Corrective actions had been taken in four of the six areas of concern that were addressed in the 1982 report. The remaining two areas are summarized as follows: Certification of Remedial Actions. We found, in the initial inspection, that FUSRAP properties were not being certified as decontaminated in a timely manner following remedial action. This problem has not yet been resolved. The Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy acknowledged that the certification process is lengthy but maintained that progress was being made. The Assistant Secretary stated that attempts will be made to speed up the process; and Permanent Waste Disposal. The lack of permanent repositories for FUSRAP wastes continues to be a major issue. The Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy indicated to us that meetings are being held with state and congressional representatives to impress on them the need for locating disposal sites for FUSRAP wastes in their states.

The scope and cost of the Defense Waste Processing Facility have been significantly reduced by adding in-tank sludge processing to the process flowsheet. A demonstration of in-tank processing was recently completed and the achievement of the major goals described in a previous memo. This memo describes the effect of in-tank sludge processing on the radionuclides in the waste. This memo will also identify those areas that will require further work both before and during the next scheduled in-tank sludge processing batch.