Successful land quality management (LQM) involves the prevention of land and groundwater contamination, and the remediation (including control and monitoring) of radioactive and non-radioactive contamination on the surface of the ground, in the ground and in groundwater. LQM includes management activities that need to occur irrespective of whether or not any contamination exists.
The overall objective of LQM is to take all reasonably practicable measures to prevent contamination and to ensure existing contamination is managed to mitigate safety and environmental risks. This includes ensuring that where contamination exists, proportionate remediation is undertaken to avoid, so far as is reasonably practicable, risks to human health, safety and the environment for present and future generations.
Regulation
For nuclear sites in Great Britain licensed under the Nuclear Installations Act 1965, we enforce compliance with site licence conditions intended to ensure adequate arrangements for the storage of nuclear matter and the accumulation of radioactive waste, and to prevent the leakage and escape of radioactive material and radioactive waste (including unintended releases to land or groundwater).
In addition, we have other regulatory responsibilities in relation to LQM activities on nuclear sites including those for health and safety, radiological protection and prevention of major accidents. Our responsibilities complement those of the three environment agencies in Great Britain (Environment Agency, Scottish Environment Protection Agency and Natural Resources Wales) who regulate the disposal of radioactive waste on or from nuclear licensed sites, certain contaminated land sites, and discharges to surface waters and groundwater.
We have established specific safety assessment principles for LQM. Guidance to our inspectors on the interpretation and application of the waste management safety assessment principles is available in technical assessment guide NS-TAST-GD-083.
Joint working with the environment agencies
We work closely with the environment agencies on LQM matters at nuclear licensed sites with the aim of achieving effective, consistent and comprehensive regulation while avoiding conflicting requirements being placed on licensees. Together, we have set up a joint working group to develop and maintain oversight of LQM matters, to discuss, share and prioritise our activities, and to propose joint regulatory approaches and methods of working.
Regulatory expectations
Along with the three environment agencies we have jointly published our 'Regulatory Expectations for Successful Land Quality Management at Nuclear Licensed Sites', providing an overview of our expectations of nuclear site licensees and operators with respect to achieving the overall LQM objective. Together, we expect licensees to:
- establish strategies and plans for land quality management
- prevent new contamination of land or the water environment
- understand the land quality and contamination characteristics of the site
- manage land quality to mitigate safety and environmental risks
- work with stakeholders and other interested parties
These high-level expectations have been produced to promote relevant good practice, but do not attempt to describe the expectations of other organisations such as local authorities that may also have a statutory interest in this area. Although our expectations do not specify regulatory requirements and are not legally binding, meeting them will provide licensees with a strong foundation for successful LQM taking due account of risks to health, safety and the environment.
Disposal of radioactive waste on nuclear sites by deposit or burial
Along with the three environment agencies (Environment Agency , Scottish Environment Protection Agency and Natural Resources Wales) we have published a joint statement of common understanding which sets out the harmonised regulatory approach taken for the regulation of the disposal of radioactive waste on nuclear sites by deposit or burial, to ensure the safety of the public, workers and the environment.
The approach ensures that any proposals for such disposals will need to demonstrate that human health and the environment will be protected. The statement explains the interface between the authorisation of radioactive waste disposals by the environment agencies, and the regulation of the safety of disposal activities by ONR. The document also clarifies the terminology used in this context for “radioactive waste”, “disposal” and “storage” and sets out regulatory expectations for the timing of applications and disposal activities.