Page 339 - Beyond Decommissioning

Case studies of nuclear redevelopment 315

– It reviews three comparable NPP case studies: Rancho Seco, Trojan, and Maine Yankee.
– It assesses the factors relevant to the decision making: existing conditions; legal constraints;
slopes, access, and circulation; flora and fauna; ecological analysis; and ecological
implications.
– It explores redevelopment options: solar array suitability; wind turbine suitability; residen-
tial suitability; recreational suitability; seasonal recreation; conservation suitability; wise
stewardship; and revenue prospects.

7.6 Nuclear Lake, NY, United States

A serious issue attached to a post-decommissioning site reuse is to demonstrate that
the site can be safely reused, especially if the site has not been remediated in accor-
dance with current clearance criteria. Very few investors are likely to accept a hardly
quantifiable liability for remaining remediation. The case of Nuclear Lake, NY,
United States, proves the point in question. Next to the lake, there was a research plant
licensed to experiment with high-grade uranium and plutonium; the center was man-
aged by United Nuclear from 1958 to 1973.
In 1972, the surrounding areas were contaminated when a chemical explosion
scattered plutonium dust. The plant was closed, the plutonium was cleaned up, truck-
loads of contaminated soil were carried away. The buildings were decontaminated but
not demolished. Eventually, the site was cleared for unrestricted use in 1975. Lake
Nuclear has been a source of debate since the National Park Service bought the site
and surrounding areas for public recreation purposes in 1979.
Members of a local party explored the deserted buildings in 1979, when the
National Park Service established the Nuclear Lake Management Committee to plan
the recreation area. The party found documentary evidence of waste disposal and han-
dling of radioactive materials. The Management Committee investigated the docu-
ments and concluded that RAW might have been discharged into the lake and
sewers. The Management Committee recommended accurate surveys before any deci-
sions were taken about the park.
A site-release committee established by the Park Service in 1980 issued recom-
mendations about characterization and safety of the site. Contractors were recruited
to characterize the lake and surroundings in 1984. A bit later, the NRC ordered
removal of radioactive “hot spots” identified by volunteers in and around a former
building. By the end of this second decommissioning project, all the buildings were
removed and the site was remediated to unrestricted use. Tests of soil and vegetation
showed that radiation was no higher than background. The area is now a part of the
Appalachian Trail system.
One lesson learned from this case is that it is important to ensure that the criteria
and methodologies for site release are fully understood by all parties. Another lesson is
that release criteria may change in the future: to prevent misunderstandings, the results
of final surveys should be documented and the records kept accessible to future users.
At Nuclear Lake, the records of the first decommissioning project were not found, and
much time had to be spent to characterize the plutonium contamination. The original