Article 11. Waste Disposal
12VAC5-481-910. General requirements.
Article 11
Waste Disposal
A. Licensees shall dispose of licensed material only in the following ways:
1. By transfer to an authorized recipient as provided in 12VAC5-481-570;
2. By decay in storage;
3. By release in effluents within the limits of 12VAC5-481-720; or
4. As authorized under 12VAC5-481-920, 12VAC5-481-930, 12VAC5-481-940, 12VAC5-481-950, or 12VAC5-481-971.
B. A person shall be specifically licensed to receive waste containing licensed material from other persons for the following actions:
1. Treatment prior to disposal;
2. Treatment or disposal by incineration;
3. Decay in storage;
4. Disposal at a land disposal facility licensed under Part XI (12VAC5-481-2330 et seq.) of this chapter; or
5. Disposal at a geologic repository under 10 CFR Part 60 or 10 CFR Part 63.
Statutory Authority
§ 32.1-229 of the Code of Virginia.
Historical Notes
Derived from Virginia Register Volume 22, Issue 25, eff. September 20, 2006; amended, Virginia Register Volume 24, Issue 18, eff. June 12, 2008; Volume 32, Issue 24, eff. August 25, 2016.
12VAC5-481-920. Method for obtaining approval of proposed disposal procedures.
A licensee or registrant or applicant for a license or registration may apply to the agency for approval of proposed procedures, not otherwise authorized in these regulations, to dispose of licensed or registered material generated in the licensee's or registrant's operations. Each application shall include:
1. A description of the waste containing licensed or registered material to be disposed of, including the physical and chemical properties that have an impact on risk evaluation, and the proposed manner and conditions of waste disposal;
2. An analysis and evaluation of pertinent information on the nature of the environment;
3. The nature and location of other potentially affected facilities; and
4. Analyses and procedures to ensure that doses are maintained ALARA and within the dose limits in Part IV (12VAC5-481-600 et seq.) of this chapter.
Statutory Authority
§ 32.1-229 of the Code of Virginia.
Historical Notes
Derived from Virginia Register Volume 22, Issue 25, eff. September 20, 2006.
12VAC5-481-930. Disposal by release into sanitary sewerage.
A. Licensees may discharge licensed material into sanitary sewerage if each of the following conditions is satisfied:
1. The licensed or other radioactive material is readily soluble or is readily dispersible biological material in water;
2. The quantity of licensed or other radioactive material that the licensee releases into the sewer in one month divided by the average monthly volume of water released into the sewer by the licensee does not exceed the concentration listed in Table 3 of Appendix B to 10 CFR Part 20;
3. If more than one radionuclide is released, the following conditions shall also be satisfied:
a. The licensee shall determine the fraction of the limit in Table 3 of Appendix B to 10 CFR Part 20 represented by discharges into sanitary sewerage by dividing the actual monthly average concentration of each radionuclide released by the licensee into the sewer by the concentration of that radionuclide listed in Table 3 of Appendix B to 10 CFR Part 20; and
b. The sum of the fractions for each radionuclide required by subdivision 3 a of this subsection does not exceed unity; and
4. The total quantity of licensed and other radioactive material that the licensee releases into the sanitary sewerage system in one year does not exceed 5 curies (185 GBq) of hydrogen-3, 1 curie (37 GBq) of carbon-14, and 1 curie (37 GBq) of all other radioactive materials combined.
B. Excreta from individuals undergoing medical diagnosis or therapy with radioactive material are not subject to the limitations contained in this section.
Statutory Authority
§ 32.1-229 of the Code of Virginia.
Historical Notes
Derived from Virginia Register Volume 22, Issue 25, eff. September 20, 2006; amended, Virginia Register Volume 24, Issue 18, eff. June 12, 2008; Volume 32, Issue 24, eff. August 25, 2016.
12VAC5-481-940. Treatment or disposal by incineration.
Licensees may treat or dispose of licensed material by incineration only if the material is in a form or concentration specified in 12VAC5-481-950, or as specifically approved by the agency pursuant to 12VAC5-481-920.
Statutory Authority
§ 32.1-229 of the Code of Virginia.
Historical Notes
Derived from Virginia Register Volume 22, Issue 25, eff. September 20, 2006; amended, Virginia Register Volume 24, Issue 18, eff. June 12, 2008; Volume 32, Issue 24, eff. August 25, 2016.
