RAD MATERIALS FOUND DURING UPF HAUL ROAD CONSTRUCTION
NS&D Monitor
3/07/2014
Work on a haul road for the Uranium Processing Facility was temporarily stalled last week after radioactive materials were discovered during some of the earth-moving work at the site on the west end of the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant. According to a spokesman for the National Nuclear Security Administration, the radioactive debris—ranging from tree stumps and dirt to pipes and clay tiles—were segregated from the work site and activities are continuing on the haul road. “Work is continuing,” Steven Wyatt, a spokesman in the NNSA Production Office, said.
UPF Federal Project Director John Eschenberg mentioned the discoveries late last week during a speech at the University of Tennessee. He said a “legacy piece of radioactive material” was detected during the earth-moving work. Later, however, when asked about the discovery, he indicated it was not a major issue and said it appeared the radiation detection was due to naturally occurring material in a piece of old concrete. “As it turns out, I don’t think it’s radioactive material that’s linked to the plant,” Eschenberg said in response to questions.
However, the NNSA has since released additional information that indicates the contaminated materials are indeed tied to previous operations at the Oak Ridge nuclear facility. Wyatt said the radioactive material had been identified as depleted uranium and was linked to past operations at Y-12. Among the contaminated items were clay tiles, pipes, sections of concrete, tree stumps, and dirt, he said. “This debris is considered to be legacy materials from past operations at Y-12,” he said by email.
Assessment of Contamination Ongoing
AVISCO, a subcontractor to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on the site preparations for UPF, is working with B&W Y-12 RADCON specialists to “determine the boundaries of the contamination,” Wyatt said. The NNSA spokesman said the potential for finding legacy contamination at the site was anticipated before the road project began on Y-12’s west end. “The contaminated debris has been cordoned off from the rest of the work site,” Wyatt said. The 50-foot-by-50-foot area is covered with plastic, he said.
Eschenberg only referenced a piece of concrete when describing the radioactive materials at the site. Wyatt said Eschenberg was just using the concrete as an example. The debris was discovered prior to his talk, but information on sampling came afterwards, he said. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Tennessee Department of Environment were notified of the findings, Wyatt said. Eschenberg said the reason he mentioned it during his talk was to show how the federal project can be slowed down by legacy issues, whether it’s a broken water line or the discovery of radioactive materials. “We’re prepared for the unexpected, but they cause disruptions,” he said. “All of this has had a happy ending.”
