Optimizing liquid effluent monitoring at a large nuclear complex

Effluent monitoring typically requires a large number of analytes and samples during the initial or startup phase of a facility. Once a baseline is established, the analyte list and sampling frequency may be reduced. Although there is a large body of literature relevant to the initial design, few, i...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental management (New York) 2003-12, Vol.32 (6), p.720-734
Main Authors: CHOU, Charissa J, BARNETT, D. Brent, JOHNSON, Vernon G, OLSON, Phil M
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Applied ecology
Biological and medical sciences
Cesium
Cesium radioisotopes
COLUMBIA RIVER
Conservation, protection and management of environment and wildlife
Contaminants
Cost Control
Cost Savings
DECOMMISSIONING
EFFICIENCY
EFFLUENT MONITORING
Effluents
Environmental management
Environmental Monitoring - economics
Environmental Monitoring - methods
Environmental risk
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
EVALUATION
EXCEEDANCE PROBABILITY
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
General aspects
GRAB AND COMPOSITE SAMPLING
HANFORD SITE
LIQUID WASTES
MODIFICATIONS
MONITORING
NUCLEAR WASTE
Power Plants
PROBABILITY
Radium
Reference Values
Risk Assessment
SAMPLING
SOILS
State regulations
Strontium
VARIABILITY
Waste Disposal, Fluid - economics
Waste streams
Waste treatment
WASTES
WATER
Water Pollutants, Radioactive - analysis
Water Pollutants, Radioactive - economics
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Summary:Effluent monitoring typically requires a large number of analytes and samples during the initial or startup phase of a facility. Once a baseline is established, the analyte list and sampling frequency may be reduced. Although there is a large body of literature relevant to the initial design, few, if any, published papers exist on updating established effluent monitoring programs. This paper statistically evaluates four years of baseline data to optimize the liquid effluent monitoring efficiency of a centralized waste treatment and disposal facility at a large defense nuclear complex. Specific objectives were to: (1) assess temporal variability in analyte concentrations, (2) determine operational factors contributing to waste stream variability, (3) assess the probability of exceeding permit limits, and (4) streamline the sampling and analysis regime. Results indicated that the probability of exceeding permit limits was one in a million under normal facility operating conditions, sampling frequency could be reduced, and several analytes could be eliminated. Furthermore, indicators such as gross alpha and gross beta measurements could be used in lieu of more expensive specific isotopic analyses (radium, cesium-137, and strontium-90) for routine monitoring. Study results were used by the state regulatory agency to modify monitoring requirements for a new discharge permit, resulting in an annual cost savings of US dollars 223,000. This case study demonstrates that statistical evaluation of effluent contaminant variability coupled with process knowledge can help plant managers and regulators streamline analyte lists and sampling frequencies based on detection history and environmental risk.
ISSN:0364-152X
1432-1009
DOI:10.1007/s00267-003-2684-4