Savannah River Closes Another Radioactive Waste Tank

It took Savannah River Site liquid waste contractor Savannah River Remediation 3 ½ months to pour 6,300 cubic yards of grout into the facility’s Tank 16, as SRR on Tuesday completed the first tank closure in H Area more than a month ahead of schedule. Grouting on the next “older style” tank of high-level radioactive waste scheduled for operational closure, Tank 12, which would be the eighth tank closed at the site, is expected to begin in February, SRS said in a press release yesterday. “Safely treating and disposing of legacy nuclear waste and closing older style waste tanks is a top priority for DOE,” Energy Department-Savannah River Manager Jack Craig said in a statement. “I congratulate all involved in the closure of Tank 16, and we look forward to grouting Tank 12 soon.” Grouting the entire tank, including its internal components, is the final step of tank closureafter the waste inside has been removed.

 

With a diameter of 85 feet and a storage capacity of approximately 1 million gallons, Tank 16 was built between 1955 and 1956, and was the fifth tank closed at SRS since 2012, according to the release. The Federal Facility Agreement between DOE, Environmental Protection Agency, and the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control dictated Tank 16 be closed before Oct. 27. The closure follows the sealing of Tanks 5 and 6 in 2013, Tanks 18 and 19 in 2012, and Tanks 17 and 20 in 1997.