How will NASA know if the site is really clean at the end of decommissioning?
NASA must perform the aforementioned Final Status Survey ( FSS ) over the entire site. NASA submitted an FSS Plan to the NRC in December 2004 and a revised Plan in May 2006. In August 2007, the NRC indicated its preliminary approval of the FSS Plan and formally approved it in March 2008. The FSS Plan includes an individual cleanup level for each and every individual isotope that exists at the Reactor Facility, such that when they are all added together, the total value does not exceed the overall site cleanup goal for unrestricted use. The Plan also details the number of samples to be taken in different areas throughout the 27-acre Reactor Facility, based on an area’s potential or known radioactive contamination, which is essentially whether an area was considered to be non-impacted (for example, office spaces) or impacted areas (where radioactive materials were used or stored).
