FY 2005

DOE/OR-2210

Cleanup

Progress

Cleanup

Progress

Annual Report to the Oak Ridge Community Annual Report to the Oak Ridge Community

What an exciting time for Oak Ridge, and for everyone involved 

in the Oak Ridge Accelerated Cleanup Program. As we turn 

the page on Year-Three of the program— and look forward 

to Year-Four—we can begin to see the tangible results of 

many years of planning and preparation.

Take a look around. There are empty cylinder yards at East Tennessee Technology 

Park (ETTP) and vacant lots where decaying buildings once stood. There are 

grassy slopes of the protective caps in Melton Valley and empty buildings where 

tons of legacy wastes were stored. 

The removal of legacy waste (low-level and mixed low-level wastes resulting from years of uranium enrichment, 

nuclear weapons support, and nuclear research activities) marked the completion of the first major milestone 

set within the Accelerated Cleanup Plan as the fiscal year drew to a close. This long-awaited accomplishment 

underscores the fact that this program is well on its way to being accomplished, safely and successfully.

While the legacy waste milestone is cause for celebration, a lot of work is left to be done. As we move to the 

completion of the remediation work at Melton Valley during 2006, the pace of ETTP work now picks up.

At ETTP, we marked the completion of the Three-Building D&D Project decontamination. Buildings K-31 

and K-33 are now available for a decision on reindustrialization, and the less marketable K-29 building was 

transferred to the EM program for demolition and disposition. We also demolished 87 facilities, including 

several from a grouping known as the “laboratory facilities,” and began preparing for the demolition of 

buildings K-29, K-1401, and K-1420. Many more facilities will come down next year. At Building K-25, the 

centerpiece of the ETTP cleanup, we began equipment removal and continued making progress on transite 

siding removal. We shipped several hundred truckloads of contaminated scrap from the K-1065 scrap yard, 

transported hundreds of UF6 cylinders to Portsmouth, Ohio, for disposition, and began early characterization 

of the K-1020 burial ground. We worked closely with regulators and stakeholders to reach a Record of Decision 

for ETTP Zone 2—“inside the fence.” Outside the fence, we completed the remediation of Blair Quarry—a 

source of building material during site construction and later a disposal site for contaminated debris—and 

began the intensive soil sampling in Zone 1.

At Melton Valley, we completed the protective capping—what engineers call “hydrologic isolation”—of Solid 

Waste Storage Areas 3, 4, and 5. Construction of the SWSA 6 cap will be completed in 2006, as we reach 

toward our next major milestone in September 2006.

In Bear Creek Valley, expansion of the Environmental Management Waste Management Facility was 

completed last year with the addition of two new cells. And soon, waste shipments from ETTP will begin 

rolling in via the new Haul Road, a major undertaking that required building bridges over two state highways 

and a creek and the construction of 4.8 miles of new roadway. While huge in scope, the Haul Road will save 

time, and perhaps lives, by restricting heavy truck traffic from public highways. 

Meanwhile, waste shipments continue rolling in from 30 miles away in the Vestal community of South 

Knoxville, where tremendous progress is being made at the David Witherspoon Inc. 901 site. A recycler of 

scrap metal, some of which came from Oak Ridge in the early 1950s through the early 1980s, Witherspoon’s 

processing facilities have been demolished and shipped, and removal of contaminated soils has begun.

You’ll read more about these and many other accomplishments in the FY 2005 issue of Cleanup Progress. I 

hope you find it not only enjoyable but reassuring to see how your tax dollars are being spent, efficiently and 

effectively, for the betterment of our environment and our community. 

Steve McCracken

Assistant Manager for Environmental Management

Message From The Assistant Manager for 

Environmental Management
Definitions

2

CERCLA: The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980 established 

prohibitions and requirements concerning closed and abandoned hazardous waste sites, provided for liability of 

persons responsible for hazardous waste releases at these sites, and established a trust fund to provide cleanup 

when no responsible party could be identified. The law authorizes two kinds of response actions: short-term 

removals, where actions may be taken to address releases or threatened releases requiring prompt response, 

and long-term remedial actions, which permanently and significantly reduce the dangers associated with 

releases or threats of releases. Long-term actions can be conducted at sites on the Environmental Protection 

Agency’s (EPA’s) National Priorities List, a listing of the nation’s most hazardous waste sites. The Oak Ridge 

Reservation was added to that list in 1989. 

East Tennessee Technology Park: The former K-25 Gaseous Diffusion Plant.

Explanation of Significant Differences: An Explanation of Significant Differences documents necessary 

changes to an existing Record of Decision.

Federal Facility Agreement: Cleanup activities are performed in accordance with state and federal laws, and 

CERCLA requires an interagency agreement to facilitate the interaction between state and federal entities (for 

the DOE Oak Ridge Office, that would be DOE, EPA, and the Tennessee Department of Environment and 

Conservation). The Federal Facility Agreement for Oak Ridge was initiated in January 1992 to satisfy the 

interagency agreement requirement.

Record of Decision: Under the CERCLA process, a Record of Decision formally documents the selection 

of a preferred cleanup method at Superfund sites after a series of steps, including a Remedial Investigation/

Feasibility Study. After a preferred cleanup alternative is selected, it is presented to the public for comment in 

a Proposed Plan. EPA, the state, and the lead agency then select a remedy and document it in the Record of 

Decision.

Removal Actions: Some cleanup activities on the Oak Ridge Reservation are conducted as Removal Actions 

under CERCLA. These actions provide an important method for moving sites more quickly through the 

CERCLA process. When a site presents a relatively time-sensitive, non-complex problem that can and should 

be addressed, a Removal Action would be warranted.
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Introduction

ETTP

Many Buildings at ETTP Transferred or Demolished 

K-29, K-31, & K-33 Project Completed

ETTP Soil Remediation Planned 

Thousands of Tons of Scrap Metal Removed

Blair Quarry Remediation Complete

Melton Valley

Major Progress Made in Hydrologic Isolation Project 

Small Facilities D&D Continues 

Retrieval of Buried TRU Waste in Progress

Trenches 5 and 7 Remediation Under Way 

Processing of Initial MSRE Flush Salt Tank Completed

Removal of Contaminated Soils and Sediment Nearly 

 Complete

Remediation of T-1, T-2, and HFIR Tanks Completed 

 

Balance of Reservation

Various Areas Being Remediated in Bethel Valley 

UEFPC Being Remediated Under Phased Approach 

Building 9201-2 Water Treatment System Begins Operation 

Witherspoon 901 Site D&D Complete; Soil Removal Begins

D&D of Remaining Hot Storage Garden Wells Deferred

Core Hole 8 Action Will Remove TRU Waste

Waste Management

Legacy Waste Milestone Achieved

Tons of Wastes Placed in the EMWMF, Other Landfills 

EMWMF Cells 3 and 4 Constructed 

Haul Road Under Construction

Millions of Gallons of Wastewater Treated in FY 2005 

TSCA Incinerator Hazardous Waste Treatment Continues 

UF6 Cylinders Being Shipped Off-Site

Waste Processing Facility Preparing for CH-TRU Processing 

 Public Involvement

Public Involvement Plays Key Role in Environmental 

Management 

 ORSSAB Celebrates 10 Years

Acronyms and Initialisms

 

Contents

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Introduction

Environmental Management is the largest DOE program in Oak Ridge, with 

cleanup programs under way to correct the legacies remaining from 60 years of 

energy research and weapons production. The program includes an aggressive 

effort to complete the majority of environmental cleanup by 2008, including the 

East Tennessee Technology Park (ETTP) site. Significant progress has already been made in 

cleaning up large gaseous diffusion plant buildings and other facilities at this site. Reservationwide, DOE has accelerated the completion of the Oak Ridge Environmental Management 

Program while significantly reducing costs.

Because of past practices, portions of land and facilities on the Oak Ridge Reservation are 

contaminated with radioactive elements, mercury, asbestos, polychlorinated biphenyls, and 

industrial wastes. The Oak Ridge Reservation is on the Environmental Protection Agency’s 

National Priorities List and is being cleaned up under a Federal Facility Agreement with the 

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the State of Tennessee.

DOE Oak Ridge’s Accelerated Cleanup Program includes three major programs—Melton 

Valley, ETTP, and Balance of Reservation. Completion of the Melton Valley Project is targeted 

for 2006, ETTP completion is expected in 2008, and the project closure date for Balance of 

Reservation activities is 2015. One major milestone has already been successfully completed 

within the Balance of Reservation Program—the removal of low-level and mixed low-level 

legacy wastes from the Oak Ridge Reservation, which was completed at the end of FY 2005.

