Part 2 of 2 Parts (Please read Part 1 first)
The NMED continued the investigation of the sparking incident at LANL and extended it to the waste packing practices at the WIPP and the LANL as of March 23rd to evaluate both facilities for potential non-compliance to applicable regulations. This was reported by Maddy Hayden, a spokesperson for the NMED. She said in an emailed statement, “NMED continues to communicate with DOE to ensure the highest levels of safety for workers, the public and the environment are met. We have received reports from both facilities and are gathering additional information to support NMED’s evaluation of this situation.”
At the WIPP, it was believed that four drums from LANL that had already been emplaced for disposal might have similar compliance issues. The area where the four drums were stored was evacuated by the WIPP on March 5th according to the NMED. After checking, no problems were found with any of the other waste drums from LANL and the evacuation order was lifted on March 18th.
All certification and shipments of TRU waste containers from the LANL containing items related to the original incident were suspended by the WIPP on March 24th. An investigation report from the LANL and its contractor Triad National Security was due on April 23rd and the WIPP planned to reevaluate the situation once the report was submitted.
Donavan Mager is with the Nuclear Waste Partnership which is the primary operations contractor at the WIPP. He said that the LANL personnel identified two waste containers that were associated with the original incident and emplaced in the underground repository. It was found that they posed no risk to the public or the environment and they met the WIPP Acceptance Criteria (WAC). Mager went on to say that the two drums in question contained no pyrophoric, or ignitable, materials and, thus were compliant with the WAC.
Mager said that the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Environmental Management (EM) were also reviewing the LANL’s waste protocols. He added that “Upon being notified by LANL about the impacted waste containers, WIPP immediately implemented operational controls to ensure the safety of our employees. While there were no facility safety issues or non-compliances with the WAC, NNSA and EM are working closely together in the review of LANL's waste processing program. WIPP's waste certification process remains one of the most robust in the world.”
A fifteen-day report on the WIP’s contingency plans on March 19th under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) from the DOE’s Carlsbad Field Office ultimately showed that there had been no injuries resulting from the incident. No safety or environmental hazards or release of nuclear materials occurred. No waste handling operations were taking place at the WIPP during the incident because a two-month maintenance pause was initiated on February 15th.
The investigation is still ongoing at LANL and WIPP. Hayden said, “NMED’s evaluation will include an assessment of compliance at each facility and, if NMED determines that there was noncompliance, appropriate enforcement action will be considered.”