Performance Assessment of Waste Control Specialists LLRW Facility in Andrews Texas

A radioactive materials license was issued in September 2009 to Waste Control Specialists (WCS) to construct and operate a low-level radioactive waste (LLRW) disposal facility in Andrews, Texas. This is the first LLRW facility in nearly four decades to be licensed and constructed in the US to accept Class A, B, and C radioactive wastes and is essential for the increasing applications of nuclear materials in medicine and industry as well as generation of electrical power without greenhouse gas emissions. The WCS facility includes a Compact Waste Facility (CWF) that will serve the Texas low-level waste compact and a Federal Waste Facility (FWF) that will accept waste from federal facilities operated by the U.S. Department of Energy. Recent Texas legislation (SB 1504) has authorized waste import and made the CWF available to waste generators in 36 additional U.S. states. The facility performance assessment is a key component of the licensing process. The performance assessment demonstrates that the facility will meet the four performance objectives that ensure long-term stability of the site and protection of the public, workers, and inadvertent intruders. This paper describes the methodology applied in the performance assessment, including the conceptual models, computer codes, and methods to demonstrate the safety of the facility and compliance with environmental regulations.