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Management of Commercially Generated Radioactive Waste - U.S. ...

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Draft Section 3.6.3.6<br />

Issue<br />

355<br />

ALTERNATIVE DISPOSAL CONCEPTS<br />

Subseabed geologic disposal--Legal and political issues will be raised. Why should<br />

Japan and Russia allow us to dump our radioactive waste in that area? (88, 121)<br />

Response<br />

No country, under present internatonal law, has any right to control the activities <strong>of</strong><br />

another country upon the high seas. Japan and many other maritime nations, since there are<br />

no stable geologic formations suitable for waste disposal on the islands proper, will prob-<br />

ably be required to safely dispose <strong>of</strong> their waste either in the international ocean regime<br />

or rely upon some other nation to dispose <strong>of</strong> Japanese waste--and the latter is considered<br />

to be a very unlikely resolution.<br />

Draft, Section 3.6.6.1<br />

Issue<br />

This section is labeled "Site Selection and Preparation" but nothing is mentioned <strong>of</strong><br />

site preparation. What is involved in preparing a seabed site for use? (208-NRC)<br />

Response<br />

Site preparation would include the placement <strong>of</strong> locating devices on the bottom in such<br />

a way that the position <strong>of</strong> the ship and the canister in question will be continuously known.<br />

Preparation also includes a complete survey in three dimensions <strong>of</strong> the area <strong>of</strong> interest.<br />

This preparation is well within present state-<strong>of</strong>-the-art, deep ocean technology.<br />

Draft p. 3.6.1<br />

Issue<br />

The fourth paragraph states that a ship will monitor the emplaced wastes for an<br />

"appropriate length <strong>of</strong> time." How long (or short) is this "appropriate length <strong>of</strong> time?"<br />

(113-EPA)<br />

Response<br />

This period will be determined on the basis <strong>of</strong> engineering feasibility studies and<br />

model calculations <strong>of</strong> the subseabed system. It is anticipated that an appropriate length<br />

<strong>of</strong> time would be that time necessary to provide assurance that the waste package is properly<br />

emplaced in the sediments, that effective entry hole closure has occurred, and that the<br />

package temperatures are in accordance with prescribed operating limits. Package

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