Historical site assessments--they're not just for decommissioning anymore

At the conclusion of its mission, every nuclear facility eventually undergoes decommissioning. An early and essential part of decommissioning is the conduct of an extensive site characterization process. A Historical Site Assessment (HSA), a critical aspect of the site characterization process, sufficiently informs the facility owner and stakeholders of the radiological contaminants on the facility site. This allows for a safe and optimal decommissioning process. Although many nuclear facilities in the United States are permanently closed, many are entering a long-term storage condition typically known as safe storage (SAFSTOR). In these cases, only minimal characterization may be conducted initially. Full characterization may not occur for several decades. Additional delays in decommissioning will occur in operating facilities that successfully extend their operating licenses. In both of these cases, the conduct of a robust HSA can provide a valuable and cost-beneficial decommissioning step. This paper suggests that a substantial portion of the early site characterization process should be conducted prior to the conclusion of a facility's mission.