Appendix C

Standards and Permits

Operations at the Hanford Site must conform to a variety of governmental standards and permits designed to ensure the biological and physical quality of the environment for either public health, ecological, or aesthetic considerations. The primary environmental quality standards and permits applicable to Hanford operations in 1994 are listed in the following tables. The State of Washington has promulgated water quality standards for the Columbia River, Washington Administrative Code (WAC) 173-201. The Hanford Reach of the Columbia River has been designated as Class A (Excellent). This designation requires that the water be usable for substantially all needs, including drinking water, recreation, and wildlife. Class A water standards are summarized in Table C.1. Drinking water standards promulgated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 40 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 141 are summarized in Tables C.2 and C.3. Benton-Franklin Counties Clean Air Authority air quality standards are shown in Table C.4.

Environmental radiation protection standards are published in U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Order 5400.5, "Radiation Protection of the Public and the Environment." This DOE order establishes limits for public radiation dose and gives guidance for keeping radiation exposures to members of the public as low as reasonably achievable (ALARA). These standards are based on guidelines recommended by authoritative organizations, such as the International Commission on Radiological Protection and the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements. The DOE has initiated a policy for creating and implementing public radiation protection standards that are generally consistent with the standards used by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in regulating and licensing non-DOE nuclear facilities (i.e., nuclear power plants). Table C.5 shows the radiation standards from DOE Order 5400.5. These standards govern allowable public exposures to ionizing radiation from DOE operations.

In Order 5400.5, the DOE established Derived Concentration Guides (DCGs) that reflect the concentrations of individual nuclides in water or air that would result in an effective dose equivalent of 100 mrem per year caused by ingestion of water or inhalation of air at average annual intake rates. Derived Concentration Guides are not exposure limits, but are simply reference values that are provided to allow for comparisons of radionuclide concentrations in environmental media. Table C.6 lists selected DCGs for radionuclides of particular interest at the Hanford Site. The DCGs are useful reference values but do not generally represent concentrations in the environment that ensure compliance with either the DOE, the Clean Air Act, or drinking water dose standards.

Permits required for regulated releases to water and air have been issued by the EPA under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) of the Clean Water Act and the Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) requirements of the Clean Air Act. Also, under authority granted by the Clean Air Act, the Washington State Department of Health has issued a permit for Hanford radioactive air emissions. Permits for collecting wildlife for environmental sampling are issued by the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Current permits are listed in Table C.7.

Table C.1

Table C.2

Table C.3

Table C.4

Table C.5

Table C.6

Table C.7

Reference_C

Return to Table of Contents