Savannah River Site - RCRA Federal Facilities

The RCRA Federal Facilities Section in the Division of Waste Management provides oversight to SRS to ensure compliance with requirements for management of Hazardous and Mixed Waste (hazardous and low-level mixed waste) and cleanup of past waste management activities. This includes meeting requirements under the South Carolina Hazardous Waste Management Regulations and the Federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), as amended by the Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments. 

The RCRA Permit outlines the postclosure care and operation of hazardous and mixed waste management facilities and identification of corrective action for solid waste management units (SWMUs) and Areas of Concern (AOCs). 

Postclosure Care Facilities 

The RCRA Permit identifies closed hazardous waste management units that either have or may impact surrounding soil or groundwater. The Postclosure Care modules present permit conditions which address the requirements for postclosure care.  The Groundwater Requirements modules define requirements for monitoring and corrective action program for the postclosure units. There are 5 postclosure units undergoing monitoring and corrective action to address groundwater contamination: 

  1. The M-Area and Met Lab Facilities consists of 2 Postclosure units: 
    1. The M-Area Hazardous Waste Management Facility (HWMF) consists of an unlined settling basin (surface impoundment), overflow ditch, seep area, and a Carolina Bay (Lost Lake). The M-Area HWMF was closed in accordance with the approved closure plan by April 26, 1991. 
    2. The Metallurgical Laboratory HWMF consists of a closed, unlined settling basin (surface impoundment), the process sewer line leading to the basin, a drainage outfall to an adjacent Carolina Bay, and the Carolina Bay itself.  The settling basin was closed in accordance with the approved closure plan in 1992. The Carolina Bay was also closed and required no further action. 
  2. The F-Area HWMF consists of three closed surface impoundments (seepage basins).  The F-Area Seepage Basins were closed in accordance with an approved closure plan by February of 1991. The F-Area Inactive Process Sewer Line (FIPSL) will be closed concurrent with the closure of the F-Area in order to avoid impacting the safe operation of the F-Area Basin. 
  3. The H-Area HWMF consists of three closed surface impoundments (seepage basins) and the H-Area inactive process sewer line (HIPSL).  The H-Area Seepage Basins were closed in accordance with an approved closure plan by July of 1991. The H-Area Inactive Process Sewer Line (HIPSL) was closed in accordance with the approved closure plan in 2007. 
  4. The Mixed Waste Management Facility (MWMF) is an area of landfill units within the greater Burial Ground Complex (BGC) which consists of 58 acres of initial MWMF trenches. The 13 acres of the Solvent Rag Portions of the Low Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Facility (LLRWDF) is included as part of the MWMF postclosure.  The MWMF was closed in accordance with the approved closure plan in 1990 and verified closed in April 1991. 
  5. The Sanitary Landfill Hazardous Waste Management Facility consists of two areas that received solid wastes generated from SRS office, cafeteria, and industrial activities from 1987 to 1994.  The Sanitary Landfill was certified closed October 26, 1997. 

Container Storage 

The Container modules in the RCRA Permit identify storage facilities that may be used to store, process, and/or treat hazardous, non-hazardous, mixed, non-hazardous radioactive, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), Transuranic (TRU), mixed TRU, and radioactive TRU wastes. There are 2 permitted container storage areas: 

  1. The Mixed Waste Storage Buildings (MWSBs) are located within the Solid Waste Management Facility (SWMF) and may be used to store and/or treat hazardous, mixed, non-hazardous radioactive, PCBs, TRU, Mixed TRU, and non-hazardous wastes in containers. 
  2. The TRU Pads Facility is located within the Solid Waste Management Facility (SWMF) and used to store, process, and treat mixed, hazardous and radioactive TRU waste generated at SRS and within the DOE complex for disposal at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in Carlsbad, New Mexico or other regulated facilities. 

Tank Storage 

The Solvent Storage Tanks (SST) Facility is located near H-Area and was used to store mixed waste solvent and nonhazardous radioactive waste solvent until it was treated or disposed of. These tanks are no longer operating and are undergoing closure. 

Corrective Action  

The SWMUs and AOCs are listed in the RCRA permit once a remedy is selected and approved under the SRS Federal Facility Agreement. 

Public Notices

Public notice of draft permits may be viewed on DHEC’s Website at http://www.scdhec.gov/Apps/Environment/PublicNotices.