4
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;

East Tennessee

T he former 

K-25 Site 

began 

operations 

during World War II as 

part of the Manhattan 

Project. Its original 

mission was to produce 

enriched uranium for 

use in atomic weapons. 

The plant was permanently 

shut down in 1987 and is 

undergoing transformation 

into a private-sector industrial 

park. Restoration of the 

environment, decontamination and 

decommissioning of facilities, and 

disposition of wastes are currently the 

major activities at the site.
Technology Park

7
Many Buildings at ETTP Transferred or 

Demolished

The three-story, U-shaped K-25 Building was built during the Manhattan 

Project and contained 3,018 stages of gaseous diffusion process equipment and associated auxiliary systems. Each stage consists of a converter, two compressors, two compressor motors, and associated piping. 

The K-27 Building covers 383,000 ft2 and contains 540 stages of gaseous

diffusion equipment and associated auxiliary equipment.

An action memorandum (AM) 

for the demolition of the K-25 and

K-27 Buildings was signed in 

February 2002. The AM stipulates 

that the buildings be demolished 

to slab and the associated waste 

disposed. The first phase of the 

demolition, hazardous materials 

removal, started in December 2001 

and was completed in June 2005. 

Hazardous materials removal 

primarily included the removal 

of asbestos-containing building 

material, such as transite panels 

and insulation, from inside the K25 and K-27 Buildings. During 

the three-and-a-half-year period, 

a total of 944 waste shipments, 

comprising approximately 621,000 

ft3 of waste, were transported to the

All buildings at the East Tennessee Technology Park 

(ETTP) are scheduled for demolition as part of the 

U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) accelerated 

cleanup plan except for approximately 26 facilities. 

These facilities are targeted for potential title transfer to 

private sector organizations under a reindustrialization 

program. As of the end of FY 2005, four buildings 

had been transferred.

Building demolition is being performed through 

several projects: (1) K-25/K-27 Buildings, (2) K-25 

Auxiliary Facilities (Main Plant), (3) Group II, Phase 

II Buildings (K-1064 Peninsula), and (4) Remaining 

Facilities. Because these are interim removal actions, 

future Comprehensive Environmental Response, 

Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA) 

decisions will determine the final remedy for the 

contaminated slabs, soils, and below-grade structures. 

Schedules associated with this work are contained in 

the Federal Facility Agreement Appendix E on the 

web at www.bechteljacobs.com/pdf/ffa/appendices/

appendex.pdf.

K-25/K-27 Buildings

East Tennessee Technology Park

8

The K-25 

Building is the 

largest building 

on the Oak Ridge 

Reservation 

(ORR) and covers 

1.6 million ft2.

K-25 Building
East Tennessee Technology Park

Environmental Management Waste 

Management Facility (EMWMF), a 

CERCLA disposal facility located near 

the Y-12 National Security Complex.

Process equipment removal is under way 

with the shipment of 115 loose converters to 

the Nevada Test Site (NTS) and EMWMF for 

disposal, 75 of which were shipped in

FY 2005. Excess materials are also being removed from 

the buildings. Excess materials consist of non-process items, such 

as laboratory equipment, laboratory samples, office equipment, tools, wooden 

pallets and crates, and drums of chemicals. In FY 2005, a total of 465 waste shipments,

containing approximately 339,000 ft3 of waste, were transported to the EMWMF for disposal.

9

At the end of FY 2005, removal of fixed process equipment was awaiting completion of the Operational 

Readiness Review and transmittal of the Notice to Proceed from DOE Headquarters. Approximately 1,500 

stages in the K-25 Building have been purged of residual process gas in preparation for fixed, process equipment 

removal.

K-25 Building demolition continued in FY 2005 with the removal of approximately 117,000 ft2 of transite 

panels from the exterior of the building, demolition of 72 of the 114 filter houses, and removal of transite 

enclosures from about half of the 150 interior stairways. The building demolition waste-handling plan was 

approved in FY 2005.

A worker is cutting wire mesh 

around pipe housing, exposing a 

layer of rock wool insulation in 

the K-25 Building

Workers are moving packaged 

waste from the K-25 Building 

into a container for shipment
In FY 2000, DOE signed an AM to demolish the main 

plant facilities. This project began in August 2000 and 

was completed in December 2003. In FY 2004, the 

work was completed, and the Removal Action Report 

was prepared.

DOE signed an AM in July 2002 for the demolition 

of facilities and the removal of scrap material located 

in the K-1064 peninsula area. During FY 2004 

and 2005, 17 of the 19 facilities were demolished. 

Demolition of the remaining facility and removal 

of the scrap are planned to be completed in

FY 2006.

Group II Buildings,

Phase II Buildings

(K-1064 Peninsula)

The Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) regarding historical preservation of the K-25 Building was ratified 

on March 28, 2005. This MOA allows the east and west wings of the U-shaped K-25 Building to be demolished, 

but retains the north wing for historic preservation purposes. The MOA also allows the placement of concrete 

rubble within the vaults of the east and west wings. The vault walls of the east and west wings along the 

interior of the “U” will be preserved. Filling and grading of the vault areas will leave the upper portion of the 

wall available for use by others to portray the history of Oak Ridge (e.g., murals). The footprint of the K-25 

Building will be preserved and nominated as an historic landmark.

East Tennessee Technology Park

K-25 Auxiliary Facilities

(Main Plant)

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Demolition of K-801-H, Cooling Tower 
East Tennessee Technology Park

Remaining Facilities

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In September 2003, DOE signed an AM to demolish the approximately 500 remaining facilities. In 2005, 45 

predominantly uncontaminated facilities, 19 low-risk/low-complexity facilities, and 9 facilities in a grouping 

called “Balance of Site - Laboratories Group” were demolished, transferred, or sold; characterization and 

utility deactivation continued in preparation for demolition work in FY 2006; removal of universal waste 

was started in the K-29 Building; and waste-handling plans were approved for K-1401, K-1420, K-29, and 

Centrifuge Equipment Removal.

Demolition of K-1002 (former cafeteria)

In addition to building demolition, several overhead steam pipe lines were removed from the laboratory 

facilities area. 
East Tennessee Technology Park

K-29, K-31, and K-33 Project Completed

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• More than 75 percent of waste from the K-29, K-31, and K-33 buildings was shipped to 

either Envirocare of Utah or the Nevada Test Site.

• The original estimate of metal that would have to be dispositioned from the buildings 

was 126,000 tons, but the project dispositioned almost 160,000 tons.

• More than 463 miles of piping were removed from the buildings.

• The total project cost was $355.8 million.

Interesting Facts

In August 1997, DOE signed an AM to decontaminate and remove equipment from the K-29, K-31, and 

K-33 gaseous diffusion buildings. The contractor, BNG America, under a fixed-price contract with DOE 

awarded in August 1997, completed the work in FY 2005. K-31 and K-33 Buildings were 98 percent and 85 

percent, respectively, decontaminated to specified end-point criteria. DOE will complete the decontamination 

of the K-31 Building utilizing another contractor and making Building K-31 available for reuse. Building K-33 

decontamination will not be completed until a reuse has been identified and a decision on the final disposition 

is made prior to December 2007. Building K-29 has been determined to not be in satisfactory condition for 

reuse and will be demolished as part of the Remaining Facilities Removal Action.

A total of 159,000 tons of material 

has been dismantled, removed, and 

dispositioned as waste or recycle 

material for the entire project. 

DOE will submit the Removal 

Action Report to the regulators in

FY 2006.

Buildings K-33 (foreground) and K-31
East Tennessee Technology Park

The soil at ETTP will be remediated to protect a 

future industrial work force and to protect underlying 

groundwater. Two Records of Decision (RODs) have 

been signed that address soil, slabs, subsurface structures, 

and burial grounds.

The Zone 1 ROD was signed by DOE, the Tennessee 

Department of Environment and Conservation 

(TDEC), and the Environmental Protection Agency 

(EPA) in November 2002. Zone 1 is the 1,400-

acre area surrounding ETTP outside the fence. 

The Zone 2 ROD was signed by DOE, TDEC, 

and EPA in April 2005. Zone 2 includes the area 

within the main fence of ETTP (approximately 

800 acres). The Remedial Design Report/Removal 

Action Work Plan for Soils, Slabs, and Subsurface 

Structures was approved by EPA and TDEC in

September 2005.

Work associated with the K-901 and Duct Island 

areas was completed in FY 2005, and the Phased 

Construction Completion Report was submitted to 

the EPA and TDEC for approval.

