Blog icon

Where did the waste come from?

stacked galvanised and painted drumsThe waste currently stored at the Woomera Test Range came from the clean-up of a former research site in Melbourne in the early 1990s and comprises mainly soil and building materials.

How radioactive is it?

Latest testing shows that the material in storage does not present risks to worker safety or the environment. Measurements taken in May 2018 show that radiation levels adjacent to the storage are typical natural background values for Australia.

CSIRO has worked with the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) to establish a comprehensive environmental baseline for the location, including measurements of air and the soil, to check that no contamination has occurred from waste storage.  

Further, ARPANSA has conducted independent soil monitoring activities which has verified that there has been no release 

Further information for download:

What is CSIRO doing about it?

CSIRO has been using robots which can travel under and on top of the tightly stacked storage drums to better understand the physical condition and contents. The painted or galvanised drums are just over half way through their expected useful life of around 40 years.   

The robots are able to travel between the tightly packed drums to areas which cannot be reached by people, without disturbing the drums themselves, to measure radiation dose and inspect drum condition.

Further information for download:

What are we finding?

Gamma imaging of the outermost drums conducted by ANSTO indicated very low levels of activity in those drums scanned. The majority of drums showed no dose above background levels of natural radiation.

Robotic work also indicated most drums are not showing above background levels of radiation, and where radiation was detected it is at low levels at 10 microsievert per hour or less.

Based on this work we expect most of the waste will be so low in radiation it will not require any controls, and can be disposed of in a landfill. If radiation is below exempt levels, but other contamination such as chemicals or asbestos are present, material can be disposed of in a hazardous waste facility.

CSIRO now estimates that the amount of low-level radioactive waste (LLW) is less than 200 drums (in the store of almost 10,000 drums).  There is no current indication that there is any intermediate level waste.

The robot’s visual inspection of drums indicated that they are intact, appear in good condition and are showing no visible signs of leakage.

Measures will be taken to ensure the material is safely stored to meet ARPANSA regulations until a final disposal pathway has been identified.

Your video or audio is here! ID: {E1F6B26F-6545-4840-8404-EF265DF025C5}

What next?

Like other Commonwealth organisations, CSIRO’s radioactive waste is independently regulated by ARPANSA and subject to scheduled inspections and regular site visits to ensure all future activities comply with best practice.

CSIRO developed a plan for a pilot project to verify results from robotic work and trial methods for moving, testing, separating and remediating the waste.

This pilot project was successfully and safely completed in 2023, and we are now pursuing further full-scale remediation activities in consultation with the regulator ARPANSA and the Department of Defence (as landlord of the Woomera Test Range).

What does this mean for a National Radioactive Waste Management Facility (NRWMF)?

Only after further analysis and separation of material will it be clear how much of the material currently at the Woomera Range will be considered for future disposal (LLW) at the proposed NRWMF.

The waste could not be transferred to a NRWMF until its contents are fully known and when it is prepared and packaged to comply with the strict Waste Acceptance Criteria for the Facility. The current storage arrangement at the Woomera Test Range poses no health or environmental threat.

Past ANSTO testing

When the material was taken from Fishermans Bend in the early 1990s, testing was carried out by ANSTO in 1991 and 1993. These tests found:

1991

  • 99% of drums had a surface dose rate less than 5 microsievert per hour (µSv/hr), similar to travelling on an international air flight.
  • 1% had surface dose rates of 5-17 µSv/hr, which is less or only slightly higher than the permissible level of 10 µSv/hr for radiation workers (based on a 20 millisievert per year limit). This is comparable to having a chest x-ray.

1991 ANSTO report

1993

  • Sampling of almost 3,000 drums found 98% of drums had radioactive content low enough to be classified as non-radioactive for transport purposes at that time.

1993 ANSTO report

Accessibility

Documents included on this page may not be accessible to assistive technologies. If you require further accessibility help with this content please contact us for assistance.

Where did the waste come from?

