Errata (If you have
a hardcopy of the original report, you may download
and print corrected Appendix B tables from the Errata
page. All on-line html and pdf tables have been
corrected.)
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), through a subcommittee
of the Interagency Steering Committee on Radiation Standards
(ISCORS), are sponsoring a joint survey to collect information
concerning radioactive materials in sewage sludge and ash
from sewage treatment plants (referred to in the industry
as publicly owned treatment works (POTWs)). Sanitary sewer
disposal of radioactive material and sludge reconcentration
became an issue in the 1980s with the discovery of elevated
levels of radioactive materials in sewage sludge/incinerator
ash at several POTWs. Although neither
the NRC nor the Agreement States have seen further problems
associated with POTW reconcentration of radioactive materials
since NRC’s regulations were revised in 1991, NRC and
EPA are working together to conduct a survey of radioactive
materials in sewage sludge and ash from POTWs.
The objectives of this joint NRC/EPA sewage sludge/ash survey
are to: (1) obtain data on the levels of radioactive materials
in sludge and ash at POTWs from across the country; (2) estimate
the extent to which radioactive contamination comes from either
NRC/State licensees or naturally-occurring radioactivity;
and (3) support potential rulemaking decisions by NRC or EPA,
if necessitated by the survey results. However, because of
the design limitations, the survey alone may not be sufficient
for rulemaking.
The intent is that the names of the POTWs will not be associated
with the analysis results in publicly available records and
reports. The reason for the anonymous survey is to encourage
the cooperation of POTWs. However, if elevated levels of radioactive
materials are detected that are determined to be a potential
health and safety concern, as determined by NRC, further investigation
will be conducted to determine the appropriate course of action.
The voluntary survey consists of two components - a questionnaire
and a program to sample and analyze sewage sludge and incinerator
ash. Questionnaires will be sent to selected POTWs associated
with NRC and Agreement State licensees that have the greatest
potential to discharge radioactive materials in accordance
with existing regulations and to POTWs in all areas of the
country, including areas of relatively high background radioactivity.
Using the information from the questionnaires, NRC and EPA
will identify approximately 300 POTWs to be sampled. It is
expected that it will take several months for both agencies
to analyze the results from the questionnaire and a year to
complete the analysis of samples to be received from the POTWs.
This report summarizes the results at nine POTW sites where
the questionnaire methods and sampling and analytical procedures
were tested. The survey was refined based on the experiences
at the test cases and public comments on the survey. The results
of the full survey will be published as a joint NRC/EPA report
for use by POTW operators, Federal agencies, States, and local
officials.
The sewage sludge/ash survey is being coordinated by a subcommittee
of ISCORS, which was formed in 1995 to coordinate resolution
of interagency issues related to radiation protection. The
ISCORS Sewage Subcommittee is assisting NRC and EPA in the
development of the survey, including analysis procedures and
the selection of facilities to sample.
The NRC contractors and EPA's National Air and Radiation
Environmental Laboratory (NAREL) in Montgomery, Alabama, will
analyze the sewage sludge and ash samples. These labs have
also assisted ISCORS with the survey design. For example,
the labs collaborated to ensure that the analytical laboratory
procedures and quality assurance programs that both labs plan
to use will produce consistent, accurate, and reliable laboratory
measurements.
NRC requested Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval
for this survey. Notices were published in the Federal Register
on January 6, 1997, and December 2, 1997, to solicit public
comments on the survey effort. This information request was
approved by OMB (clearance number 3150-0189), with an expiration
date of June 30, 2001.
