02(a). These actions shall be considered complete when the Nuclear Regulatory Commission determines that the requirements of 40 CFR 192.02(a) have been met.

(b) Remedial actions to satisfy the cleanup standards for land, § 192.12(a), and groundwater, § 192.12(c), or the acquisition of minimum materials required for control to satisfy §§ 192.02(b) and (c), would, notwithstanding reasonable measures to limit damage, directly produce health and environmental harm that is clearly excessive compared to the health and environmental benefits, now or in the future. A clear excess of health and environmental harm is harm that is long-term, manifest, and grossly disproportionate to health and environmental benefits that may reasonably be anticipated.

A groundwater monitoring plan shall be implemented, to be carried out over a period of time commencing upon completion of remedial actions taken to comply with the standards in § 192.02, and of a duration which is adequate to demonstrate that future performance of the system of disposal can reasonably be expected to be in accordance with the design requirements of § 192.02(c). This plan and the length of the monitoring period shall be modified to incorporate any corrective actions required under § 192.04 or § 192.12(c).

If the groundwater concentration limits established for disposal sites under provisions of § 192.02(c) are found or projected to be exceeded, a corrective action program shall be placed into operation as soon as is practicable, and in no event later than eighteen (18) months after a finding of exceedance. This corrective action program will restore the performance of the system of disposal to the original concentration limits established under § 192.02(c)(3), to the extent reasonably achievable, and, in any case, as a minimum shall:

(b) Remedial actions to satisfy the cleanup standards for land, § 192.12(a), and groundwater, § 192.12(c), or the acquisition of minimum materials required for control to satisfy §§ 192.02(b) and (c), would, notwithstanding reasonable measures to limit damage, directly produce health and environmental harm that is clearly excessive compared to the health and environmental benefits, now or in the future. A clear excess of health and environmental harm is harm that is long-term, manifest, and grossly disproportionate to health and environmental benefits that may reasonably be anticipated.

(1) A monitoring program shall be carried out that is adequate to define backgroundwater quality and the areal extent and magnitude of groundwater contamination by listed constituents from residual radioactive materials (§ 192.02(c)(1)) and to monitor compliance with this subpart. The Secretary shall determine which of the constituents listed in Appendix I to part 192 are present in or could reasonably be derived from residual radioactive material at the site, and concentration limits shall be established in accordance with § 192.02(c)(3).

If the groundwater concentration limits established for disposal sites under provisions of § 192.02(c) are found or projected to be exceeded, a corrective action program shall be placed into operation as soon as is practicable, and in no event later than eighteen (18) months after a finding of exceedance. This corrective action program will restore the performance of the system of disposal to the original concentration limits established under § 192.02(c)(3), to the extent reasonably achievable, and, in any case, as a minimum shall:

(c) The Secretary shall comply with conditions specified in a plan for remedial action which provides that contamination of groundwater by listed constituents from residual radioactive material at any designated processing site (§ 192.01(1)) shall be brought into compliance as promptly as is reasonably achievable with the provisions of § 192.02(c)(3) or any supplemental standards established under § 192.22. For the purposes of this subpart:

(1) A monitoring program shall be carried out that is adequate to define backgroundwater quality and the areal extent and magnitude of groundwater contamination by listed constituents from residual radioactive materials (§ 192.02(c)(1)) and to monitor compliance with this subpart. The Secretary shall determine which of the constituents listed in Appendix I to part 192 are present in or could reasonably be derived from residual radioactive material at the site, and concentration limits shall be established in accordance with § 192.02(c)(3).

(i) If the Secretary determines that sole reliance on active remedial procedures is not appropriate and that cleanup of the groundwater can be more reasonably accomplished in full or in part through natural flushing, then the period for remedial procedures may be extended. Such an extended period may extend to a term not to exceed 100 years if:

(A) The concentration limits established under this subpart are projected to be satisfied at the end of this extended period,

(B) Institutional control, having a high degree of permanence and which will effectively protect public health and the environment and satisfy beneficial uses of groundwater during the extended period and which is enforceable by the administrative or judicial branches of government entities, is instituted and maintained, as part of the remedial action, at the processing site and wherever contamination by listed constituents from residual radioactive materials is found in groundwater, or is projected to be found, and

(C) The groundwater is not currently and is not now projected to become a source for a public water system subject to provisions of the Safe Drinking Water Act during the extended period.

(ii) Remedial actions on groundwater conducted under this subpart may occur before or after actions under Section 104(f)(2) of the Act are initiated.

(3) Compliance with this subpart shall be demonstrated through the monitoring program established under paragraph (c)(1) of this section at those locations not beneath a disposal site and its cover where groundwater contains listed constituents from residual radioactive material.

(a) When one or more of the criteria of § 192.21(a) through (g) applies, the Secretary shall select and perform that alternative remedial action that comes as close to meeting the otherwise applicable standard under § 192.02(c)(3) as is reasonably achievable.

(2) Protection of water should be considered on a case-specific basis, drawing on hydrological and geochemical surveys and all other relevant data. The hydrologic and geologic assessment to be conducted at each site should include a monitoring program sufficient to establish background groundwater quality through one or more upgradient or other appropriately located wells. The groundwater monitoring list in Appendix IX of part 264 of this chapter (plus the additional constituents in Table A of this paragraph) may be used for screening purposes in place of Appendix I of part 192 in the monitoring program. New depository sites for tailings that contain water at greater than the level of “specific retention” should use aliner or equivalent. In considering design objectives for groundwater protection, the implementing agencies should give priority to concentration levels in the order listed under § 192.02(c)(3)(i). When considering the potential for health risks caused by human exposure to known or suspected carcinogens, alternate concentration limits pursuant to paragraph 192.02(c)(3)(ii) should be established at concentration levels which represent an excess lifetime risk, at a point of exposure, to an average individual no greater than between 10−4 and 10−6.