The waste currently stored at the Woomera Test Range came from the clean-up of a former research site in Melbourne in the early 1990s and comprises mainly soil and building materials.

Tests on drums of waste stored at the Woomera Test Range show less than 200 drums with low-level radioactive waste out of 10,000 drums of waste from clean-up of a former research site, comprising mainly soil and building materials. found with Robots are used to measure radiation dose and inspect drum condition c work also indicated most drums are not showing above background levels of radiation, and where radiation was detected it is at low levels at 10 microsievert per hour or less.

How radioactive is it?

Latest testing shows that the material in storage does not present risks to worker safety or the environment. Measurements taken in May 2018 show that radiation levels adjacent to the storage are typical natural background values for Australia.

CSIRO has worked with the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) to establish a comprehensive environmental baseline for the location, including measurements of air and the soil, to check that no contamination has occurred from waste storage.  

Further, ARPANSA has conducted independent soil monitoring activities which has verified that there has been no release 

Further information for download:

What is CSIRO doing about it?

CSIRO has been using robots which can travel under and on top of the tightly stacked storage drums to better understand the physical condition and contents. The painted or galvanised drums are just over half way through their expected useful life of around 40 years.   

The robots are able to travel between the tightly packed drums to areas which cannot be reached by people, without disturbing the drums themselves, to measure radiation dose and inspect drum condition.

Further information for download:

What are we finding?

Gamma imaging of the outermost drums conducted by ANSTO indicated very low levels of activity in those drums scanned. The majority of drums showed no dose above background levels of natural radiation.

Robotic work also indicated most drums are not showing above background levels of radiation, and where radiation was detected it is at low levels at 10 microsievert per hour or less.

Based on this work we expect most of the waste will be so low in radiation it will not require any controls, and can be disposed of in a landfill. If radiation is below exempt levels, but other contamination such as chemicals or asbestos are present, material can be disposed of in a hazardous waste facility.

CSIRO now estimates that the amount of low-level radioactive waste (LLW) is less than 200 drums (in the store of almost 10,000 drums).  There is no current indication that there is any intermediate level waste.

The robot’s visual inspection of drums indicated that they are intact, appear in good condition and are showing no visible signs of leakage.

Measures will be taken to ensure the material is safely stored to meet ARPANSA regulations until a final disposal pathway has been identified.

Transcript: Woomera radioactive waste remediation pilot trial

00:00:10.355 --> 00:00:14.325

Post COVID in, um, 2021, um,

00:00:14.585 --> 00:00:17.725

the Enterprise Project Management Office was tasked with,

00:00:18.105 --> 00:00:21.765

uh, providing a solution, um, to the requirements

00:00:21.865 --> 00:00:25.365

of both ARPANSA, uh, and also er.

00:00:25.905 --> 00:00:29.005

Um, so CSIRO took under consideration a

00:00:29.055 --> 00:00:30.725

three, uh, phase plan.

00:00:31.225 --> 00:00:34.845

Uh, package One was effectively developing a draft

00:00:35.075 --> 00:00:37.965

remediation strategy, um, to understand

00:00:38.065 --> 00:00:41.045

how we could actually characterize, um,

00:00:41.145 --> 00:00:45.285

and then remediate, um, the radioactive waste. Package

00:00:45.625 --> 00:00:47.125

Two, that will be the focus

00:00:47.305 --> 00:00:50.885

of the video today is the project management

00:00:50.905 --> 00:00:54.765

and execution of a waste remediation pilot trial.

00:00:55.105 --> 00:00:59.245

And package three will be a final remediation strategy

00:00:59.475 --> 00:01:01.685

that basically takes all of the learnings

00:01:01.905 --> 00:01:03.205

and the lab results

00:01:03.225 --> 00:01:07.525

and so on from the pilot trial itself to inform a final, uh,

00:01:07.635 --> 00:01:08.765

remediation strategy.

00:01:09.265 --> 00:01:11.445

And that if approved, would then lead

00:01:11.445 --> 00:01:14.245

to the full scale remediation of all of the waste.

