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Recommended alternative for interim stabilization of Tank 241-C-103
The waste in tank 241-C-103 poses several health and safety risks and potential soil contamination caused by tank leaks. To minimize the risk of contaminating the soil beneath the tank, the pumpable waste liquids are planned to be removed by salt well pumping. In addition to aqueous liquids, this tank is unique because it also contains a layer of degraded PUREX solvent floating on the aqueous liquid. The following three options for removing and storing this separable phase organic solvent have been proposed and studied: transferring the organic solvent and pumpable aqueous liquids using existing salt well pumping equipment and procedures to a double-shell tank (DST) for storage; removing most of the organic solvent using a skimmer pump, then salt well pumping the remaining pumpable liquids to a different DST for storage; removing most of the organic solvent to an aboveground storage tank for eventual treatment or offsite transfer, and then salt well pumping the remaining pumpable liquids to a DST for interim storage. As a result of evaluating these three options and a no pumping option, the recommended action is to transfer both the organic solvent and pumpable aqueous liquid to a DST for storage using existing salt well pumping equipment. The evaluation considers the following criteria: public health and safety, worker safety, environmental compliance, engineering feasibility, and cost. The options compared these factors. Two key areas drove the selection of the recommended approach: the minimization of potential soil contamination from tank leaks caused the (interim stabilization by salt well pumping) options to be rated more highly than the no pumping option; and cost and implementation factors caused the transfer and storage to DST using existing tank farm salt well pumping equipment option to rate higher than the skimming options. Other factors have only a second order effect on the selection process. Evaluation results are described in this report