Provision of a skill base and retention of knowledge

Successful execution of stewardship requires a range of special skills and knowledge frequently akin to that required for the original operations at the site in question. However, closing down the original operations typically leads to key qualified staff seeking employment elsewhere. Assigned stewards have to develop strategies to retain qualified staff or a roster of qualified consultants and contractors.

The maturing market for environmental services from the mid-1990s onwards raises concerns over the availability of a suitable workforce to implement remediation and the early stages of stewardship programmes [39]. If the nuclear industry itself has ceased to evolve or even exist in the future, there will also be the possibility that the qualified workforce will become depleted. It

TABLE 1. CRITERIA FOR THE TRANSITION FROM CLOSURE TO LONG TERM STEWARDSHIP [35] Regulatory based transition criteria

Results of the periodic review indicate that the results of the remediation actions meet the plans. For sites where residues remain a post-closure plan has been approved, a survey plan recorded and the competent authorities notified of the volumes and types of residues present. Performance assessment has been made and analysis requirements have been met. Title, deeds, property transfer documentation and any deed restrictions or covenants have been put into place prior to the transition. The long term stewardship plan has been approved by the competent authorities. Infrastructure transition needsAll required physical and administrative institutional controls are in good condition. All accesses and utilities required for the site have been maintained. Monitoring wells, monitoring equipment and ancillary equipment are in good condition. Monitoring data and maintenance records have been reviewed to determine the condition of the wells, and procedures are in place for maintaining and monitoring the performance of the equipment. Any leachate collection system, related monitoring equipment and ancillary equipment are in good condition. Groundwater remediation equipment is operational, maintained and monitored. Engineered caps or covers are in good condition. Monitoring data or the results of periodic reviews indicate that the cap is performing in accordance with closure requirements. Physical site boundaries have been located and are consistent with the legal description recorded with the appropriate authorities and any deed restrictions.

ord keepingThe project file contains management plans, i.e. sampling, quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) and monitoring plans, and final decontamination and decommissioning reports. Monitoring data and maintenance records have been reviewed to determine the condition of the wells, and procedures are in place for conducting maintenance and monitoring performance of the equipment. Data necessary for long term stewardship have been identified and documented, and the data types have been defined. Institutional control requirements have, if required, been incorporated into the land use plan. Site documentation and project files contain the residual contaminant source term, contaminant concentration and location, and potential risks to human health and the environment. Site documentation and project files contain current as-built drawings of surface and subsurface site features, residue locations, engineered features, monitoring wells, access and physical institutional controls. Required land use restrictions have been properly recorded with the competent authorities. Historical and archaeological resources at or near the site have been located and documented. Ecological concerns that may require modification of long term stewardship activities have been documented. Safety analysis reports, emergency preparedness documents and management plans are all in existence. cope, schedule d budgetThere is a transition schedule that includes adequate review periods for documentation, site inspections and development of additional documentation. The basis for the transition is included in the description of the proposed site. The resources and personnel that are critical to accomplishing the tasks that are required in the transition phase have been identified. There is a listing of baseline changes that have been approved or of any new contracts or modifications necessary before the transition can take place.

ABLE 1. CRITERIA FOR THE TRANSITION FROM CLOSURE TO LONG TERM STEWARDSHIP [35] (cont.)

Scope, schedule and budget (cont.)

The expectation that the site will continue to perform as designed over the design life period is inherent in the long term stewardship process. The proposed site scope has to be consistent with regulatory requirements. Special conditionsAny special historical or cultural/archaeological resources are identified and documented as well as reviews required of the condition of historical or cultural resources under stewardship. Any special ecological concerns such as the management of threatened or endangered species are included in the scope and cost estimates. Special management conditions for sites exposed to natural hazards, such as flooding or earthquakes, are documented and incorporated into the management plans. Storm water requirements are incorporated into the long term stewardship plans.

TABLE 1. CRITERIA FOR THE TRANSITION FROM CLOSURE TO LONG TERM STEWARDSHIP [35] (cont.)

is important, therefore, that a small skill base be somehow retained for both the short and longer terms. As the land use will undoubtedly have changed, the skill base itself will need to change in an appropriate manner in order to manage the new facets of the site.

The shorter term aspects are again easier to cover. Reorientation programmes, such as that of the International Science & Technology Center (ISTC) [40] that aims to redirect Russian weapons scientists to civilian projects including environmental ones, may be useful. Similar activities are taking place in support of the redirection of the major US national laboratories [41]. In USDOE complexes a range of strategic measures and incentives for employees are used [42]:

(a) Establishing a database for all the activities covered by the US Office of Environmental Management for critical questions and initiating mechanisms to foster temporary assignments;

(b) Offering incentives to employees eligible for retirement to delay their departure so as to work at closure sites;

(c) Removing salary offsets for retirees and offering other incentives to re-employ retirees at closure sites.