00:01:14.705 --> 00:01:16.885

During the, uh, forties through to the sixties,

00:01:17.015 --> 00:01:18.965

there was some work happening down in, uh,

00:01:18.965 --> 00:01:20.325

Fisherman's Bend in Victoria.

00:01:20.715 --> 00:01:23.725

They were processing uranium ore and mineral sands.

00:01:24.025 --> 00:01:25.765

The parking lot, uh, around,

00:01:25.985 --> 00:01:28.005

around the building was actually contaminated.

00:01:28.505 --> 00:01:32.085

Uh, so some remediation works happened from 89 to 90

00:01:32.625 --> 00:01:34.445

and about 10,000 drums worth

00:01:34.445 --> 00:01:36.005

of soil was removed from the site.

00:01:36.145 --> 00:01:38.725

Uh, and that's eventually ended up here at Woomera.

00:01:39.025 --> 00:01:41.805

We are currently undergoing a project to take that waste

00:01:41.805 --> 00:01:43.565

to characterise it, find out what it is,

00:01:43.585 --> 00:01:45.645

and then send it through processing

00:01:45.745 --> 00:01:47.645

and look at eventual disposal safely.

00:01:48.345 --> 00:01:51.525

The goal of this project in terms of safety, is

00:01:51.525 --> 00:01:55.165

to keep the dose received by all the staff on site to as low

00:01:55.265 --> 00:01:56.645

as reasonably achievable.

00:01:56.905 --> 00:01:59.165

We haven't needed any shielding on site at all,

00:01:59.305 --> 00:02:01.085

and the dose that has been received

00:02:01.105 --> 00:02:03.525

by the staff on site is lower than

00:02:03.525 --> 00:02:05.405

what they would receive on an international flight.

00:02:06.065 --> 00:02:08.765

So the whole process starts in the hangar.

00:02:08.915 --> 00:02:11.845

There's 10,000 drums, uh, and they're stacked very high.

00:02:12.275 --> 00:02:15.405

When we pull the drums out, we primary focus is, uh,

00:02:15.545 --> 00:02:18.405

on radiation, whether a drum is radioactive or not,

00:02:18.785 --> 00:02:20.005

and we've got two tents here.

00:02:20.145 --> 00:02:24.325

So, uh, both have a, a big air extraction system associated

00:02:24.325 --> 00:02:26.485

with them, but one's called the exempt tent

00:02:26.485 --> 00:02:28.165

and one's called the radioactive tent.

00:02:28.165 --> 00:02:30.565

So the radioactive drums go to the radioactive tent,

00:02:30.985 --> 00:02:32.965

the exempt drums that don't have a,

00:02:33.005 --> 00:02:36.245

a radioactive hazard necessarily with them, but just

00:02:36.245 --> 00:02:38.045

because there's no radiation there doesn't mean

00:02:38.045 --> 00:02:39.285

that you're necessarily safe.

00:02:39.425 --> 00:02:40.645

So there might be asbestos,

00:02:40.745 --> 00:02:42.845

and we've found some drums containing

00:02:43.095 --> 00:02:44.325

small amounts of asbestos.

00:02:44.375 --> 00:02:47.445

There might be metals that, uh, not necessarily good for you

00:02:47.645 --> 00:02:51.005

to inhale or to make contact with an equal risk

00:02:51.025 --> 00:02:52.485

or even higher than the radiation.

00:02:52.935 --> 00:02:54.565

We've got full hazmat suits on.

00:02:54.695 --> 00:02:56.445

We've got, uh, not just P2 masks,

00:02:56.625 --> 00:02:58.405

but the full fitted P3 masks

00:02:58.475 --> 00:03:01.325

with a very tight filtration on what gets

00:03:01.325 --> 00:03:02.365

through to be inhaled.

00:03:02.365 --> 00:03:05.485

There's contamination checks as, uh, people exit, feet,

00:03:05.535 --> 00:03:07.045

hands, face, et cetera.

