The Commission's 1997 Annual Waste Survey, the fifth such survey conducted, had a response rate of 39.7%. The survey was sent to 252 previous generators with export authorization from the Commission or generators who had responded to previous surveys. There were 100 responses.
Of the 100 responses received, 46 indicated that they continued to generate low-level radioactive waste during the period covered by the survey. The quantity generated ranged from as little as one-half cubic foot to more than 4,200 cubic feet. Although the quantity was somewhat reduced from previous surveys, the radiation content (measured in curies) continued to increase over previous surveys.
Respondents included 40 medical facilities, 15 higher education facilities, 17 industrial facilities, and six utilities. The respondents by state included: Arkansas, 7; Kansas, 18; Louisiana, 19; Nebraska, 33; Oklahoma, 21.
Twenty-six of the respondents ship their LLRW for disposal and 28 store their LLRW on site and wait for it to decay to acceptable levels. Of those shipping for disposal, several medical facilities return their LLRW to the manufacturer or a centralized radiopharmacy.
Of the commercial disposal facilities available, the Barnwell, South Carolina, disposal facility is the most frequently used, far outdistancing those who ship to the Envirocare facility in Utah.
Those storing waste on site indicated they could continue to do so for a period ranging from one to five years. Nearly every respondent indicated they would incur increased costs in the management of their LLRW. Existing annual budget cycle costs for LLRW generators ranged from as low as $400 to as much as $2.3 million. Seven respondents indicated they are ceasing use of radioactive materials because there is no safe way to properly dispose of their waste.
Each year respondents are invited to offer any additional comments or ask questions they may have about the Commission's development of a disposal facility. These comments and all other data obtained from the survey are available for review in the Commission office.