N. C. Regulations for Protection Against Radiation

15A NCAC 11 .1231          ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING

(a)  A preoperational monitoring program shall be conducted to provide basic environmental data on the disposal site characteristics and to determine the pre‑existing background radiation levels.  At the time a license application is submitted, a preoperational monitoring program shall have been conducted to provide basic environmental data on the disposal site characteristics.  The data shall include information about the ecology, meteorology, climate, hydrology, geology, geochemistry, and seismology of the disposal site.  For those characteristics that are subject to seasonal variation, data must cover at least a 12 month period.

(b)  During the land disposal facility site construction and operation, the licensee shall maintain a monitoring program where:

(1)           Measurements and observations shall be made and recorded to provide data to evaluate the potential health and environmental impacts during both the construction and the operation of the facility, and to enable the evaluation of long‑term effects and the need for mitigative measures; and

(2)           The monitoring program shall be capable of providing early warning of releases of radionuclides before they reach the disposal site boundary.

(c)  After the disposal site is closed, the licensee responsible for postoperational surveillance of the disposal site shall maintain a monitoring program where:

(1)           The monitoring program is based on the operating history and the closure and stabilization of the disposal site; and

(2)           The monitoring program shall be capable of providing early warning of releases of radionuclides before they reach the disposal site boundary, and shall include sufficient numbers, types and locations of wells to permit detection of groundwater radioactive contamination.

History Note:        Authority G.S. 104E‑7; 104E‑10(b); 104E‑25; 104E‑26;

Eff. December 1, 1987.

NC Radiation Protection, 1645 Mail Service Center,
Raleigh, NC  27699-1645  919-571-4141  Fax  919-571-4148