DEPLOYMENT OF INNOVATIVE CHARACTERIZATION TECHNOLOGIES AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE MARSSIM PROCESS AT RADIOLOGICALLY CONTAMINATED SITES.

The success of this Accelerated Site Technology Deployment (ASTD) project is measured on several levels. First, the deployment of this innovative approach using in situ characterization, portable field laboratory measurements, and implementation of MARSSIM was successfully established for all three phases of D and D characterization, i.e., pre-job scoping, on-going disposition of waste, and final status surveys upon completion of the activity. Unlike traditional D and D projects, since the Brookhaven Graphite Research Reactor Decommissioning Project (BGRR-DP) is operating on an accelerated schedule, much of the work is being carried out simultaneously. Rather than complete a full characterization of the facility before D and D work begins, specific removal actions require characterization as the activity progresses. Thus, the need for rapid and cost-effective techniques for characterization is heightened. Secondly, since the approach used for this ASTD project was not thoroughly proven prior to deployment, a large effort was devoted to demonstrating technical comparability to project managers, regulators and stakeholders. During the initial phases, large numbers of replicate samples were taken and analyzed by conventional baseline techniques to ensure that BGRR-DP quality assurance standards were met. ASTD project staff prepared comparisons of data gathered using ISOCS and BetaScint with traditional laboratory methods and presented this information to BGRR-DP staff and regulators from EPA Region II, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, and the Suffolk County Board of Health. As the results of comparability evaluations became available, approval for these methods was received and the techniques associated with in situ characterization, portable field laboratory measurements, and implementation of MARSSIM were gradually integrated into BGRR-DP procedures