In order to respond to an incident at Palo Verde, the Program maintains the capability to assess information coming from both the plant and the field and to use that information to project doses in the environment. Dose projection is accomplished through the use of computer modeling using the Nuclear Regulatory Agency’s Radiological Assessment System for Consequence Analysis (RASCAL).
Field data (radiation surveys and both environmental and foodstuff samples) are obtained by the Monitor Pool, a group of volunteers from state and Maricopa County agencies who take a one week training course and one day annual refreshers in order to maintain proficiency. In addition to the training, there are usually two exercises each year and additional daylong training sessions preceding each exercise.
