[DOE LETTERHEAD]

 

August 16, 2007

 

The Honorable A. J. Eggenberger

Chairman

Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board

625 Indiana Avenue, NW, Suite 700

Washington, DC 20004-2901

 

Dear Mr. Chairman:

 

To support the need to remove additional aluminum from the tank waste sludge that will be vitrified in the Defense Waste Processing Facility, the Department of Energy (DOE) plans to move forward with aluminum removal from sludge batch 5.  Enclosed is a summary of the DOE plan to initiate dissolution of aluminum from sludge batch 5 in Tank 51 at the Savannah River Site (SRS) and store the aluminum rich supernate from that process in a Type 1 “old style” Tank in the H-Tank Farm.

 

Consistent with the ongoing oversight by the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (Board) of the tank waste activities at the SRS, it would be helpful if the Board would provide any comments it has on the nuclear safety aspects of the DOE plan to transfer and store low curie, aluminum rich supernate in this “old style” tank.

 

Sincerely,

 

James A. Rispoli

Assistant Secretary for

  Environmental Management

 

Enclosure

 

cc :

M. Whitaker, HS-1.1

J. Allison, SRS