Independent Monitoring of Radioactivity in Effluent Samples

In support of its regulatory role under the Environmental Permitting Regulations 2016 (EPR 16), the Environment Agency carries out a programme of independent analysis of radioactive effluents from industrial premises (mainly nuclear licensed sites) in England and Wales. The programme is mainly focused on liquid effluent discharges, although there is a smaller amount of work associated with gaseous effluent discharges. This programme is managed by the Environment Agency's Reactor Assessment and Radiological Monitoring Team and the results are used in comparison with Operator data to ensure analytical standards are maintained.

The overall objective of the Independent Effluent Monitoring Programme is as follows:

To provide assurance, so far as is reasonably practicable, that the major discharges of liquid radioactive effluent to inland and coastal waters and sewers, which are declared by operators, are a true measure of the actual discharges within the 95% confidence limits of the sampling and analytical error.

Nuclear sites which are authorised by the Environment Agency under the Environmental Permitting Regulations 2016 (EPR 16) to discharge radioactive effluents (liquids and gaseous) are subject to requirements to carry out their own programme of self-monitoring as stipulated by the Environment Agency under the terms of their permit In order to provide assurances that operator self-monitoring arrangements are satisfactory, the Environment Agency carries out (via Contractors) a certain amount of independent check monitoring.

The Independent Effluent Monitoring Programme includes a schedule of effluent samples and analyses/determinands for each nuclear site. These schedules match with (or are a sub-set of) the sampling/analytical schedules carried out by the operator as part of their self-monitoring programmes.