No. III-08-004 

Contacts: 

Viktoria Mitlyng 630-829-9662 

Prema Chandrathil 630-829-9663 

 February 14, 2008 

 E-Mail: opa3@nrc.gov 

Web site: www.nrc.gov

 

NRC TO HOLD INFORMATIONAL MEETING ON FINAL DECOMMISSIONING

OF BATTELLE MEMORIAL INSTITUTE’S WEST JEFFERSON SITE 

 Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will hold a public meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 20, 

in London, Ohio, to discuss the completion of decommissioning activities at Battelle Memorial 

Institute West Jefferson Nuclear Sciences Site located in West Jefferson, Ohio. 

 The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. at the Madison County Engineers Office, 825 U.S. 

Highway 42 Northeast, in London. 

 The purpose of the meeting is to inform the public of the NRC’s review of Battelle’s 

decommissioning activities and the planned termination of the license. NRC staff will be 

available to respond to questions or comments from the public before the close of the meeting. 

Periodic public meetings have been previously held in the West Jefferson area to review the 

status of the decommissioning activities. 

 Battelle Columbus Laboratories is a research facility that performed nuclear energy 

research including fabrication of uranium fuel elements, nuclear reactor development, nuclear 

fuel reprocessing, and safety studies on reactor vessels and piping. 

 NRC inspectors have confirmed that the criteria for releasing the West Jefferson site have 

been met in accordance with NRC regulations and the decommissioning plan. The NRC license 

for the site is expected to be terminated for public use several weeks after the public meeting. 

 The NRC approved Battelle’s decommissioning plan in 1994. The plan outlined the 

process for safely removing the facilities from service and reducing residual radioactivity to a 

level that permits the property to be safe for public use. 

 

 Decommissioning activities at the West Jefferson facility began in 1999. They included 

removing contaminated material and research equipment from the site; demolishing 

contaminated buildings, their foundations and piping. 

NRC NEWS

U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

Office of Public Affairs Region III 

2443 Warrenville Road 

Lisle IL 60532 
 The NRC conducted 24 inspections to make sure that decommissioning activities at the 

West Jefferson site met safety regulations for the workers; that the processes for removing 

contamination and conducting tests to measure contamination levels were sound; and that the 

decommissioning activities were implemented in accordance with the decommissioning plan and 

the NRC regulations. 

 The company conducted tests to verify levels in the air, water and soil met the criteria for 

unrestricted release to the public established in the NRC regulations and the decommissioning 

plan. NRC inspectors also performed independent radiation surveys and verified the results of 

testing performed by Battelle during the decommissioning activities. 

 Battelle conducted nuclear research at two Ohio locations - the West Jefferson facility in 

West Jefferson and the King Avenue facility in Columbus, Ohio. The company continues to 

conduct nuclear research at the King Avenue facility under oversight from the Ohio Department 

of Health. 

 Additional information about decommissioning activities at the West Jefferson site can be 

found at: http://www.nrc.gov/info-finder/decommissioning/complex/battelle-columbuslaboratories.html. 

 Documents related to Battelle’s decommissioning process can be located through the 

agency=s online document library at: http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams/web-based.html. Use 

docket number 07000008 as a search term. 

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