Schedules associated with this work are contained in 

the Federal Facility Agreement Appendix E on the 

web at www.bechteljacobs.com/pdf/ffa/appendices/

appendex.pdf.

ETTP Soil Remediation Planned

Thousands of 

Tons of Scrap 

Metal Removed

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Almost 22,000 tons of contaminated scrap metal were 

disposed at EMWMF during FY 2005 under the ETTP 

Scrap Removal Project. This project is responsible for 

disposing of approximately 47,000 tons of scrap metal 

from the K-770 Scrap Yard, K-1131 Area, K-1064 Scrap 

Yard, K-1300 Area, and K-1066-G Maintenance Yard. 

Remediation of contaminated soil at these sites is planned 

for FY 2007.

K-770 Scrap Yard remediation
More than 15,000 tons of contaminated soil and debris have been removed from Blair Quarry, a former waste 

disposal site adjacent to ETTP, and site restoration is complete.

The remediation project kicked off in mid-November 2004 and was completed in early 2005 with no 

recordable injuries, first aid cases, or transportation incidents. The material was disposed of at EMWMF.

Blair Quarry was created in the early 1940s by excavating into McKinney Ridge, forming a

U-shaped amphitheater with exposed rock on three sides. The rock material was used to support

construction of the K-25 Site. It operated as a quarry until 1945 and was then used for open burning of

trash and debris through the late 1950s.

Several investigations of the type and extent of contamination at Blair Quarry were conducted before the 

remediation project began. The project served as a pilot for the strategy that was developed and approved for 

the characterization and verification of Zone 1 and Zone 2 areas at ETTP. Additional contaminants of lesser 

concern included polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and low levels of radionuclides and metals. Based on 

these investigations, only one acre of the initial 67-acre area required remediation.

East Tennessee Technology Park

Blair Quarry Remediation Complete

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Blair Quarry
East Tennessee Technology Park

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Remediation activities at Blair Quarry
Melton Valley

M ore than 50 years 

of operation, 

production, 

and research 

activities at Oak Ridge 

National Laboratory (ORNL) 

have produced a legacy 

of contaminated inactive 

facilities and waste disposal 

areas. Many of the wastes 

and facilities are located in 

Melton Valley, which occupies 

approximately 1,000 acres 

in the southern portion of 

ORNL. Wastes in Melton Valley 

reside at a variety of locations, 

including trenches, tanks, landfills, 

pipelines, surface structures, and 

impoundments.
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Major Progress Made in 

Hydrologic Isolation Project

Hydrologic isolation is utilized to decrease the rainwater infiltration 

to waste associated with the Melton Valley burial grounds, pits, and 

trenches. Construction of 11 separate caps covering 104 acres in 

Solid Waste Storage Area (SWSA) 5, SWSA 6, and Seepage Pits and 

Trenches was ongoing at the end of FY 2005 with SWSA 5 being 

71 percent complete, SWSA 6 being 82 percent complete, and the 

Pits and Trenches work being 85 percent complete. Collection and 

treatment of groundwater from Seepage Pits and Trench 7 has been 

initiated. Capping at SWSA 4 has been completed. 

SWSAs 4, 5, and 6 were the principal waste burial sites in Melton 

Valley. Shallow land burial was used routinely at ORNL for disposal 

of solid low-level waste (LLW) from 1943 to 1986, when improved 

disposal technologies were implemented. Early burial procedures 

used unlined trenches and auger holes covered by either soil from the 

trench excavation or a combination of concrete caps and soil. The concrete caps were used for disposal of 

high-activity wastes or wastes with transuranic elements. More than 850 trenches and 1,500 auger holes exist 

in the three main Melton Valley burial grounds.

Four seepage pits (Pits 1, 2, 3, and 4) and three trenches (Trenches 5, 6, and 7) were used for the disposal of 

liquid LLW from 1951 to 1966. As intended, liquid LLW seeped into the surrounding clay soil. The seepage 

pits and trenches were excavated in clayey soils to take advantage of the clay’s low permeability and high 

sorption capacity for some radionuclides in the liquid LLW.

Melton Valley

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 The hydrologic isolation actions consist of a combination of the following:

• Multilayer caps over the waste units to minimize rainfall infiltration and to lower the water 

table;

• Stormflow diversion trenches located along the uphill edge of the waste units to intercept and 

divert shallow groundwater before it flows into the waste units; and 

• Groundwater collection trenches located along the downhill side of the waste units to collect 

groundwater contaminated by leachate before the groundwater discharges to nearby streams. 

(Contaminated groundwater collected by the drains will be treated before it is released.)

The total cap area is about 130 acres. To facilitate cap installation, the project included the plugging and 

abandonment of approximately 800 unnecessary, shallow non-hydrofracture wells; the development of a 33-

acre soil borrow area; relocation of Lagoon Road; construction of haul roads; demolition of any structures 

situated within the cap boundaries; and rerouting of several power lines.

The Hydrologic 

Isolation Project 

made a great deal 

of progress in

FY 2005 on several 

remediation 

activities at waste 

burial sites and 

is expected to 

conclude its work in 

FY 2006. 
Melton Valley

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Aerial photo of SWSA 6 

(taken September 2005)

Workers are placing a liner on 

SWSA 5

Soil from the Copper Ridge borrow area 

is being processed to use as fill material 

for capping operations
Melton Valley

New Hydrofracture Facility

Small Facilities D&D Continues

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The buildings and structures being addressed by the D&D Project include:

• New Hydrofracture Facility (NHF),

• Homogeneous Reactor Experiment (HRE) ancillary facilities,

• Shielded Transfer Tanks,

• Liquid LLW pumping stations,

• Equipment Storage Yard, 

• Miscellaneous storage buildings, and

• Hydrofracture Well Plugging and Abandonment (P&A).

The NHF was the last of two facilities built during the 1970s to perform hydrofracture operations in Melton 

Valley. The NHF operated from 1982 to 1984 and was designed to facilitate the injection of wastes mixed with 

grout into a deep underground shale formation. The high-injection pressure of approximately 3,000 psi fractured 

the subsurface shale and forced a waste/grout mixture into the fractures, where it hardened into grout sheets.

The majority of the NHF was demolished in previous years. All NHF ancillary facilities, including several 

dry storage tanks, a weighing station, and transfer piping, have been removed. Only three reinforced concrete 

rooms, or cells, of the main NHF structure remain, and all process equipment and piping have been removed 

from these cells in preparation for demolition of the 

cell structures.

On May 14, 2004, a contamination incident occurred 

that necessitated an emergency removal action. A 

truck transporting materials from the NHF site to 

EMWMF leaked radioactive contamination onto 

State Route 95, causing the highway to be shut down 

while radiological surveys and repaving took place. 

An accident investigation was conducted and a public 

meeting held to discuss the incident and the corrective 

actions needed to ensure that a similar incident does 

not reoccur.

During FY 2005, corrective actions were identified, 

and work planning and site preparation activities 

required to implement these actions were performed. 

Demolition of the remaining NHF structure, disposal 

of the waste, and preparation and approval of the 

Phased Construction Completion Report (PCCR) 

are scheduled to be completed in FY 2006.

The remediation of several inactive facilities, buildings, and structures in Melton Valley is being addressed 

under the Melton Valley Decontamination and Decommissioning (D&D) Project. The D&D project involves 

demolishing surface structures to slab or below grade; decontamination; removal and/or stabilizing subsurface 

structures in place; waste characterization, transportation and disposal; and site restoration. Stabilization of 

subsurface structures will be preceded by removal or fixation of transferable contamination.

D&D activities at the New Hydrofracture Facility
Melton Valley

HRE Ancillary Facilities

Shielded Transfer Tanks

Liquid LLW Pumping Stations

Equipment Storage Yard

The shielded transfer tanks (STTs) are five shipping 

casks that were originally used during the 1950s and 

1960s to transport high specific activity radionuclide 

solutions by rail from Hanford to ORNL for further 

processing. The Remedial Design Report/Remedial 

Action Work Plan (RDR/RAWP) for remediation 

of the STTs and 7841 Equipment Storage Area was 

approved by EPA and TDEC in FY 2005. Planning 

for the characterization and disposal of the STTs 

and their residual contents was performed during 

FY 2005. The work is scheduled to be completed 

during FY 2006.

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The HRE ancillary facilities consist of eleven separate structures, external of the main HRE reactor building, 

which provided support capabilities (e.g., waste management, storage, etc.) during reactor operation. The 

ancillary facilities include a liquid waste evaporator, a charcoal absorber that cleaned up gaseous effluents 

prior to discharge to the atmosphere, a decontamination pad and storage shed, an office building, and other 

miscellaneous structures. 

