[DOE LETTER HEAD]

 

October 22, 2008

 

The Honorable A. J. Eggenberger

Chairman

Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board

625 Indiana Avenue, N.W., Suite 700

Washington, DC 20004

 

Dear Mr. Chairman:

 

COMPLETION OF DEFENSE NUCLEAR FACILITIES SAFETY BOARD (DNFSB) COMMITMENT L07-508, DATED JULY 26, 2007, "COMPLETE FINAL PASS VACUUMING & FUEL PROCESSING, REMOVAL OF FOUND FUEL AND FUEL SCRAP FROM K WEST BASIN

 

The purpose of this letter is to notify the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) that a commitment contained in the U.S. Department of Energy, Headquarters (HQ) letter, number L07-508, dated July 26, 2007, "Complete Final Pass Vacuuming & Fuel Processing, Removal of Found Fuel and Fuel Scrap from K West Basin," was completed on September 25, 2008. The commitment calls for the removal of all found fuel from the K West Basin by September 30, 2008. The K Basin Project loaded the last portions of found fuel in K West Basin into multi-canister over pack (MCO) 388, which was dried at the Cold Drying and Vacuuming Facility (CDVF) and transferred to the Canister Storage Building (CSB) with the other K Basin fuel and fuel scrap.

 

Should additional fuel or fuel scrap be uncovered during debris removal operations in the K West Basin, DOE has two methods to handle it safely. The first method is continuation of MCO loading, drying fuel at the CDVF, and long-term storage at the CSB. This option will be available until Fiscal Year 2011 or upon completion of processing the knockout pot material. The second method will be using the fuel dry storage containers Washington Closure Hanford developed for fuel and fuel scrap uncovered during burial ground remediation. Based upon existing fuel and fuel scrap characterization data, RL confirmed that any fuel and fuel scrap we might uncover in K West Basin meets the design criteria for these dry storage containers.

 

If you have questions, please contact me or your staff may contact Joe R. Franco, Assistant Manager for the River Corridor, on (509) 376-6628.

 

Sincerely,

 

David A. Brockman

Manager

 

AMRC: TKT

 

cc:

D. Y. Chung, EM-60

J. M. Owendoff, EM-3

M. B. Whittaker, HS-1.1

DNFSB, H6-60