357 



INTERNATIONAL MONITORING 



In addition to our work on U.S. dumpsite monitoring, we have for some years 

 encouraged and are participating in the development of an international ocean 

 dumpsite monitoring plan. An effort to develop a plan was initiated by the Interna- 

 tional Atomic Energy Agency in 1978 pursuant to its responsibilities under the 

 London Dumping Convention. In addition, the international Organization for Eco- 

 nomic Cooperation and Development (OECD) established an international consulta- 

 tion and surveillance mechanism for sea dumping of radioactive waste to provide 

 guidance to its member countries. The Nuclear Energj' Agency (NEA) of the OECD 

 administers this consultation and surveillance mechanism for the dumping by some 

 European nations of low-level nuclear waste into a site in the northeast Atlantic. 



In addition to participating in the development of the international monitoring 

 plan for the northeast Atlantic dumpsite, we have agreed to contribute to its 

 implementation. At present, we are waiting to see what gaps in technical expertise 

 may be identified so that we might recommend U.S. participants or EPA technical 

 eissistance where most needed. Participation in this monitoring activity will aissist 

 us by suppling valuable information about an actively-used site, at minimum cost, to 

 expand our data base for evaluating this sea disposal option for the United States. 



CONCLUSIONS 



EPA has a program for achieving several objectives by 1985. They are as follows: 



1. Evaluation of ocean dumping as an option for disposal of low level radioactive 

 waste. 



2. Development of regulations to control any future dumping of radioactive 

 wastes. 



3. Development of criteria for (a) selection of ocean dumpsites, (b) packaging of 

 radioactive wastes and (c) compliance monitoring. 



4. Development of a program for evaluating requests of EPA for permits to 

 conduct ocean dumping of low level radioactive waste. 



To meet these objectives, EPA plans to conduct research and monitoring similar 

 to previous EPA dumpsite surveys. Additional monitoring to further evaluate the 

 safety of past ocean dumping and to establish certain useful baseline data also 

 seems desirable, although such monitoring is presently beyond the scope of EPA's 

 resources. We are developing plans with NOAA for cooperative research and moni- 

 toring to meet our regulatory purposes and these other purposes. As part of this 

 effort we are studying options for pooling of existing resources and determining 

 what additional resources need to be requested. 



At this time Mr. Robert Dyer, Senior Staff Oceanographer and project manager of 

 our dumpsite surveys, will provide details of our most recent dumpsite survey 

 conducted in 1978. He will also and synthesize some of the findings and implications 

 from our surveys of 1974 through 1978 at the major Atlantic and Pacific radioactive 

 waste dumpsites. 