D&D of three of the HRE ancillary facilities was completed during FY 2005, and planning and characterization 

for the D&D of the remaining facilities was performed. D&D of the remaining facilities and preparation and 

approval of the PCCR for all HRE ancillary facilities is scheduled to be completed in FY 2006.

The 7841 Equipment Storage Yard is a fenced 

facility with an area of less than 1 acre used to store 

a wide variety of surplus items. The inventory of 

items in the 7841 area includes shielded carriers, 

drums, high integrity containers, shields, tanks, and 

nearly 200 pieces of specialized equipment ranging 

from fuel casks and storage cabinets to tanker 

trailers and other vehicles.

The RDR/RAWP for remediation of the STTs 

and 7841 Equipment Storage Area was approved 

Two separate liquid LLW pumping stations, Buildings 7567 and 7952, were constructed during the 

1960s to support the collection and transfer of liquid LLW from the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) 

facility, Radiochemical Engineering Development Center, HRE, and the Molten Salt Reactor Experiment 

(MSRE).

D&D and waste disposal of Building 7952 was completed during FY 2005, and D&D of Building 

7567, including decontamination and stabilization of the below-grade pump vault, was completed in 

FY 2006. Preparation and approval of the PCCRs for both facilities, is scheduled to be completed in

FY 2006.

by the EPA and TDEC in FY 2005. Site 

preparation activities, including erection of a 

material processing facility and installation of 

utilities were performed along with planning 

for waste characterization and disposal. Waste 

characterization, processing, and disposal are 

planned to be completed in FY 2006, along with 

preparation and approval of the PCCR for the 

7841 facility.
Melton Valley

Miscellaneous Storage Buildings

Hydrofracture Well P&A

Retrieval of Buried TRU Waste in Progress

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Two miscellaneous facilities, Buildings 7802F and 7831A, have been used for the storage of well drilling 

cores and other sampling related materials, and as a waste repack facility, respectively.

The RDR/RAWP for remediation of Building 7802F was approved by EPA and TDEC in

FY 2005. 

The demolition and site restoration of Building 7802 was completed in early FY 2006. D&D of Building 

7831A and waste disposal, along with preparation and approval of the PCCRs for both facilities, are planned 

to be completed in FY 2006.

P&A of unneeded hydrofracture injection and monitoring wells in Melton Valley was completed in FY 

2005 along with the disposal of associated secondary waste at the EMWMF. The PCCR was drafted 

and comments received from the regulatory agencies. Issuance and approval of the final PCCR for 

hydrofracture well P&A is scheduled to be completed in FY 2006.

Transuranic (TRU) wastes that have been stored in the 22-Trench Area in SWSA 5 North are slated for removal 

by 2006. During FY 2005, site preparation was completed and waste retrieval initiated. A total of 137 concrete 

casks have been retrieved, overpacked, and staged during FY 2005. Planning for the relocation of the six waste 

packages with the highest radiological inventory to an appropriate storage facility was also completed in FY 

2005. Retrieval and overpacking of the remaining concrete casks, along with loose waste and other containers, 

is scheduled to be completed in FY 2006. 

During the 1970s, packages of TRU waste were 

retrievably stored in unlined earth trenches in the 22-

Trench Area. Radionuclides in the TRU waste containers 

represent some of the most toxic and longest-lived 

radioisotopes stored on the Oak Ridge Reservation. 

DOE signed a consent agreement with the state of 

Tennessee in September 2000 committing to retrieve 

the TRU waste from the 22-Trench Area. Surrounding 

soil exceeding remediation levels designated in the 

Melton Valley ROD, as well as debris waste associated 

with excavation, will be disposed at the EMWMF 

or at another appropriate facility. After retrieval, the 

overpacked TRU waste packages will be staged pending 

transport to the TRU Waste Processing Facility, where 

the wastes will be further characterized and repackaged 

for off-site disposal.

A total of 137 concrete casks were retrieved during FY 2005
Melton Valley

Trenches 5 and 7 Remediation Under Way

23

In situ grouting (ISG) of Seepage Trenches 5 and 7 

is expected to be completed in 2006. The grouting 

of HRE Fuel Wells, adjacent to Trench 5, is also 

targeted for completion.

In situ vitrification (ISV) had been the initial 

remedial action selected for these trenches in the 

Melton Valley ROD. However, during a 2003 field 

investigation and procurement for design and 

construction services, new information resulted 

from these activities and prompted a reassessment 

of this remediation approach. The new information 

included the presence of standing water in the 

trenches and a higher-than-expected cost for 

performing ISV. After further evaluation, DOE 

proposed in an amendment to the ROD that ISG be 

substituted as the remedial action.

ISG is a treatment process where materials, such as 

cement-based or chemical grouts, are injected into 

the subsurface (or waste unit) to reduce hydraulic 

conductivity. This remedy change proposed in the 

ROD amendment was approved in 2004.

The RDR/RAWP for the ISG of these trenches was 

approved in September 2004. The trenches are being 

treated by the permeation grouting method, utilizing 

Portland cement-based grouts injected under low 

pressure into the crushed limestone trench material. 

The soil adjacent to the trench walls will be treated 

with a solution grout (e.g., polyacrylamide) to reduce 

migration of contaminants away from the trench by 

sealing off seepage pathways.

Installation of shallow collar pipes at Trench 7 (above). 

The collar pipes in combination with a specialty grout 

around the collar will eliminate waste/contaminated grout 

from reaching the surface.
Processing of 

Initial MSRE 

Flush Salt Tank 

Completed

Melton Valley

24

The MSRE facility operated from 1965 to 1969 to 

test the molten salt concept. Unlike most current 

commercial reactors that have fuel confined to fuel 

rods, the MSRE was fueled by molten salt that flowed 

through the reactor chamber, where the nuclear chain 

reaction produced heat. The molten salt that circulated 

in the MSRE consisted of a mixture of lithium 

fluoride, beryllium fluoride, zirconium fluoride, and 

uranium fluoride. A small amount of plutonium 

fluoride was also added to the salt. When the reactor 

was shut down, the molten salt was drained into two 

fuel salt storage tanks, where it solidified. A flush salt, 

similar in composition to the fuel salt but without the 

uranium, was re-circulated through the reactor and 

drained into a third storage tank and solidified. All 

three storage tanks are located in an underground, 

concrete-shielded drain tank cell adjacent to the 

reactor cell.

Surveillance activities in 1987 indicated elevated 

radiation levels in off-gas lines connected to the three 

drain tanks. Samples of the off-gas taken in March 

1994 revealed the presence of fluorine and uranium 

fluoride gas, which was caused by interaction of 

radiation and salt. After these gases were detected, 

compensatory and removal actions were implemented 

to reduce risk and to safely manage the fuel and 

flush salts in their respective drain tanks, pending 

completion of planned remedial activities.

In 1998, DOE signed a ROD for interim action to 

remove fuel and flush salts from the MSRE.

The selected remedy includes the following:

• Separation of the uranium from the fuel and flush 

salts,

• Removal of the fuel and flush salts from the drain 

tanks,

• Disposition of the uranium material as a more 

stable form,

• Stabilization/repackaging of the residual salt, and

• Placement of the residual salt in interim storage 

until an end-point location is selected for final 

disposition.

MSRE fuel and flush salt removal operations were 

initiated in December 2004. Design, procurement, 

fabrication, and installation of fuel salt removal 

equipment were completed in FY 2002. Initial 

testing of fuel salt removal equipment and systems 

was completed in FY 2003. Operating procedures 

were developed based on results of the testing. 

Operator training to these procedures, comprehensive 

operational readiness reviews, and final systems 

integration testing were completed in FY 2004. 

Workers are removing the Probe Glove 

Box from over the Fuel Flush Tank
Melton Valley

25

Processing of the initial flush salt tank at the MSRE was initiated in December 2004 and completed in June 

2005, with recovered uranium transported to an on-site storage facility. However, a salt plug blockage in a small 

pipe prevented removal of the flush salts from the flush salt tank. Corrective actions are being implemented 

to allow flush salt removal after completion of the two fuel salt drain tanks. Fuel and flush salt removal are 

planned to be completed in CY 2006.

Workers are removing the 

Salt Melter Probe Secondary 

Containment System from over the 

Fuel Flush Tank
Removal of Contaminated Soils and 

Sediment Nearly Complete

A great deal of progress has been made in the Melton Valley Closure Soils and Sediments Project as of the 

end of FY 2005, including the following:

• Excavation of the HFIR Impoundments. These four unlined impoundments, located 

at the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) facility, received liquid process waste streams 

mostly from floor and laboratory drains, steam condensates, and pressure vessel 

cooling waters. Remediation of the surface impoundments has been completed and 

the site restored. Remediation consisted of removing standing water and excavating 

and disposing the contaminated sediment at the EMWMF.

