Environmental rehabilitation

An environmental site characterization comprises the set of investigations which form the basis for a solid knowledge of the site. This is turn constitutes the necessary foundation for the decision-making process leading to a feasible and sustainable environmental rehabilitation of the site. The results of such work must include a characterization of the site subsurface, and an assessment of the presence and dynamics of any contamination in order to define the best approach for impact containment and site remediation. 

Environmental rehabilitation of sites (including the sites of former military units) polluted as a result of military activity... 

This was the fourth ARW in this series of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)-sponsored workshops in Moscow over the last 10 years. Like the three previous workshops, the fourth NATO-Russia ARW was focused on a very important global challenge of the present -complex decommissioning of taken-out-of-service naval and civil nuclear vessels and environmental rehabilitation of contaminated facilities, and terrestrial and aquatic systems concerned by everyday running of different type of nuclear vessels. 

Under actual conditions, efficient spending of money and, especially, they investment into the most topical decommissioning and environmental rehabilitation areas are the issues of paramount importance. In this context the problem of justification of priorities, when addressing the complex decommissioning-related challenges, becomes especially acute. 

Under the SMP the issues of complex decommissioning and environmental rehabilitation of not only Russian naval objects but also of those of the Russian Civil Fleet were considered for the first time. 

Detailed data on number, location, radiation potential and technical condition of all objects of complex decommissioning and environmental rehabilitation are presented and analyzed. 

It should be emphasized that the ultimate goals of complex decommissioning and environmental rehabilitation of radiation-hazardous objects have been formulated on basis of a detailed technical and economic analysis of possible ways to solve the existing problems, which was carried out at the earlier work stages by Russian institutes pertaining to various agencies. 

The fourth part of SMP Report addresses all main sources of real and potential hazard when conducting complex decommissioning and environmental rehabilitation activities. All complex decommissioning and environmental rehabilitation objects considered in the SMP Report have been distributed over three categories in terms of their radioecological and any other hazard (risk) for personnel, population and environment, i.e. over the following risk categories ... 

The performed analysis of main sources of hazard has shown that all decommissioning and environmental rehabilitation objects are related - to certain extent - to all considered risk categories. 

At that stage of SMP development the identification of problem areas was done through -expert evaluations by leading experts of Minatom, Russian Academy of Sciences and other agencies and enterprises involved and -analysis of work progress imder main areas and tasks which solution is required to implement the program of complex decommissioning of NS, NPSS, MV and environmental rehabilitation of radiation hazardous coastal facilities. 

Work area - Environmental rehabilitation of radiation-hazardous facilities in Andreeva... 

Work lines (type of activities) were selected as the upper classification level. The following (below) classification level comprises the objects of complex decommissioning and environmental rehabilitation, such as NS, NPSS, MV, CMB and RC units. 

The first procedural priority-justification stage was the ranking of decommissioning and environmental rehabilitation object i.e. identification of objects to be covered first by a set of required works. While ranking, a comparative analysis was done in four independent areas three of which were related to assessment of... 

Attributing the outmost importance to the safety factor was justified as regards nuclear and radiation hazardous objects all objects of the decommissioning and environmental rehabilitation pertained to that category. The safety criterion was also highlighted as the main factor for justification of priorities in the EBRD Terms of Reference for the SMP development. 

Based on systematization of information on the decommissioning and environmental rehabilitation objects, a list of the most significant accidents was drawn up for each type of objects. Accidents with insignificant consequences (for example, spillage of LRW) and low probability events were not considered at all. 

Final results of ranking of the decommissioning and environmental rehabilitation objects are also presented in Fig. 8. In doing so, it was taken into account that SRSs of Alpha-class, NS are/will be stored at CMB in Gremikha. 

Thus ranking of decommissioning and environmental rehabilitation objects represents an important methodological stage, which fits in the further priority-setting process of tasks and specific measures rather than a stand-alone meaningful item. 

In accordance with the adopted list of decommissioning (environmental rehabilitation) objects, a list of tasks which fulfillment assures achievement of the end goal was determined for each object. 

To accelerate solution of the challenges related to defueling and dismantlement of NSs withdrawn from military service and environmental rehabilitation of radiation-hazardous facilities of RF Navy, the RF Government (Decree 518 of 28.05.98) transferred the functions of state customer-coordinator of NS complex decommissioning activities from RF Ministry of Defense (MoD) to RF Ministry for Atomic Energy (Minatom, presently Rosatom). 

Decree 158 of RF Government of 28.05.1998 On Measures on Speeding up Complex Decommissioning of Nuclear Submarines and Nuclear-Powered Surface Vessels Withdrawn from Military Service and Environmental Rehabilitation of Naval Radiation-Hazardous Facilities ... 

Concepts of environmental rehabilitation of CMBs in the Russian Northwest and the Pacific regions agreed with all interested federal bodies and approved by RF Rosatom s Leader ... 

However with due regard for real budget funding of the entire program of complex decommissioning of NSs, MVs and environmental rehabilitation of former naval CMBs, optimal NS decommissioning paces determined by nuclear, radiation and environmental safety, are estimated today at 13-15 NSs per year at the most. 

Data on SNF and RW amounts accumulated at the objects of complex decommissioning and environmental rehabilitation, as of the mid-1998, are summarized in Table 1. Obviously, such a situation required urgent measmes aimed at improving the whole RW management process. 

When developing environmental rehabilitation plans for the former CMBs to be implemented by SevRAO and DalRAO , the following circumstances were taken into consideration ... 

By 2004 a variety of works on environmental rehabilitation of radiation-hazardous facilities at SevRAO and DalRAO was performed. Taking into consideration real condition of buildings and constructions at the former CMBs, first of all, works on restoration of communications and establishment of appropriate inffastructme to ensme safe working conditions for personnel were conducted. 

To date deployment of large-scale works on environmental rehabilitation of CMBs is hindered by generation during such activities of considerable extra-amounts of LRW and SRW. 

Establishment of such centers would allow not only accelerating environmental rehabilitation of the former CMBs but also receiving RW accumulated at the sites of SYs concerned with NS decommissioning and supporting ultimate decommissioning of nuclear Maintenance Vessels (MVs). 

Implementation of a variety of program activities on complex decommissioning of NSs, NPSSs and MVs and environmental rehabilitation of radiation-hazardous facilities has ensured ... 

Some problems still remain imresolved hindering implementation of the program of NS complex decommissioning and environmental rehabilitation of... 

Fundamental decisions on Gremikha TSF rehabilitation with consideration for its geographical location, amoimt of accumulated SNF and RW, their storage conditions, structure and technical status of supporting infrastructure are determined by The Concept of Environmental Rehabilitation of Coastal Maintenance Bases in the Northwest Russia [ ] ... 

Figure 6. Functional diagr and top-priority works on SNF RW management necessary to initiate environmental rehabilitation of SRW TSF in... 

Decision ofInter-agency Meeting on Environmental Rehabilitation of Coastal Radiation-hazardous Facilities in the Northwest Russia (2003), Minatom, Moscow (in Russian). 

Established by a special decree of the RF Government, DalRAO is Rosatom s representative in the Far East Russia and the main executor of works related to -management of SNF, Solid Radioactive Waste (SRW) and Eiquid Radioactive Waste (FRW) produced in the course of complex decommissioning of NSs and Nuclear-Powered Surface Ships (NPSSs) and -environmental rehabilitation of radiation-hazardous objects in the Far East Russia. 

Keywords Biodiversity conservation, environmental rehabilitation, marine ecosystem, revegetation, terrestrial ecosystem... 

---