The Western New York Nuclear Service Center
(The West Valley Site)

Aerial Photo of the West Valley Site (1998)

The Western New York Nuclear Service Center (Center) was established in the 1960s in response to a federal call for efforts to commercialize the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel from power reactors. The Center is a 3,300-acre parcel owned by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) on behalf of the State of New York, located near the hamlet of West Valley in Cattaraugus County. The reprocessing facilities were constructed and operated by a private company, Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc. (NFS).

The major facilities at the Center are located within a central area of approximately 200 acres. They include the reprocessing plant itself, a spent fuel storage facility, liquid high-level radioactive waste underground storage tanks, a low-level liquid radioactive waste treatment plant and lagoons, and a five-acre disposal area [the "U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)-Licensed Disposal Area," or NDA] for solid waste generated by the reprocessing operations that had radioactivity levels too high for disposal at commercial low-level radioactive waste (LLRW) disposal facilities. A 15-acre commercial disposal area (the "State-Licensed Disposal Area," or SDA) regulated by New York State agencies, under delegation of authority from the NRC, accepted LLRW from operations at the Center facilities and from off-site facilities.

NFS Reprocessing Plant (1978)

The NFS reprocessing operations began in 1966 and were performed under license from the U. S. Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) and its successor, the NRC. In 1972, NFS shut the reprocessing plant down for expansion, modifications and additions. Reprocessing never resumed, however. During the six years of operation, the plant processed approximately 640 metric tons of spent nuclear fuel, about three-fourths of which was provided by the AEC (60 percent of the total was from U. S. defense reactors). Over 600,000 gallons of liquid high-level radioactive waste was produced during reprocessing and stored in underground steel tanks that had a design life of approximately 40 years.

In 1976, NFS informed New York State that it intended to leave the reprocessing business and not renew the lease when the initial term expired at the end of 1980. Federal legislation was enacted in 1980 providing for solidification of the high-level liquid radioactive waste from reprocessing, then clean-up of related areas and wastes. In February 1982, NFS transferred possession of the reprocessing facilities to the U. S. Department of Energy (DOE) for that purpose. All responsibilities under the NRC license transferred to NYSERDA; however, they were essentially suspended for the duration of the DOE project. Responsibilities for maintenance of the SDA under state regulation transferred from NFS to NYSERDA in 1983.

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THE WEST VALLEY DEMONSTRATION PROJECT

The West Valley Demonstration Project (WVDP) Act

In 1980, Congress passed the West Valley Demonstration Project Act, Pub. L. 96-368, directing the DOE to carry out a high-level radioactive waste management demonstration project at the Center. The federal Act requires the Secretary of Energy to enter into an agreement with New York State for carrying out the Project (see below), and New York State to pay 10 percent of the Project costs and the federal government to pay 90 percent. Under this arrangement, NYSERDA has provided approximately $200M toward completion of the Project, making New York the only state that has contributed to the cleanup of HLW.

Then-U.S. Senator Moynihan at West Valley (1980)

The Project has twin goals: first, to demonstrate solidification and preparation of high-level radioactive waste for disposal; and, second, to decontaminate and decommission the facilities, materials, and equipment used in the Project, in a manner that protects public health and safety. The WVDP Act directs DOE to:

• Solidify the 600,000+ gallons of liquid high-level radioactive wastes.
  
  
• Develop containers for permanent disposal of the solidified HLWs.
  
  
• Transport the solidified HLWs to a federal repository for permanent disposal.
  
  
• In accordance with NRC Regulatory Commission requirements, decontaminate and decommission:
  - the tanks and other facilities in which the HLWs were stored;
  - the facilities used in carrying out solidification; and
  - the material and hardware used in connection with the Project.
  
  
• Dispose of the LLRW and transuranic waste produced in conducting the Project.

To the extent practical, the facilities at the Center were to be decontaminated and reused to carry out the activities of the Project.

