The AECOM-led contractor in charge of environmental remediation at the Energy Department’s Oak Ridge Site in Tennessee is in the early stages of dealing with soil near the old K-25 building with a higher-than-expected contamination level.
On June 13, URS-CH2M Oak Ridge (UCOR) determined soil samples from a legacy soil contamination area near the old K-12 gaseous diffusion process building showed radiation in “quantities and magnitudes” that potentially exceed the threshold levels for a hazard Category 3 nuclear facility, according to the Energy Department.
Hazard Category 3 is the Energy Department’s lowest classification of nuclear facility, said a DOE spokesperson. The threshold levels in Category 3 do not present an off-site hazard and do not require special controls to protect the public.
The contaminated soil is within the 2,200-acre East Tennessee Technology Park, which was home to a complex of facilities that enriched uranium for nuclear weapons between 1945 and 1985.
The contaminated soil was discovered as part of UCOR’s normal soil characterization at the East Tennessee Technology Park, UCOR spokeswoman Sonya Johnson said by email last week. The vendor runs tests to see if soils meet regulatory standards or require additional remediation.
Other than soil sampling, Energy Department documents say excavation of the contaminated area is prohibited pending further study to determine what extra remediation is needed. The area of contaminated soil does not pose risk to surrounding areas at the Oak Ridge Site, Johnson said.
The contractor has isolated the affected area and will determine the best approach to cleanup, Johnson said. “Since we are still gathering information, it is not possible to schedule or price this work yet.”
UCOR has a $2.7 billion contract, originally signed in 2011, which runs through July 2020. The work includes decontamination and demolition (D&D) and environmental remediation of ETTP, as well as cleanup and waste management at other Oak Ridge Reservation sites.
