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SEPA TAKES ENFORCEMENT ACTION AGAINST
DOUNREAY
On Friday 23 September 2005, the Scottish
Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) served an enforcement notice on UKAEA
Dounreay after it breached conditions in its authorisation to discharge
gaseous radioactive waste.
A team of inspectors from SEPA carried
out a week long audit of the site in June and found 28 problems.
The enforcement notice relates to:
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maintenance and repair of the system
used to discharge waste
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maintenance procedures and
record-keeping
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maintenance of monitoring equipment
that helps to assess the environmental impacts of the radioactive waste.
Enforcement action has also been taken
in connection with radioactive liquid seepages to the foreshore and the
failure of sampling equipment after maintenance.
SEPA has specified nine remedial actions
needed to ensure compliance with the conditions of the authorisation. The
notice requires UKAEA to:
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Develop and implement procedures to
identify all waste handling equipment and include it in a maintenance
and inspection system.
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Prepare procedures for setting alarm
levels on samplers, review operations that require alarms and install as
necessary.
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Introduce internal inspection
regimes for duct work and stacks.
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Assess the positioning of filter
efficiency test points and reposition if required.
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Ensure all monitoring equipment is
included in the maintenance and inspection system.
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Inform SEPA of, and implement, the
measures taken by UKAEA to assess and control the environmental
consequences of plant modifications.
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Inform SEPA of, and implement, the
measures to be taken to stop radioactive liquid waste being disposed to
the Dounreay foreshore.
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Inform SEPA of, and implement, the
measures being taken to stop seepage of radioactive waste from the DFR
outfall tank.
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Ensure that staff are trained in
practicable and adequate procedure for the testing of the D300
proportionate sample.
Full details of the enforcement notice
can be obtained during office hours from the public registry at:
Dingwall Office,
Graesser House,
Fodderty Way,
Dingwall IV15 9XB
Tel 01349 862021 |