• Remediation of the HRE Cryogenic Pond. This pond received contaminated 

condensate from the Homogeneous Reactor Experiment (HRE) waste evaporator, and 

from discarded shielding water. The pond was taken out of service, and backfilled. This 

backfilled pond later served as a demonstration for cryogenic stabilization in which 

soil around the pond was frozen to form a barrier to groundwater for several years. 

The cryogenics system was shut down in February 2004 in preparation for system 

dismantling and pond excavation. Excavation of the pond, backfill, and cryogenics 

material has been completed.

Melton Valley

26

Excavation at the HRE pond
Melton Valley

The soil contamination sites are being cleaned up to remediation levels designated in the Melton Valley ROD. 

These remediation levels are based on specific risk reduction and exposure limit goals derived from reasonably 

anticipated future land uses for Melton Valley. The designated land uses are a waste management area for the 

western two-thirds of the watershed addressed in the Melton Valley ROD and a controlled industrial area in 

the eastern third.

Sediment and soils from the HFIR surface impoundments and HRE Cryogenic Pond were disposed in 

the EMWMF. Material excavated from the Melton Valley Pumping Station, Engineering Test Facility,

Lysimeters, and Facility 7848 will also be disposed at EMWMF. Selected soils from the remaining sites­—

generally containing only minor amounts of contamination—are used as contour fill beneath one of the 

hydrologic isolation caps.

• Removal of contaminated soil. Many of the sites contaminated as a result of pipeline 

leaks or hydrofracture experiments have been excavated. As a result of verification 

walkover surveys and sampling, additional contamination areas were identified and 

excavated.

• Final Verification. The project includes a final verification activity designed to confirm 

that all of Melton Valley has been cleaned up sufficiently to meet the remediation 

levels. Walkover surveys and sampling have been conducted on more than 500 acres 

of the watershed that lie outside the footprint of the hydrologic isolation caps. Data 

collected from the Final Verification activities are being used to confirm that the postremediation conditions in Melton Valley are compatible with the anticipated future 

land uses for Melton Valley. 

27

In addition to the remediation of contaminated soils, 

the Melton Valley Soils and Sediment Project has 

begun stabilizing and isolating inactive liquid waste 

transfer pipelines throughout Melton Valley. The 

inactive waste pipeline system consists of a complex 

series of buried waste pipelines and appurtenances 

(e.g., vents, valve pits, pump vaults, etc.) historically 

used to transport liquid process waste and LLW 

between generator facilities in Melton Valley, 

storage and disposal sites in Melton Valley, and 

storage/treatment facilities in Bethel Valley. The 

selected remedy in the ROD for inactive process and 

liquid LLW transfer pipelines is isolation, removal,

or stabilization. Approximately half of the inactive 

pipelines subject to grouting have been completed. The 

waste from this activity will be taken to EMWMF.

Pipeline Grouting
Melton Valley

Three inactive underground liquid LLW storage 

tanks identified as Tanks T-1 and T-2, and the HFIR 

Tank contained liquids and a mixture consisting 

primarily of spent transuranic (TRU) ion-exchange 

resin and sludge. 

In FY 2005, the liquid waste from the HFIR tank 

was transferred into the ORNL liquid LLW system 

for treatment. The HFIR Tank and remaining 

sludge was stabilized in place with grout. The 

waste in Tanks T-1 and T-2 was mixed with 

liquid using a pulse-jet system and the resulting 

slurry transferred to the active ORNL liquid LLW 

system. Approximately 3,000 gallons of sludge 

was transferred from the tanks and will undergo 

treatment at the TRU Waste Processing Facility prior 

to final disposal. The empty tanks were filled with 

grout and closed in place. Associated equipment 

was removed from the site and either transferred to 

other projects for reuse or disposed at the EMWMF 

along with the remaining secondary waste. The 

PCCR documenting completion of the T-1,

T-2, and HFIR Tanks Remediation was submitted 

to EPA and TDEC for approval. Final regulatory 

approval is expected in FY 2006. 

28

Remediation of T-1, T-2, and HFIR Tanks Completed

Pulse jet system used to mix tank waste with liquid
Melton Valley

29
Balance of

The remaining 

sites are 

categorized 

into one 

grouping known as the 

“Balance of Reservation 

Closure Project.” This 

project encompasses cleanup 

activities in Bethel Valley 

at ORNL, sites associated 

with the Y-12 National 

Security Complex, and remedial 

actions for the remainder of the 

Reservation. It also includes three 

contaminated off-site projects: 

Atomic City Auto Parts in Oak 

Ridge, which has been completed, 

and the David Witherspoon Sites in 

Knoxville.
Reservation

31
Balance of Reservation

Various Areas Being Remediated in 

Bethel Valley

The Bethel Valley ROD specified that a groundwater engineering study be conducted to satisfy data needs for 

the design of several remedial actions related to groundwater, including: (1) deep groundwater extraction at 

the Corehole 8 Plume, (2) in situ biodegradation at the East Bethel Valley volatile organic compound (VOC) 

plume, (3) groundwater monitoring in West Bethel Valley, and (4) soil excavation at known leak sites to minimize 

impacts to groundwater. Planning for the groundwater engineering study was summarized in the Engineering 

Study Work Plan for Groundwater Actions in Bethel Valley, issued as a final document in 2003. The work 

plan included an evaluation of existing, relevant data from previous characterization activities and defines the 

scope of work to be performed 

to design groundwater and soil 

remedial actions under the ROD. 

In 2005, the Bethel Valley 

Groundwater Engineering Study 

completed the remaining components of the required fieldwork. 

This included an additional 48 

soil push probes to make a total of 

283 locations with approximately 

450 soil samples collected and analyzed. Fifteen monitoring wells 

were installed and sampled in

FY 2005. 

All the data from the soil samples, 

process lines, storm sewer lines, 

surface water and monitoring 

wells were received and evaluated. The results were published 

in comprehensive Engineering 

Study Report and submitted to 

the regulatory agencies for review 

and comment. Once approved, 

the recommendations will be used for determining the necessary soil remediation activities to be performed as 

part of the signed Bethel Valley ROD.

The Bethel Valley ROD, signed by the FFA parties in May 2002, presents the selected remedy for 

environmental remediation of various contaminated areas within the ORNL Bethel Valley area. 

Remediation work mandated by the Bethel Valley ROD is currently scheduled to continue through

FY 2014. Two of the first projects to be performed under the ROD are the Bethel Valley Groundwater 

Engineering Study and remediation of the T-1, T-2, and HFIR Tanks.

Bethel Valley Groundwater Engineering 

Study Fieldwork in Progress

32

Construction of Well 4573 at ORNL
Balance of Reservation

UEFPC Being Remediated Under 

Phased Approach

33

Remediation of the Upper East Fork Poplar Creek (UEFPC) Watershed is being conducted in 

stages using a phased approach. Phase 1 addresses interim actions for remediation of mercurycontaminated soil, sediment, and groundwater discharges that contribute contamination to 

surface water. The focus of the second phase is remediation of the balance of contaminated soil, 

scrap, and buried materials within the Y-12 Complex, the major contaminated area in the UEFPC 

Watershed. Decisions regarding final land use and final goals for surface water, groundwater, and 

soils will be addressed in future decision documents.

During FY 2005, regulators provided comments on the draft Proposed Plan for Phase 

2 interim remedial actions for accessible soil, buried waste, or subsurface structures that 

contribute significantly to contamination above acceptable risk levels in UEFPC. The 

Proposed Plan was finalized and a public meeting was held in March 2005. Comments from 

the public meeting and from members of the public were addressed in the Responsiveness 

Summary portion of the draft ROD. Regulator comments on the draft ROD were received 

at the end of FY 2005. The Phase 2 ROD is anticipated to be finalized and approved in

FY 2006.

UEFPC Watershed
Balance of Reservation

Building 9201-2 Water Treatment 

System Begins Operation

34

To mitigate the mercury being released into UEFPC, the 

Bldg. 9201-2 Water Treatment System was designed and 

constructed as the first action of the approved Record

of Decision for Phase 1 Interim Source Control Actions 

in the UEFPC Characterization Area.

The 300-gallon per minute water treatment system was 

constructed near Bldg. 9201-2. The system uses a series 

of granular activated carbon columns to reduce the 

mercury concentrations in the system effluent to levels 

of 200 ppt or less. The system influent will include the 

Outfall 51 discharge and 9201-2 sump water. The existing 

East End Mercury Treatment System will be removed. 

