Roofing repairs at the Savannah River Site’s (SRS) H Canyon processing facility will begin this summer after rainwater dripped through a crack in the roof to the ground floor of the facility.
The water became contaminated as it passed through the nuclear materials processing area on its way to the first level of the canyon, Monte Volk, spokesman for the Department of Energy facility in South Carolina, said via email. He added that repairs will cost about $1 million and are covered under the SRS maintenance and repairs budget for fiscal 2019.
Workers first identified the contaminated water on Dec. 2. At that point, H Canyon managers and Department of Energy representatives were notified, and the contaminated area on the ground floor was immediately barricaded, Volk said. The water was cleaned up, and no processing facilities were impacted. The area was not closed off for a significant amount of time.
“Workers, especially our radiation and contamination control specialists, are trained and qualified to observe for leaks and to take appropriate actions if one is discovered,” according to Volk. “In addition, workers periodically participate in drills which do include unexpected leaks to evaluate and improve performance and readiness for actual events.”
No human contamination or injury occurred. It is unclear how much water leaked through, but it is estimated to be less than a tea cup full, Volk added.
Fluor-led Savannah River Nuclear Solutions runs H Canyon under its contract for management and operations of the full site. H Canyon is used to convert materials such as highly enriched uranium into diluted forms that can be repurposed as an energy source. The canyon began operations in 1955 and is experiencing degradation in various areas, with the roofing being one of the latest examples. Another example is the 2017 discovery that the canyon exhaust tunnel, a large concrete ventilation duct connecting the facility to its air ventilation system, is suffering from corrosion.
Volk said most of the roofing is still in good condition, despite the fact that H Canyon is more than 60 years old. A subcontractor hired by Savannah River Nuclear Solutions will fix the portion of the roof that caused the leak. A contract has not yet been awarded, and there is not yet a set timetable for the work.
Regardless, nuclear materials processing is expected to continue during the roof repairs, Volk said.
