A U.S. Energy Department official last week defended plans for an on-site waste disposal cell at the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant Site in Ohio
The disposal cell, intended to hold 2 million cubic yards of waste resulting from decontamination and decommissioning of buildings at Portsmouth, benefits the environment, reduces the amount of land in need of “perpetual care,” and speeds the return of most of the property to the community for reuse, Joel Bradburne, deputy manager for DOE’s Portsmouth/Paducah Project Office, said during a panel discussion at the Waste Management Symposia in Phoenix, Ariz.
Bradburne said he respects the local opposition to the disposal cell, which has focused on concerns about potential groundwater contamination. “Very few people volunteer to have a disposal cell in their backyard,” he acknowledged, but added “we believe we have come up with a great solution.”
The Energy Department and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency approved a record of decision (ROD) for the $900 million project in 2015. But leaders and residents in a number of local communities have recorded their objection to the plan, including by passing resolutions raising questions about the ROD and Portsmouth’s suitability for on-site disposal. In particular, local governments have raised questions about fractures in bedrock under the disposal site they say could enable seepage of contaminated material into the groundwater.
The DOE plan includes excavating and consolidating existing landfills and contamination plumes at Portsmouth. The end result is only “400 acres will have perpetual care,” rather than the entire 1,200-acre site, Bradburne said.
The department hopes to release one tract of land to the Southern Ohio Diversification Initiative this year, Bradburne said.
Bradburne said a significant amount of site preparation and earth moving has already occurred on the disposal cell. The first waste emplacement could take place as early as fiscal 2021, he added.