12VAC5-481-950. Disposal of specific wastes.
A. Licensees may dispose of the following licensed material as if it were not radioactive:
1. 0.05 μCi (1.85 kBq) or less of hydrogen-3 or carbon-14 per gram of medium used for liquid scintillation counting; and
2. 0.05 μCi (1.85 kBq) or less of hydrogen-3 or carbon-14 per gram of animal tissue, averaged over the weight of the entire animal.
B. Licensees may not dispose of tissue under subdivision A 2 of this section in a manner that would permit its use either as food for humans or as animal feed.
C. Licensees shall maintain records in accordance with 12VAC5-481-1060.
Statutory Authority
§ 32.1-229 of the Code of Virginia.
Historical Notes
Derived from Virginia Register Volume 22, Issue 25, eff. September 20, 2006; amended, Virginia Register Volume 24, Issue 18, eff. June 12, 2008; Volume 32, Issue 24, eff. August 25, 2016.
12VAC5-481-960. Transfer for disposal and manifests.
A. The requirements of this section and 12VAC5-481-3710 are designed to accomplish the following:
1. Control transfers of low level radioactive waste by any waste generator, waste collector, or waste processor licensee that ships low level waste either directly or indirectly through a waste collector or waste processor to a licensed low level waste land disposal facility (as defined in 12VAC5-481-10);
2. Establish a manifest tracking system; and
3. Supplement existing requirements concerning transfers and recordkeeping for those wastes.
B. Licensees shipping radioactive waste intended for ultimate disposal at a licensed land disposal facility shall document the information required and transfer this recorded information to the intended consignee in accordance with 12VAC5-481-3710.
C. Each shipment manifest shall include a certification by the waste generator as specified in 12VAC5-481-3710 G.
D. Each person involved in the transfer for disposal and disposal of waste, including the waste generator, waste collector, waste processor, and disposal facility operator, shall comply with the requirements specified in 12VAC5-481-3710 H.
E. Licensees shipping radioactive material as defined in subdivisions 3 and 4 under the definition of "byproduct material" in 12VAC5-481-10 intended for ultimate disposal at a land disposal facility licensed under Part XI (12VAC5-481-2330 et seq.) of this chapter, 10 CFR Part 61, or equivalent agreement state regulations shall document the information required on a manifest and transfer this recorded manifest information to the intended consignee in accordance with 12VAC5-481-3710.
Statutory Authority
§ 32.1-229 of the Code of Virginia.
Historical Notes
Derived from Virginia Register Volume 22, Issue 25, eff. September 20, 2006; amended, Virginia Register Volume 24, Issue 18, eff. June 12, 2008; Volume 32, Issue 24, eff. August 25, 2016.
12VAC5-481-970. Compliance with environmental and health protection regulations.
Nothing in this part relieves the licensee from complying with other applicable federal, state, and local regulations governing any other toxic or hazardous properties of materials that may be disposed of under this part.
Statutory Authority
§ 32.1-229 of the Code of Virginia.
Historical Notes
Derived from Virginia Register Volume 22, Issue 25, eff. September 20, 2006; amended, Virginia Register Volume 24, Issue 18, eff. June 12, 2008; Volume 32, Issue 24, eff. August 25, 2016.
12VAC5-481-971. Disposal of certain radioactive material.
A. Licensed material meeting the definition in subdivisions 3 and 4 of the definition of "byproduct material" in 12VAC5-481-10 may be disposed of in accordance with Part XI (12VAC5-481-2330 et seq.) of this chapter, even though it is not defined as low level radioactive waste. Therefore, any licensed byproduct material being disposed of at a facility or transferred for ultimate disposal at a facility licensed under Part XI (12VAC5-481-2330 et seq.) of this chapter, 10 CFR Part 61, or equivalent agreement state regulations shall meet the requirements of 12VAC5-481-960.
B. A licensee may dispose of byproduct material, as defined in subsection A of this section, at a disposal facility authorized to dispose of such material in accordance with any federal or state solid or hazardous waste law, including the Solid Waste Disposal Act (42 USC § 6901 et seq.).
Statutory Authority
§ 32.1-229 of the Code of Virginia.
Historical Notes
Derived from Virginia Register Volume 24, Issue 18, eff. June 12, 2008; amended, Virginia Register Volume 32, Issue 24, eff. August 25, 2016.