Final answer:
Decommissioning a plant involves extensive cleanup to remove radioactive contamination and ensure the site can be repurposed, following strict regulatory guidelines.
Step-by-step explanation:
When decommissioning a plant, such as a nuclear power plant, there are certain processes that must be followed to ensure safety and environmental protection. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has stringent guidelines that include the cleanup of radioactively contaminated systems and structures, as well as the removal of radioactive fuel. Decommissioning efforts ensure that the ground is left in a non-toxic state, mitigating groundwater impact, and making the site suitable for alternative uses. This process also deals with the broader issues of hazardous waste facility siting, the socio-economic impact on communities, and the challenges involved in finding permanent solutions for nuclear waste storage, especially high-level waste like used reactor fuel that remains radiotoxic for millennia.