The Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) recently proposed a change to the radioactive material licensing requirements.
Stakeholders are invited to meet with the IEMA at 1 p.m. on Sept. 28 at the Bicentennial Park in Joilet
Currently, water treatment plants that produce low levels of radioactive waste are eligible for an exemption from the licensing requirements. The exemption protects the facilities from the financial burden of disposing of the waste while protecting public health and the environment.
Due to the water treatment plants' collecting higher concentrations of radioactive materials than anticipated, the IEMA sent out radioactive materials license applications on Aug. 22. The applications were sent to facilities capable of concentrating more than 200 pCi/g of radium. While the mailing went to municipalities, anyone with a plant that might produce water treatment residuals higher than the exempt amount is required to apply for a radioactive materials license. Operators should sample catch basins and sediments to test the levels of radium in the materials.
The proposed IEMA change will add a general license category for water treatment plants. This will accommodate the treatment facilities' budgetary concerns while ensuring that the residual materials are monitored and workers trained in methods of handling and disposing of low-level radioactive waste.
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