00:03:07.265 --> 00:03:10.365

But basically the, the workers in here are breathing very,

00:03:10.365 --> 00:03:11.485

very, very clean air

00:03:12.075 --> 00:03:13.075

With the screener.

00:03:13.145 --> 00:03:14.685

The boys pick it up with a forklift,

00:03:14.685 --> 00:03:16.725

they drop it in at the top, they give it a shake,

00:03:16.985 --> 00:03:18.765

it comes down, there's three outlets,

00:03:19.465 --> 00:03:21.645

and then real fine stuff comes outta one.

00:03:21.675 --> 00:03:24.525

Then medium stuff, then the larger stuff comes out as well.

00:03:24.865 --> 00:03:26.645

So it gets sorted into different bits.

00:03:26.645 --> 00:03:29.165

And so you've got fairly fine soil coming out.

00:03:29.435 --> 00:03:31.845

Then you've got, you know, small rocks, small bits

00:03:31.845 --> 00:03:36.125

of foreign material, then big boulders, big rocks, asbestos,

00:03:36.125 --> 00:03:38.765

if there's any FARs, wire, all that sort of stuff.

00:03:38.825 --> 00:03:41.885

So that sort of separates small, really small,

00:03:41.885 --> 00:03:43.125

medium and larger stuff.

00:03:44.625 --> 00:03:47.685

So we're currently standing in the non-exempt tent

00:03:47.685 --> 00:03:49.005

or the radioactive tent.

00:03:49.425 --> 00:03:52.685

So this tent is where once we have run our first

00:03:53.245 --> 00:03:56.245

investigations, if drums are over the threshold

00:03:56.245 --> 00:03:58.405

that we have set, they get sent to this tent.

00:03:58.465 --> 00:04:00.005

So this is deemed those

00:04:00.005 --> 00:04:02.205

that are radioactive within this tent.

00:04:02.205 --> 00:04:03.645

There is an internal tent,

00:04:04.105 --> 00:04:07.645

and that tent is actually equipped so that it meets the

00:04:08.165 --> 00:04:10.925

standards for an actual radio isotope for laboratory.

00:04:11.545 --> 00:04:13.525

And we're able to open those drums

00:04:13.525 --> 00:04:16.925

and take samples to ensure that we know exactly that ratio

00:04:17.065 --> 00:04:19.925

of radionuclides within the actual soil.

00:04:20.505 --> 00:04:22.245

So one of the important aspects

00:04:22.505 --> 00:04:26.245

of the successful remediation of the warmer site is

00:04:26.245 --> 00:04:27.605

of course very close.

00:04:27.945 --> 00:04:29.925

Um, stakeholder consultation

00:04:29.925 --> 00:04:33.845

and management with Defense, um, ARWA and ARPANSA.

00:04:34.305 --> 00:04:36.525

Um, and in terms of being able

00:04:36.525 --> 00:04:39.645

to actually operate on the site, um, going through, um,

00:04:39.955 --> 00:04:42.405

appropriate environmental, um,

00:04:42.665 --> 00:04:45.325

and site specific, um, surveys and, uh,

00:04:45.345 --> 00:04:49.205

and um, investigations with the Department of Defense.

00:04:49.475 --> 00:04:51.045

Because it is just the trial

00:04:51.305 --> 00:04:54.365

and we're still working on a full scale plan,

00:04:54.665 --> 00:04:56.405

the drums are gonna be temporarily stored

00:04:56.705 --> 00:04:59.565

and then long term we're going to look at disposing

00:04:59.625 --> 00:05:01.885

to a licensed body that is capable

00:05:01.985 --> 00:05:03.125

of accepting the way safely.

00:05:04.905 --> 00:05:06.605

The pilot trial was successfully

00:05:06.635 --> 00:05:08.285

completed ahead of schedule.

00:05:08.465 --> 00:05:13.085

In November, 2023, a total representative sample

00:05:13.345 --> 00:05:16.725

of 911 drums were removed and characterized.

