CSA N288.7-15 (R2020)

Preface:

This is the first edition of CSA N288.7 Groundwater protection programs at Class I nuclear facilities and uranium mines and mills.

The purpose of this Standard is to provide requirements and guidance which facilitate groundwater protection at Class 1 nuclear facilities and uranium mines and mills. Compliance with the Standard will allow facilities to demonstrate that they will not pose an unreasonable risk to the environment or the health and safety of humans and non-human biota from groundwater.

The CSA N-Series Standards provide an interlinked set of requirements for the management of nuclear facilities and activities. The CSA N286 Standard provides overall direction to management to develop and implement sound management practices and controls while the other CSA nuclear Standards provide specific technical requirements and guidance that support the management system. This Standard works in harmony with CSA N286 and does not duplicate the generic requirements of CSA N286; however, it may provide more specific direction for meeting those requirements.

This Standard addresses the design, implementation, and management of a groundwater protection program that incorporates best practices in Canada and internationally.

Users of this Standard are reminded that additional and site-specific requirements might be specified by federal, provincial/territorial, or municipal authorities. This Standard should not be considered a replacement for the requirements contained in any
a) applicable federal/territorial, or provincial statute, including the Nuclear Safety and Control Act; or
b) regulation, license, or permit issued pursuant to an applicable statute.

Introduction

0.1 Nuclear facilities and uranium mines and mills
Nuclear facilities and uranium mines and mills are required to demonstrate [NSCA, Section 24 (4) b.] that they have made adequate provision for the protection of human health and the environment from any releases of contaminants of potential concern (COPC). This can involve a number of interrelated assessments and programs (which in some cases are managed under a larger environmental protection program or environmental management system), which can include, but is not limited to, the following:
a) an environmental assessment (EA)
b) an environmental risk assessment (ERA)
c) an environmental monitoring program (EMP)
d) an effluent monitoring program
e) a groundwater protection program (GWPP)
f) a groundwater monitoring program (GWMP)
g) a buried and underground piping and tank program and
h) a facility decommissioning plan.

0.2 Groundwater protection programs and groundwater monitoring programs

0.2.1 General

0.2.1.1
This Standard provides
a) requirements and guidance on the elements of GWPPs; and
b) detailed guidance on developing GWMPs as an element of the broader GWPP.

0.2.1.2
A graded approach, commensurate with risk, can be defined and used when applying the requirements of this standard.
Note: See CSA N286 standards for further information on the graded approach.

0.2.2 Groundwater protection programs

0.2.2.1
GWPPs are implemented to
a) prevent or minimize releases of nuclear or hazardous substances to groundwater
b) prevent or minimize the effects of physical stressors on groundwater end uses and
c) to confirm that adequate measures are in place to stop, contain, control, and monitor any releases and physical stressors that can occur under normal operation.

0.2.2.2
GWPPs are developed on a site-specific basis.

0.2.2.3
Important elements of a GWPP are
a) identification of sources of COPCs
b) investigation of releases under normal operation and source characterization
c) site characterization
d) assessment of groundwater end-use
e) assessment of groundwater vulnerability
f) a GWMP and
g) risk management (as required).
Note: Risk management is an element of a GWPP, but is not addressed in this Standard (see Clause 1.7).

0.2.2.4
Together these elements provide the basis to develop groundwater protection goals for the facility.
Note: CSA N288.6 provides guidance on evaluating and characterizing risks to receptors resulting from exposure to contaminants released from nuclear facilities.

0.2.3 Groundwater monitoring programs

0.2.3.1
A GWMP is one of the many elements of a broader GWPP (see Clause 0.2.2). The GWMP provides the means to evaluate whether groundwater protection goals are achieved. GWMPs are designed on a site-specific basis and vary widely in terms of their overall scale, objectives, components, and complexity.
Note: The evaluation of GWMP results relative to groundwater protection goals might be undertaken as part of the environmental risk assessment (see CSA N288.6).

0.2.3.2
The objectives of the GWMP will depend on the phase of the particular project (e.g., planning, permitting, site preparation and construction, operations, decommissioning, and closure) and on the goals defined for the GWPP (Clause 4.2).

0.2.3.3
The scope of a GWMP will depend on many considerations, including, but not limited to, the following:
a) past, current, or anticipated future activities b) nuclear and hazardous substances present
c) findings of the site characterization, groundwater end use assessment, and groundwater vulnerability assessment;
d) objectives identified for the GWMP and
e) likelihood and severity of releases.

0.3 Relationship to environmental assessment (EA)
An EA is used to predict the environmental, social, and economical effects of proposed initiatives before they are carried out. Elements of a GWPP and a GWMP can be carried out as part of an EA or as a supporting study following the completion of an EA to
a) characterize the existing environment
b) make predictions in the EA
c) verify the predictions made in the EA
d) propose appropriate mitigation measures, where required
e) confirm the effectiveness of identified mitigation measures
f) confirm that groundwater management practices are effective and
g) optimize monitoring activities and reporting.
Note: An EA can contain information required for the various elements of the GWPP (see Clause 6.1.4).

0.4 Relationship to environmental risk assessment (ERA)
An ERA of a nuclear facility is a systematic process used to identify, quantify, and characterize the risk posed by contaminants and physical stressors in the environment on biological receptors (human and non-human), including the magnitude and extent of the potential effects associated with a facility.
Note: Further information on ERAs can be found in CSA N288.6.

This Standard assumes that an ERA of some form has already been completed. The ERA can be part of an EA, the environmental management system, or any other document that contains the required information. All references to an ERA in this Standard are to be understood as referring to any document that contains the required information.

An ERA can provide the basis for the scope and complexity of a GWMP. An ERA can provide input into the GWMP by identifying
a) the specific nuclear and hazardous substances of concern
b) th