Long-term management of contaminated freshwater bodies and catchments. Decision making exercise with the MOIRA system

Abstract

In the mid-long-term after a nuclear accident, the contamination oi" drinking water sources, fish and other aquatic foodstuffs, irrigation supplies and people's exposure during recreational activities may create considerable public concern, even though dose assessment may in certain situations indicate lesser importance than for other sources, as clearly experienced in the aftermath of major accidents, like Chernobyl. For such a problem, definition of appropriate remediation strategies and wide stakeholder involvement are crucial to guarantee the acceptability of the implemented management solutions. The MOIRA system was developed during the IV Euratom Framework Research Program me (EFRP) and tested and compared with other models inside the EVANET-IIYDRA network of the V EFRJP. It was designed to allow for a reliable assessment of possible alternative management strategies, including an objective evaluation of their economic, social and ecological impacts in a rational and comprehensive manner. MOIRA considers countermeasures effectiveness and a full scope decision analysis methodology, making use of multi-attribute analysis (MAA).which can take into account the preferences and the needs of different l\ pes of stakeholders in cases of higher complexity. This work presents and discusses the main conclusions derived from a decision-making exercise regarding such problems in which MOIRA has been be used as a decision support tool. The exercise was organised in the frame of the Nuclear Safety Council (CSN) Annual Exercises and Simulations Program 2007 and within the El'RANOS Project of the 6th F.FRP.It has featured the participation of the organizations responsible for emergency management and the affected services, as well as local and regional stakeholders and several international observers.