00:05:17.905 --> 00:05:21.205

All drums were in good condition with sealed liners intact.

00:05:21.625 --> 00:05:23.485

The pallets were also in good condition.

00:05:25.255 --> 00:05:27.805

50 per cent of the drums were non-exempt,

00:05:28.285 --> 00:05:29.685

relabeled placed in safe

00:05:29.685 --> 00:05:31.285

and secure containment ready

00:05:31.305 --> 00:05:33.885

for future transport via the approved pathway.

00:05:35.905 --> 00:05:38.365

The exempt waste was transported offsite

00:05:38.465 --> 00:05:39.725

to licensed landfill.

00:05:40.795 --> 00:05:43.005

Zero radiation Safety incidents were

00:05:43.285 --> 00:05:44.365

reported throughout the project.

00:05:45.525 --> 00:05:49.205

External dosimeter readings for all project staff were well

00:05:49.205 --> 00:05:50.725

below the limit of detection.

00:05:50.995 --> 00:05:54.005

This being 10 microsieverts. The site

00:05:54.065 --> 00:05:55.605

and all equipment was screened

00:05:55.705 --> 00:05:58.365

and cleaned prior to demobilisation.

00:05:58.995 --> 00:06:01.165

Results of the pilot trial were analysed

00:06:01.345 --> 00:06:03.845

to refine the final remediation strategy,

00:06:04.075 --> 00:06:05.445

develop a cost estimate,

00:06:05.585 --> 00:06:08.085

and schedule for full scale remediation.

00:06:08.585 --> 00:06:11.925

The regulator and all stakeholders were fully engaged

00:06:11.925 --> 00:06:13.405

throughout the pilot project

00:06:13.705 --> 00:06:15.525

and will continue to be engaged

00:06:15.715 --> 00:06:18.205

through the full scale remediation project.

00:06:19.145 --> 00:06:23.245

The full scale remediation project commenced in 2024

00:06:23.545 --> 00:06:26.125

and will be completed in 2025.

The video provides an overview of the pilot trial for the remediation of the radioactive waste.

What next?

Like other Commonwealth organisations, CSIRO’s radioactive waste is independently regulated by ARPANSA and subject to scheduled inspections and regular site visits to ensure all future activities comply with best practice.

CSIRO developed a plan for a pilot project to verify results from robotic work and trial methods for moving, testing, separating and remediating the waste.

This pilot project was successfully and safely completed in 2023, and we are now pursuing further full-scale remediation activities in consultation with the regulator ARPANSA and the Department of Defence (as landlord of the Woomera Test Range).

What does this mean for a National Radioactive Waste Management Facility (NRWMF)?

Only after further analysis and separation of material will it be clear how much of the material currently at the Woomera Range will be considered for future disposal (LLW) at the proposed NRWMF.

The waste could not be transferred to a NRWMF until its contents are fully known and when it is prepared and packaged to comply with the strict Waste Acceptance Criteria for the Facility. The current storage arrangement at the Woomera Test Range poses no health or environmental threat.

Past ANSTO testing

When the material was taken from Fishermans Bend in the early 1990s, testing was carried out by ANSTO in 1991 and 1993. These tests found:

1991

  • 99% of drums had a surface dose rate less than 5 microsievert per hour (µSv/hr), similar to travelling on an international air flight.
  • 1% had surface dose rates of 5-17 µSv/hr, which is less or only slightly higher than the permissible level of 10 µSv/hr for radiation workers (based on a 20 millisievert per year limit). This is comparable to having a chest x-ray.

1991 ANSTO report PDF (204 KB)

1993

  • Sampling of almost 3,000 drums found 98% of drums had radioactive content low enough to be classified as non-radioactive for transport purposes at that time.

1993 ANSTO report PDF (1 MB)

Accessibility

Documents included on this page may not be accessible to assistive technologies. If you require further accessibility help with this content please contact us for assistance.

Related to this page