Applying ALARA to cleanup criteria for a mixed waste site

The process of reducing exposures to levels as low as reasonably achievable (ALARA) is applied by the US Department of Energy (DOE) to the management of radioactive materials. A site-specific application of the ALARA process was incorporated into the development of cleanup criteria for both surface water and soil at a DOE environmental restoration site. Factoring ALARA considerations into the development of cleanup criteria demonstrated DOE`s commitment to maintaining both protectiveness and reason, and it also provided a working range for verifying residual levels after the cleanup actions have been completed.