[DOE LETTERHEAD]

April 26, 2002

The Honorable John T. Conway
Chairman
Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board
625 Indiana Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20004-2901

Dear Mr. Chairman:

The purpose of this letter is to inform you that four actions identified in the Implementation Plan for Recommendation 2001- 1, High Level Waste Management at the Savannah River Site (SRS), were completed by the Department of Energy (DOE) in April 2002. The four completed actions are:

  1. Commitment 1.3 - Revise High Level Waste Tank (HLW) Inspection Program. The revised plan, In-service Inspection Plan for HLW Tanks, WSRC-TR-2002-00061 and related support documentation, has been issued and contains the tank inspection criteria and priority logic. The Department has considered your staffs comments on the scope of the initial inspection effort (i.e. # of tanks to be inspected). Accordingly, the Department is directing that the enclosed Program Plan be modified to inspect all 27 Type III tanks over the next ten years (Enclosure 1).


  2. Commitment 2.5 - HLW Tank Farm Schedule Sensitivity Analysis. The subject study has been completed. As expected, the study demonstrates that early salt removal from either low curie salt disposition or salt processing provides for increased tank farm flexibility and earlier waste disposition. However, the study also shows that the tank farm is capable of functioning past the original 2010 baseline case if severe unexpected problems develop. The Sensitivity Analysis has been incorporated into the High-Level Waste System Plan (Enclosure 2).


  3. Commitment 2.6 - Submit commitments related to implementation of the revised salt processing program. A revision to the Implementation Plan has been developed to address this commitment. The salt processing commitments provide for near term salt disposition, realistic project development goals, and support the regulatory disposition dates. The revised Implementation Plan is being provided under separate letter.


  4. Commitment 3.2 - Revise HLW System Plan. The revision has been completed and addresses results from Commitments 2.5 - Sensitivity Study and Commitment 3.1 - Space Management and Vulnerabilities (Enclosure 2).

Please feel free to contact me should you have any questions concerning the above information at (202) 586-7709.

Sincerely,

Paul Golan
Director, Site Operations
Office of Environmental Management

Enclosures

cc:
M. Whitaker, S-3.1
G. Rudy, SRS

Note: Please call Paul Golan at 202-586-7709 for a copy of the enclosures.