Kirtland Air Force Base

“Decommissioning Radiation Training Sites”

How can the U.S. Air Force minimize the generation of radioactive waste while decommissioning four inactive radiation training sites?

MWH accomplished that goal at Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico. The $11.7 million project includes diverse services, ranging from project management and construction oversight to final status radiological surveys of the sites.

About 50 Percent Impacted

From 1961-1990, four sites at Kirtland Air Force Base were used to train radiological response personnel to detect contaminants generated during nuclear weapons accidents. During this time, known quantities of thorium oxide sludge were added to site soils to simulate dispersed plutonium.

About 50 percent of the 43-acre site was impacted with radionuclide concentrations above the decommissioning criteria for unrestricted release of the sites. The primary contaminant was Thorium-232 and its decay progeny, with source material activities ranging from 24 to 39 nanocuries/gram. Uranium-238 and its decay progeny were also present at the sites to a lesser degree.

GPS-based Radiation Surveys Guided Excavation

MWH is provided a variety of services for the U.S. Air Force, including:

• Project management
• Contract administration and procurement
• Site characterization surveys
• Construction management
• Waste excavation, packaging, transportation and disposal
• Health physics
• Radiological analysis of waste using an on-site laboratory
• Final status radiological surveys to support NRC license termination and unrestricted site release

To establish site-specific clean-up levels, MWH developed Derived Concentration Guideline Levels (DCGLs) for unrestricted release of the site using Argonne National Laboratories RESidual RADiation (RESRAD) model. Compliance with these clean-up levels supports NRC license termination and allows for future residential use of the site.