The Department of Energy and South Carolina are investigating a July 4 spill of contaminated water around H Canyon at the Savannah River Site, officials confirmed this week.
There was a spill of low-level radiologically-contaminated water from a temporary above-ground tank system used to take liquid from the pumping of a sump, which happens periodically at the H Canyon complex, said a spokesperson Monday for Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS), DOE’s prime contractor at the site.
“The spill was less than 100 gallons and actions were taken immediately to control and contain the spill,” the SRNS spokesperson said in an email. The spokesperson said there was no worker contamination or environmental releases that could affect the public.
An investigation is underway as to the cause of the spill and any potential corrective actions needed in the future, the spokesperson said.
On July 4 shortly after 8:30 p.m. ET, “an H Canyon operator noticed a possible leak from one of two tuff tanks that held contaminated water from the Sand Filter on the East Side of H Canyon,” according to a July 5 email from SRNS environmental compliance manager Jason Shirley to the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC).
The email, viewed by Weapons Complex Morning Briefing, goes on to say about 5 gallons of contaminated water reached the H-06 Industrial Stormwater Outfall, located about 1,800 feet from the nearest stream. That’s roughly a third of a mile.
As a precautionary measure, additional water samples will be taken below McQueen’s Branch at F Road, to see if the contaminated water traveled that far, according to the SRNS email.
The South Carolina DHEC is investigating the spill, but has not received any additional information from the Savannah River Site or DOE related to this event since the July 5 notification, a spokesperson for the state agency said in a Tuesday email.