Construction of the new water treatment system began 

in March 2004 and was completed on March 2005 with 

the PCCR being submitted on March 18, 2005. Initial 

operations began August 4, 2005. Preliminary results 

show that the mercury is being removed to a level well 

below the goal of 200 ppt.

Carbon columns for the Water Treatment System
Balance of Reservation

In March 2005, the D&D and 

debris removal at the David 

Witherspoon Inc. (DWI) 901 

Site was completed. The site, 

located on Maryville Pike in 

Knoxville, Tenn., consists of 

a 9.5-acre parcel formerly 

owned and operated as the 

DWI Recycling Center and 

a 0.5-acre parcel owned 

by CSX Transportation, 

Inc. A 1993 court order 

forced cessation of DWI 

operations at the site, and 

the Tennessee Division of 

Superfund took control of 

the property.

The objective of this offsite project is to perform 

interim actions and complete 

the supporting documentation 

to support a “no further action” 

decision ROD at the DWI 901 

Site. The scope of this project is to 

decontaminate and demolish the main 

building, metal office building, incinerator, 

magnet house, compactor house, control house, 

scale house/scale, bailer house, and breaker house. 

Contaminated soils will be excavated and disposed of as radioactive 

PCB mixed waste in the EMWMF. The contaminated soils will be excavated and treated to meet land disposal 

restrictions.

The interim action for D&D and debris removal started in April 2004. Approximately 7000 yd3 of waste was 

sent to landfills in Oak Ridge for disposal. Starting in April 2005, large concrete foundations and building 

slabs were excavated and rubbilized. Soil excavation began in July 2005. More than 1,400 truckloads of soil 

have been shipped to the EMWMF, and an estimated 2600 truckloads of waste remains to be excavated and 

shipped. The soils excavation and site restoration phase is scheduled to be completed late 2006.

Concrete demolition at DWI site

Witherspoon 901 Site D&D Complete; 

Soil Removal Begins

35
Balance of Reservation

Beginning in the mid-1950s, the Hot Storage Garden supported research at ORNL by storing radioactive 

material, including spent fuel rods, in the below-grade wells and partially above-grade water-filled canal. All 

the fuel was transferred for storage to a solid waste storage area in the mid-1980s. The facility was then placed 

in the surveillance and maintenance (S&M) program. 

In 2003, some additional funding was made available to perform D&D on a facility currently in the S&M 

program. The Hot Storage Garden was selected because it was small facility that could be D&D’ed with the 

available funding and existing documentation indicated that the source material had been removed with no 

indication of residual contamination.

The project started in the summer of 2004 and removed all the surface structures and removed and cut 5 of the 

14 well sleeves. High concentrations of removable alpha-emitting contamination were found near the bottom 

of one of the well sleeves. The sleeve had been cut in half using a reciprocating saw. It is thought that the 

vibration caused by the reciprocating saw caused the contaminants near the bottom to become airborne. As a 

result, four workers received an unexpected dose. 

D&D of Remaining Hot Storage Garden 

Wells Deferred

36

Truck loaded with soils at DWI 901 Site being directed into tarping station
Balance of Reservation

Core Hole 8 Action Will Remove 

TRU Waste

An area of groundwater contamination, called the 

Core Hole 8 plume, and its source were the focus of 

early actions taken by DOE at ORNL. The plume 

is located in the central portion of the ORNL main 

plant area. The plume emanates from contaminated 

soil surrounding Tank W-1A in the North Tank 

Farm and migrates westward to First Creek. The 

principal plume contaminants are strontium-90 

and uranium isotopes. Since late 1994, DOE has 

been implementing various coordinated actions to 

minimize the release of contaminants, including

• intercepting, collecting, and treating approximately six million gallons per year of contaminated groundwater migrating toward First Creek; 

and

• removing a significant portion of the source (i.e., 

90 percent of the contaminated soil surrounding 

Tank W-1A).

The first action implemented by DOE was to install 

a groundwater interceptor on the western part of 

ORNL to reduce contaminant discharge to First 

Creek. The next action was the construction of a 

groundwater interceptor trench near the existing 

Core Hole 8 plume interceptor system. A third 

action was implementation of hydraulic controls 

on the plume by pumping groundwater from an 

existing monitoring well. The last action was in 

2001 that addressed the contaminant source that 

contributed to the plume by removing a significant 

portion of the soil surrounding Tank W-1A. 

This was a CERLCA Removal Action performed 

under an Action Memorandum. Approximately 

900 cubic yards of the soil were removed. 

However, during excavation of soil adjacent to the 

tank, analytical results from grab samples of soil 

indicated that approximately 100 cubic yards of 

soil around and under the tank contained very high 

concentrations of TRU radionuclides. Since there 

is no disposal facility that could accept soil at these 

levels, these soils and the tank were left in place.

In preparation for the upcoming Removal Action 

that will remove the remaining 100 cubic yards 

of soil, the project team is preparing to obtain 

additional soil samples for detailed analysis. This 

characterization effort will determine how much 

of the soil meets the definition of TRU waste and 

provide radiological contaminant data. It will also 

provide characterization data on the soil that does 

not meet the definition of the TRU waste (lowlevel). The TRU soil will be containerized and 

stored until the waste disposal facility—the Waste 

Isolation Pilot Plant—is ready to receive. The lowlevel soil is expected to be disposed at EMWMF. 

The project was immediately stopped and the area secured. Additional characterization was performed to and 

a fixative applied to the interior and exterior of the well sleeves. The sleeves were then containerized and safely 

disposed in the EMWMF. As a result of the unexpected residual contamination, the D&D of the remaining 

9 wells were deferred until a final cleanup effort begins in 2009.

37
Waste

Legacy Waste Milestone Achieved Legacy Waste Milestone Achieved

Manag

I

n FY 2005, DOE and its 

environmental cleanup 

contractor, Bechtel 

Jacobs Company LLC, 

accomplished a major milestone 

in cleaning up the Oak Ridge 

Reservation with the safe 

disposition of more than

1 million cubic feet of legacy 

waste. 

Legacy waste is defined as 

“waste belonging to the EM 

program prior to September 30, 

2000, when waste inventories 

were baselined.” It is categorized 

as either low-level waste (containing 

low-level radioactivity) or mixed lowlevel (containing both radioactive and 

hazardous waste components).

Most of Oak Ridge’s legacy waste inventory 

stemmed from Cold War operations that 

took place at three sites – the Y-12 Complex, 

ORNL, and ETTP. Historically, Oak Ridge 

has had the largest inventory of LLW and 

mixed LLW in the DOE complex. 

Storage of these materials occupied more than 

27,000 containers, including concrete casks, 

large metal boxes, and Sealand® containers. 

The waste consisted of a variety 

 (continued on page 40)

Workers are shown processing mixed low-level waste drums
gement

39
Waste Management

of materials, including radioactive scrap metal, contaminated soil, construction debris, organic liquids, waste 

water, and sludge residues. DOE’s contract with Bechtel Jacobs Company required the safe management, 

treatment, and disposal of all legacy LLW and legacy mixed LLW stored on the Oak Ridge Reservation by 

September 30, 2005, and this milestone was completed on time.

The legacy waste included about 1.2 million cubic feet of low-level waste and 36,000 cubic feet of mixed lowlevel waste located across the Reservation. This volume equates to a football field covered more than 30 feet 

high.

Legacy waste removal and disposal is the first major milestone of DOE’s Accelerated Cleanup Program. 

Tons of Wastes Placed in the EMWMF, 

Other Landfills

The Environmental Management Waste Management 

Facility (EMWMF), located in East Bear Creek Valley 

near the Y-12 Complex, is an on-site waste facility 

that is being used to contain the wastes generated 

during cleanup of the ORR and associated sites in 

Tennessee. The EMWMF accepted its first waste 

shipment in May 2002.

During FY 2005, EMWMF operations collected, 

analyzed, and dispositioned more than 1.6 million 

The EMWMF received 7,204 truckloads of waste accounting for 82,436 tons during FY 2005. 

