Monitoring

Dounreay Environmental Monitoring

Dounreay’s authorisations to discharge radioactive substances to air and water, under the Radioactive Substances Act 1993 (RSA 93), requires the site operator to have an Environmental Monitoring Programme (EMProg) in place that covers environmental media outwith the nuclear licensed site .

Dounreay’s EMProg is split into two areas – the terrestrial environment and the marine environment. The RSA 93 authorisations define the materials, locations for sampling, sampling frequency, analysis type and analysis frequency for the EMProg.

Terrestrial Sampling

Terrestrial sampling focuses on materials relevant to the agricultural use around the site. The main use of land around the site is grazing for sheep and beef cattle, although root crops are also grown for fodder. The EMProg considers source media (air and rainwater), primary environmental receptors (grass), and secondary receptors (animals).

Marine Sampling

The characteristics of the marine sampling programme reflect the coastal features and marine biota present. The region is relatively rich in marine life. The coastal waters adjacent to Dounreay cannot be fished owing to an exclusion zone preventing fishing within 2 km of the liquid effluent discharge point.

The marine sampling programme includes sampling molluscs, salmon and intertidal areas as well as fish and seaweed. Molluscs and seaweed have the potential to bio-accumulate key radionuclides, whereas salmon fisheries (including net-drying areas) and beaches represent key sea-to-land pathways.

Reporting of EMProg Data

A summary of the survey and analysis results from the EMProg are provided to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA).

Changing Nature of the Dounreay Site

Protection of the environment is a key objective for the Dounreay site. It's important the impact of decommissioning is appropriately monitored, whilst ensuring that the monitoring and sampling regime is appropriate and not damaging to the environment, e.g. removal of species from their habitats unnecessarily for the purpose of analysing.

The activities on the Dounreay site have changed substantially in recent years - the site is no longer operational and is being decommissioned. As a result, the discharges, and hazards present, have changed considerably.

DSRL reviewed current environmental monitoring practices at Dounreay and the future requirements for environmental monitoring in line with decommissioning work. A proposal has been sent to SEPA to alter the current EMProg to reflect the changes that have occurred on the site, and to ensure that the impact of Dounreay is properly assessed in the future.

For reassurance and separate from the statutory requirements, DSRL undertake additional sampling and monitoring of the environment. This is known as the Supplementary Monitoring Programme.

The results from environmental monitoring at Dounreay and other locations in Scotland are published annually by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency in its "Radioactivity in Food and the Environment" series of reports. These reports confirm that the levels of radioactivity found in the vicinity of Dounreay are within the limits laid down in law. 

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