GROUTING STARTS AT TWO SAVANNAH RIVER TANKS

Savannah River Site liquid waste contractor Savannah River Remediation Friday began grouting two more high level waste tanks at the site, following the successful closure of two other Savannah River tanks last year. SRR started filling tanks 5 and 6 with a cement-like grout last week, and aims to completely fill and operationally close the tanks in about four months. With about a 750,000 gallon capacity, these tanks are smaller than the 1.3 million gallon Tanks 18 and 19 that SRR closed last year. But officals say the process of emptying the latest tanks was complex due to the large amount of cooling piping in each tank. “The work has been long, but we are celebrating the continuation of collaborative efforts that have made this possible,” Department of Energy Savannah River Manager Dave Moody said in a statement. “Closing four tanks in the span of a year is quite an accomplishment and demonstrates how we continue to deliver at SRS.”

The latest two tanks are scheduled to be operationally closed about two years ahead of regulatory commitments to South Carolina. However, funding issues and delays in the startup of the site’s Salt Waste Processing Facility are set to push out closure dates of many of the 24 old-style tanks at the site until well beyond regulatory commitments. While state milestones call for the closure of all tanks by 2022, the site’s liquid waste plan released this summer pushes the date for closure out to 2028. That date would slip even further if it factors in the cuts in DOE’s FY2014 budget request, which slashed funding for Savannah River tank waste cleanup to $644.5 million, $183 million below the current funding level.