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The Cooperative Agreement between DOE and NYSERDA

As required by the Project Act, on behalf of their respective governments, DOE and NYSERDA entered into a Cooperative Agreement for carrying out the Project (effective October 1, 1980; amended September 18, 1981). Under the Cooperative Agreement, DOE has exclusive use and possession of a portion of the Center known as the Project Premises (approximately 175 acres) to carry out the Project. The Project Premises include all of the major facilities at the Center except for the shut-down commercial LLRW burial area known as the SDA. The Cooperative Agreement provides for the State's 10 percent share of Project costs to be met through a combination of a credit for the facilities used by DOE, expenditures on services provided by NYSERDA, and direct NYSERDA payments for Project activities.

The Cooperative Agreement also defines the relationships and responsibilities of DOE and NYSERDA for the WVDP and NYSERDA involvement in Project management. DOE has the lead and controlling role. NYSERDA's participation helps keep the State aware of what DOE is doing and provides a voice to represent New York's interests. DOE holds full responsibility for controlling and managing the Project and maintaining the Project Premises, including maintenance of facilities and areas with waste stored or disposed of prior to the start of the Project. DOE also provides environmental monitoring over the remaining 3,100 + acres of the Center -- known as the Retained Premises -- but generally does not have authority to use that area for waste management activities without the further consent of NYSERDA.

Over the years, DOE also has provided considerable support for NYSERDA's management responsibilities at the SDA, including security, environmental monitoring, and radiation and safety monitoring. NYSERDA pays 100 percent of the incremental costs for these support services.

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WVDP Status

A Stainless Canister Containing Radioactive Glass

DOE estimates that more than 98 percent of the liquid high-level radioactive waste been removed from the underground waste storage tanks and solidified into 275 glass-filled canisters, which are in storage in a shielded cell in the former reprocessing plant. With the bulk of the hazard removed from the HLW tanks, efforts are now focused on placing those tanks in a stable configuration awaiting a final decision regarding the decommissioning of the Project facilities.

Project activities have expanded to include: decontamination of the reprocessing building; characterization of waste remaining in the tanks, vitrification facility and the reprocessing building; construction of a remote-handled waste facility to process and package highly radioactive components removed from site facilities; shipment of low-level waste stored on site for disposal; and treatment of contaminated groundwater.

DOE also transported 125 spent nuclear fuel assemblies from the West Valley Site to the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory in 2003. The fuel assemblies were originally owned by the former site operator, NFS, and were in storage in the former reprocessing plant since the 1970s. In 1984, NFS entered into an agreement with DOE in which DOE assumed ownership of the fuel assemblies and responsibility for their removal. The fuel assemblies will be transported over commercial rail lines using two specially designed, heavily shielded shipping casks. The preparations and shipment of the spent nuclear fuel assemblies is not part of the WVDP and not subject to the Project cost sharing.

• Independent Review of the Phase 1 Decommissioning Plan for the West Valley Demonstration Project
  (2.03 MB.pdf)
• NYSERDA Comments on the Department of Energy's Phase 1 Decommissioning Plan for the West Valley Demonstration Project (9.13 MB.pdf)
• Additional NYSERDA Comments on the Department of Energy's Phase 1 Decommissioning Plan for the West Valley Demonstration Project (5.24 MB.pdf)
• Accompanying Letter to the Department of Energy (778kb.pdf)
• Accompanying Letter to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (831kb.pdf)
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Aerial Photo of the SDA (1998)

During operations, packaged waste was placed in long trenches excavated in the fine-grained, tight clay, through which water moves only very, very slowly, and covered with four to eight feet of excavated soil. Water from rain and snow melt was able to infiltrate the trenches through cracks and discontinuities in the trench covers and upper levels of the soil, however. Because of the highly impermeable nature of the soil surrounding the trenches, water accumulated in them and became contaminated from contact with the wastes. In early 1975, this accumulation, coupled with the site operator's (NFS) inability to gain regulatory approval to remove, treat, and discharge the trench water on a controlled basis to an adjacent stream, led to uncontrolled seepage of contaminated water from some of the trenches. Waste burial operations promptly ceased and the SDA has remained shut down ever since.

