A recent examination of radioactive waste tanks at Savannah River Site should be a signal for Congress and the Department of Energy to deal with the dangerous liquid waste they contain as quickly as possible. A plan offered by Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and endorsed by the state of South Carolina offers the best chance for expedited removal and treatment.
Fifteen of the 51 tanks holding 37 million gallons of highly radioactive waste are cracked or rusty, and there has been some leakage in the past, according to a federal report cited by The Associated Press. An investigation into the condition of the steel tanks found hundreds of cracks.
"They obviously are getting older and will not last forever," a Department of Energy spokesman told the AP. "This is highly radioactive, and there is a concern to get that waste out as soon as possible." Some of the tanks are 50 years old.
Sen. Graham's proposal would have the DOE remove the waste and prepare it for long-term storage at an existing SRS plant that turns liquid waste into glass. DOE officials say that 99 percent of the material in the tanks can be safely removed and treated.
Radioactive residue in the storage tanks that can't be safely removed would be encased in concrete, as would the storage tanks themselves. That process, already used at two tanks at SRS, dilutes the remaining waste sufficiently to be classified as low-level, and prevents further groundwater contamination, DOE officials say. Under Sen. Graham's proposal, now in conference committee, the state would have oversight over cleanup plans for each remaining tank.
That plan would reduce anticipated cleanup costs, but its primary benefit would be to enable the DOE to deal quickly with the highly radioactive liquid waste now stored at SRS. The latest report regarding the condition of those tanks should encourage congressional action on a proposal that will enable DOE to deal with a lingering hazard to the state.
Indeed, the SRS waste tanks have been described by Deputy Commissioner Robert King of the state Department of Health and Environmental Control as "the single most potentially hazardous condition to the environment and the people of South Carolina." The presence of cracked and rusting tanks serves to underscore the danger as well as the need to move forward with a practical solution to minimize the risks.
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