Annual Report for 2010/11 and Forward Programme - Sellafield Ltd

. Braystones – second highest find-rate beach, also withincreased occupancyII. Areas with high levels of public occupancya. St Bees and Seascaleb. BraystonesIII. Areas covered by extensive existing monitoring data (generallyconsistent with i and ii above)a. Sellafieldb. Braystonesc. St Bees and SeascaleIV. Areas of beach with consistent sand coverage (subject to seasonalvariations in depth)V. Areas with high confidence of monitoring repeatabilityFor each of these beaches, specified repeat area boxes have been identifiedas part of the respective beach monitoring total area.At Sellafield beach 2 areas (boxes) have been selected. These are both 1hectare in size and will be re-monitored eleven times each during theprogramme year. Selection of these areas has focussed on beach areas forwhich data has been collected in previous years monitoring (see table below)and where consistently high find rates have been observed. These boxesrepresent the core area to be covered on each and every visit to the Sellafieldbeach, with additional coverage of the neighbouring beach, up to a total of 4hectares dependent on available area at each monitoring visit. Thiscombination of core areas and additional area affords a degree of flexibility inthe monitoring and avoids overly constraining the contractor in what can bechallenging conditions.Likewise, at Braystones 2 box areas have been selected. These are larger insize (5 hectares) and will be revisited three times in the programme year. Aswith Sellafield, each of these areas has been revisited extensively in previousyears monitoring (see table below); and represent areas of elevated findrates. A total of 14 hectares will be covered on each visit to Braystones, toinclude both of the defined 5 hectare boxes.Both St Bees and Seascale are beaches that are regularly visited bymembers of the public. At each beach a single area (3 hectares) has beenselected, closest to the main parking areas and public access points. St Beeswill be revisited five times during the programme year, with Seascale revisitedthree times, reflecting the northerly bias to find rates. As detailed in the letterto EA, the visits to these beaches have been scheduled closely around theBuffer Time breaks, during which the highest occupancy levels are expected.A total area of 24 hectares will be covered at St Bees, with a total of 14hectares covered at Seascale.