Between 1975 and 1981, NFS pumped water out of the trenches several times and treated it and released it to the adjacent stream. Redesigning and reworking of the covers reduced, but did not eliminate, water accumulation in the trenches. Water management problems continued to be a concern at the SDA.

In 1983, NYSERDA assumed management responsibility for the SDA from NFS. NYSERDA focused its efforts in the 1990s on minimizing water infiltration through an active maintenance program. Infiltration control measures, consisting of a geomembrane cover over the entire SDA and installation of a belowground barrier wall, have been successful in eliminating increases in trench water levels. NYSERDA continues to monitor environmental conditions at the SDA and site-specific data are being collected to allow for decisions to be made on stabilization and closure of the SDA. Long-term management of the SDA is being addressed as part of a joint environmental impact statement the DOE and NYSERDA are carrying out for Decommissioning and/or Long-Term Stewardship of the West Valley facilities.

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WEST VALLEY CITIZEN TASK FORCE (CTF)

In March 1996, NYSERDA and DOE issued a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for public comment which focused on evaluating closure options for the future management of facilities at the Center. During the development of the DEIS, NYSERDA perceived a need for broader public participation, above and beyond the public comments on the DEIS, to help in the development of a closure option for the Center. Forming a community advisory group seemed to be the best way to ensure that the issues and concerns of the community were understood. To make this a reality, NYSERDA, along with the support of DOE, initiated the formation of the West Valley Citizen Task Force.

The West Valley Citizen Task Force (2003)

The West Valley Citizen Task Force held its first meeting in late January 1997. In July 1998, NYSERDA and DOE received the Task Force's Final Recommendations Report on its policies, priorities, and guidelines for the clean up, closure, or long-term management of the Center. Since 1998, the Task Force has met regularly to discuss a variety of issues regarding facility closure and long-term management of the Center. The mission of the Task Force has expanded into other areas including future site use, long-term stewardship, and regulatory issues. The group has provided several sets of comments to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission on its policy statement on the decontamination and decommissioning criteria for West Valley. The Task Force is also active in keeping the Congressional Representatives from the Western New York Region informed about the ongoing issues at the West Valley Site.

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Decommissioning and/or Long-Term Site Management

In March 2003, NYSERDA and DOE issued a Notice of Intent to announce that the agencies will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Decommissioning and/or Long-Term Stewardship at the West Valley Demonstration Project (WVDP) and Western New York Nuclear Service Center. This EIS will revise the 1996 Draft Environmental Impact Statement. In this EIS, DOE and NYSERDA will evaluate the range of reasonable alternatives to address their decommissioning and/or long-term management responsibilities at the Center.

U.S. DOE/West Valley Demonstration Project

EIS DOCUMENTS

Independent Review of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Decommissioning and/or Long-Term Stewardship at the West valley Demonstration Project and Western New York Nuclear Service Center; prepared by the Independent Expert Review Team, September 23, 2008.  It presents the results of the review of the 2008 Preliminary Draft of the West Valley Decommissioning EIS by an independent expert review team convened by NYSERDA.

Quantitative Risk Assessment on the State-Licensed Radioactive Waste Disposal Area; prepared by B. John Garrick, John W. Stetkar, Andrew A. Dykes, Thomas E. Potter, and Stephen L. Wampler, September 25, 2008.  It provides the results of a probabilistic risk assessment for managing the State-Licensed Disposal Area in place for up to 30 more years.

Peer Review of Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Decommissioning and /or Long-Term Stewardship at the West Valley Demonstration Project and Western New York Nuclear Service Center;  prepared by John D. Bredehoeft, Robert H. Fakundiny, Shlomo P. Neuman, John W. Poston, and Chris G. Whipple.  April 25, 2006.  It presents the results of the review of the 2005 Multi-Agency Review Draft of the West Valley Decommissioning EIS by an independent peer review group convened by NYSERDA and the U.S. Department of Energy.

List of West Valley staff  (including phone numbers and e-mail links).

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