Projects that have used the EMWMF include the following:

• Off-Reservation sites, including Atomic City Auto Parts Remedial Action Project and David 

Witherspoon 901 Site Remedial Action Project;

• HFIR Soils and Sediments Project at ORNL;

• Blair Quarry Remedial Action Project;

• ETTP Scrap Removal Project; 

• ETTP Main Plant Facilities, including K-1064 Peninsula Facilities D&D;

• Melton Valley Soils and Sediments Project, Intermediate Holding Pond Project, and Intermediate 

Holding Pond Remedial Action Project at ORNL; 

• K-25/K-27 D&D Project;

• Legacy LLW Project; and

• MSRE D&D Project at ORNL.

gallons of leachate and 660,000 gallons of contact 

water at the ORNL Liquids and Gases Treatment 

Facility. An additional 7.1 million gallons of 

contact water was collected and analyzed, and after 

determining that the volumes of contact water met 

the release criteria, this contact water was released 

to the sediment basin. The operations also effectively 

controlled site erosion and sediments.

Legacy Waste Milestone Achieved (continued from page 38)

40
Waste Management

Synergistic to the activities at the EMWMF, DOE 

also operates solid waste disposal facilities located 

near the Y-12 Complex, called the ORR Sanitary 

Landfills. In FY 2005, more than 136,000 yd3 of 

industrial, construction/demolition, classified, and 

spoil material waste were disposed.

In accordance with the schedule for consumption of 

airspace at the ORR Sanitary Landfills, Construction 

Demolition Landfill (CDL) VII, design for Area IV 

was near completion at the end of FY 2005. CDL-VII 

will be the repository for much of the uncontaminated 

debris generated by demolition of buildings at 

ETTP. Consequently, construction of Area IV will 

be completed in FY2006. Area IV will add another 

336,000 yd3 of capacity to CDL-VII.

The EMWMF and ORR Landfills are serving the 

disposal needs of the ORR cleanup program as well as 

the active missions of the Y-12 Complex and ORNL.

41

Waste from Witherspoon site being 

disposed at EMWMF
Waste Management

EMWMF Cells 3 and 4 Constructed

42

During FY 2005, design and construction of Cells 3 and 4 at EMWMF 

were completed. These disposal cells increase the capacity of the 

EMWMF by 800,000 yd3, bringing the total waste disposal capacity 

to 1.2 million yd3. These cells, identical to Cells 1 and 2, were tied 

into the liner system as well as the existing leachate collection system. 

Waste disposal operations in Cells 3 and 4 are expected to be begin in 

early FY 2006.

Future

Expansion

Cells 3 & 4 Current

Operations in

Cells 1 & 2

Cells at EMWMF 
Waste Management

Haul Road 

Under 

Construction Design of the new ETTP-to-EMWMF Haul Road 

commenced early in FY 2005 along with the issuance of the 

Explanation of Significant Differences (ESD) to the EMWMF 

Record of Decision. The ESD addressed the need for the haul 

road. 

The design was issued to the regulators in the form of a Remedial Design 

Report and a subsequent addendum. Since the scope of the project included 

constructing bridges over state highways, which required implementing traffic 

controls, additional reviews of project design documents were conducted by the 

Tennessee Department of Transportation. Clearing of the route began in early spring. 

At about the same time, work began on upgrading Flannigan Loop, an existing 0.8 mile 

gravel road that was incorporated into the Haul Road. As the year progressed, construction 

started on the 1.3 mile ETTP segment from Portal 5 to Flannigan Loop. By the end of FY 2005, the approaches 

for the three bridges had been constructed, the steel truss bridges had been delivered, and construction had 

started on the 3.5 mile Bear Creek Valley segment of the road. Waste shipments from ETTP to EMWMF will 

be made via the Haul Road beginning in 2006 to reduce the risks associated with mixing heavy trucks in with 

traffic on public roads and improve the efficiency of waste hauling.

43

Placement of haul road bridge crossing Highway 58
Waste Management

Millions of Gallons of Wastewater 

Treated in FY 2005

44

During FY 2005, the Environmental Management (EM) Program treated 26 million gallons of liquid 

waste at the Groundwater Treatment Facility, East End Mercury Treatment System, Central Mercury 

Treatment System, and East End VOC System.

The West End Treatment Facility and the Central Pollution Control Facility at the Y-12 Complex 

processed about 1.1 million gallons of wastewater, primarily in support of National Nuclear Security 

Administration operational activities. This wastewater included hazardous materials such as PCBs, 

cyanide, mercury, cadmium, chromium, and uranium. The hazardous materials end up in the sludge 

that is generated from wastewater treatment. 

At ETTP, the Central Neutralization Facility treated more than 25 million gallons of wastewater in

FY 2005. The facility is ETTP’s primary wastewater treatment facility and processes both hazardous 

and nonhazardous waste streams arising from multiple waste treatment facilities and remediation 

projects. The facility removes heavy metals and suspended solids from the wastewater, adjusts pH, 

and discharges the treated effluent into the Clinch River. Sludge from the treatment facility is treated, 

packaged, and disposed off-site.

More than 25 million gallons of wastewater was disposed 

at the Central Neutralization Facility in FY 2005.
Waste Management

TSCA Incinerator Hazardous 

Waste Treatment Continues

45

At ORNL, approximately 165 million gallons of wastewater were treated and released at the Process 

Waste Treatment Complex. In addition, the liquid LLW evaporator at ORNL treated 163,000 gallons 

of such waste. Finally, 2.3 billion m3 of gaseous waste were treated at the ORNL 3039 Stack Facility. 

These important waste treatment activities supported both EM and Office of Science mission activities 

in a safe and compliant manner.

The Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Incinerator, located at ETTP, treated 438,000 

pounds of waste in FY 2005. The TSCA Incinerator successfully demonstrated compliance 

with the Maximum Achievable Control Technology standards for Hazardous Waste 

Combustors in FY 2005. In FY 2006, approximately 1.5 million pounds of waste are 

planned for incineration.

The TSCA Incinerator is a one-of-a kind thermal treatment unit in the United States. It 

plays a key role in treatment of radioactive PCB and hazardous wastes (mixed wastes) 

from the ORR, as well as other facilities across the DOE complex, thus facilitating 

compliance with regulatory and site closure milestones. DOE plans to continue operating 

the incinerator for one to three years past FY 2006. 

Workers are placing 

solid waste material 

into feed containers
Waste Management

UF6 Cylinders 

Being Shipped 

Off-Site

Approximately 6,000 cylinders 

containing uranium hexafluoride 

(UF6) are being shipped to the 

Portsmouth Site for disposition. 

Most of these contain depleted 

UF6. These steel cylinders hold up 

to 10 to 14 tons of depleted UF6. 

They are stored in storage yards 

in aisles and are stacked two high. 

A total of 2,747 of these cylinders 

were shipped in FY 2005, bringing 

the total shipped to 4,726.

Natural UF6 was used as feed material during the gaseous diffusion process 

to enrich uranium at the former K-25 Site. The percentage of uranium-235 

was increased from the original feed material in the process (i.e., enriched). 

The remaining material is depleted UF6. It is stored as a white, crystalline 

solid that is slightly less radioactive than natural uranium. 

A total of 429 empty and near-empty cylinders containing residual uranium 

compounds other than depleted UF6 have been disposed of at the Nevada 

Test Site in FY 2003, completing that phase of the project.

46

UF6

 cylinder being loaded for transport
Waste Management

Waste Processing 

Facility Preparing 

for CH-TRU 

Processing

47

The mission of the Oak 

Ridge TRU Program is 

to provide cost-effective, 

safe, and environmentally 

compliant treatment 

and disposal of all TRU 

waste stored at ORNL. In 

1998, DOE entered into 

a fixed-price privatization 

contract with Foster 

Wheeler Environmental 

Corporation to construct, 

operate, decontaminate, 

and decommission a 

Waste Processing Facility. 

Construction of the facility was 

completed in FY 2004. 

The facility was designed and 

constructed to treat and dispose 900 m3

of remote-handled (RH) TRU sludge, 550 

m3 of RH-TRU/alpha LLW solids, 1,600 m3 of 

RH-LLW supernate, and 1,000 m3 of contact-handled (CH) 

TRU/alpha LLW solids currently stored in Melton Valley.

Supernate processing was completed in FY 2004. Since the start of FY 2005, the Waste Processing 

Facility has been preparing the facility, safety documentation, and procedures for CH-TRU waste 

processing. Processing is scheduled to start in early FY 2006.

The project will ultimately retrieve the remaining three waste streams stored at ORNL, treat them 

at the facility as required for transportation and disposal, and ship the treated waste forms to either 

the NTS or the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in New Mexico. Acceptance of the two RH-TRU 

waste streams at the WIPP is pending the outcome of permitting actions by DOE with the state of 

New Mexico.

Waste Processing Facility
Public

Public Involvement Plays Key Role 

in Environmental Management

Public Involvement Plays Key Role 

in Environmental Management

M any projects have moved from the decision-making phase 

to actual fieldwork. However, DOE is still seeking public 

involvement in many decisions affecting cleanup of the 

Oak Ridge Reservation. Public input was sought in

FY 2005 on a variety of initiatives, including the following:

• Proposed Plan for remedial actions in Zone 2 (fenced area) at ETTP;

• Draft management plan for approximately 3,000 acres of the Black 

Oak Ridge Conservation Area located on the Oak Ridge Reservation;

• Proposed Plan for interim actions for contaminated soils and scrap 

yard in Upper East Fork Poplar Creek;

• Covenant Deferral Request to transfer a parcel of 

vacant land, known as Parcel ED-5 East, to Heritage 

Center LLC, a subsidiary of the Community Reuse 

Organization of East Tennessee;

• Interim Action Work Plan for soil removal at the 

David Witherspoon Inc. site;

• Construction of the ETTP-to-EMWMF Haul 

Road and bridges;

• Covenant Deferral Request to transfer 

approximately 1 acre of federal property located 

at ORNL to the State of Tennessee; and

• Draft Environmental Assessment for 

transferring approximately 360 acres, known as 

Parcel ED-6, to the City of Oak Ridge.

Other Public Involvement initiatives included the 

monthly distribution of Public Involvement News, 

distribution of the FY 2004 version of Cleanup 

Progress, and updates of project fact sheet that are 

made available at the DOE Information Center and 

other venues.
Involvement

49
Public Involvement

ORSSAB Celebrates 

10 Years

50

The Oak Ridge Site 

Specific Advisory Board 

(ORSSAB) celebrated 

its 10th anniversary this 

year with a series of 

public outreach events 

as it moved forward in 

its mission to provide 

informed advice and 

recommendations to 

the DOE-ORO EM 

program.

DOE-ORO EM Manager Steve McCracken 

(far left), OR SSAB Federal Coordinator 

Pat Halsey, and ORSSAB Chair Kerry 

Trammell perform the honorary cake cutting 

duties at the ORSSAB’s 10th anniversary 

celebration, held September 12, 2005, at the 

American Museum of Science and Energy.
Public Involvement

10th Anniversary Celebration

51

In September 2005, the Board took a break from 

its busy year to host a 10th anniversary party at 

the American Museum of Science and Energy 

(AMSE). Attending the festivities were many 

current and former Board members, as well as 

Doug Frost, DOE’s Designated Federal Officer 

for the nine SSABs across the DOE complex; 

Gerald Boyd, DOE-ORO Manager; Steve 

McCracken, DOE-ORO Assistant Manager for 

EM; and David Bradshaw, Mayor of Oak Ridge. 

A highlight of the event was the presentation of 

commemorative plaques signed by the Secretary 

of Energy and Mayor Bradshaw. The event also 

provided the Board with an opportunity to show 

off its new museum exhibit.

In the 10 years since the SSAB was established in 

1995, the Board has issued 137 recommendations 

to DOE on various issues related to the cleanup 

operations on the Oak Ridge Reservation. These 

recommendations have covered almost every 

aspect of the cleanup program—from health 

and safety issues to the nuts and bolts of specific 

project details. The board has also performed a 

very important function by serving as the focal 

point for community outreach activities related 

to the cleanup program. ORSSAB members are 

unpaid volunteers who have devoted thousands 

of hours of their time to the government as a 

public service.

FY 2006 ORSSAB members, ex officios, and student representatives. Seated, left to right: Steve Douglas, Ben Adams, Kerry Trammell, 

Chris Grove, Pat Halsey (Federal Coordinator). Second row, left to right: Tonya Justice (Student Representative), Linda Grandage, 

Connie Jones (EPA Ex Officio), Rhonda Bogard, Meredith James (Student Representative), Pat Hill, Norman Mulvenon, Donna 

Campbell, Lance Mezga, Darryl Bonner. Third row, left to right: John Owsley (TDEC Ex Officio), Dave Adler (DOE Ex Officio), Steve 

Dixon, Bob Olson, Ken Sadler. Not pictured: Heather Cothron, Steve McCracken (Deputy Designated Federal Official), James Miller, 

Tim Myrick, Sandy Reagan.
Public Involvement

AMSE Exhibit

52

ORSSAB unveiled its museum exhibit in February 2005 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by about 50 

members of the Board, the public, and media. Speakers at the event included Gerald Boyd, Steve McCracken, 

David Bradshaw, ORSSAB Chair Kerry Trammell, and Museum Director Steven Stow. 

Located on the second floor of the museum, the display uses touch-screen kiosks, displays, and posters to tell 

the story of the Oak Ridge EM program. The centerpiece of the exhibit is a scale model of the EMWMF in 

Bear Creek Valley, which provides visitors an idea of the magnitude of the cleanup effort on the Oak Ridge 

Reservation. The touch-screen kiosks take visitors on an interactive journey through the cleanup process 

at the Gunite Tanks, one of the highly successful remediation projects at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. 

Suspended over the exhibit is one of the remotely controlled planes that used infrared photography to survey 

waste disposal sites on the Reservation.

A new exhibit highlighting the EM Program and ORSSAB’s role in the cleanup progress was unveiled February 17, 2005, at the 

American Museum of Science and Energy in Oak Ridge. Pictured from left are: Steve McCracken and Gerald Boyd of DOE-ORO, 

ORSSAB Chair Kerry Trammell, Museum Director Steve Stow, ORSSAB Student Representative Katie Meersman, and Oak Ridge 

Mayor David Bradshaw.
Public Involvement

Educational Outreach

National Initiatives

53

In March 2005, the Board launched its Stewardship 

Education Resource Kit, which was developed over 

the course of three years to provide high school 

educators with materials on the background, science, 

history, and cleanup of contaminated areas on 

the Oak Ridge Reservation and the stewardship of 

residually contaminated sites.

The kit contains lesson plans, videos, a fictional 

case study based on actual cleanup operations, an 

appendix of supporting materials, and a video CD 

on the background and use of the kit. The kit offers 

Each year the Chairs of the nine 

SSABs nationwide gather to 

discuss EM projects and policy, 

share ideas and concerns among 

sites, and identify and work on 

common issues. In 2005, the 

Chairs developed two important 

recommendations on waste 

disposition issues. 

The first recommendation was 

that DOE convene a national 

stakeholder workshop on waste 

disposition. The intent of the 

workshop is to determine where 

all of DOE’s waste is located, 

what the department’s plans 

are for disposing of it, and what 

barriers impede the disposition 

of the wastes. The goal of 

the workshop is to formulate 

solutions to overcome the barriers 

to disposition. 

The second recommendation 

was also related to waste issues. 

In it the Chairs offered their support, and comment if solicited, 

to the New Mexico Environment Department regarding permit modifications at the Waste 

Isolation Pilot Plant for remotehandled transuranic wastes. The 

Chairs also urged DOE to continue to address the issue of 

high-level waste disposition at 

several sites around the DOE 

complex. Lastly, the Chairs expressed their concern regarding 

pre-1970 TRU waste because no 

consistent national policy exists regarding characterization 

and retrieval of these buried 

wastes. The Chairs wrote that 

they would like to participate 

with DOE in the development 

of a national policy to properly 

dispose of these wastes. 

teachers a complete resource for educating students 

about long-term stewardship of contaminated land. 

It provides a lot of flexibility for teachers to tailor the 

lessons to a number of grade levels and specific subject 

areas, such as environmental science, chemistry, 

biology, ecology, civics, or history. 

ORSSAB is currently working with school systems 

in the area and with the University of Tennessee to 

develop a workshop for teachers on how to use the 

kit. The event will be held in February 2006 at Pollard 

Auditorium.
AM action memorandum

AMSE American Museum of Science and Energy

CDL Construction Demolition Landfill

CERCLA Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980

CH contact-handled

D&D decontamination and decommissioning

DOE U.S. Department of Energy

DWI David Witherspoon Inc.

EM Environmental Management

EMWMF Environmental Management Waste Management Facility

EPA U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

ESD Explanation of Significant Differences

ETTP East Tennessee Technology Park

FY fiscal year

HFIR High Flux Isotope Reactor

HRE Homogenous Reactor Experiment

ISG in situ grouting

ISV in situ vitrification

LLW low-level waste

MOA Memorandum of Understanding

MSRE Molten Salt Reactor Experiment

NHF New Hydrofracture Facility

NTS Nevada Test Site

OHF Old Hydrofracture Facility

ORNL Oak Ridge National Laboratory

ORR Oak Ridge Reservation

ORSSAB Oak Ridge Site Specific Advisory Board

P&A plugging and abandonment

PCB polychlorinated biphenyl

PCCR Phased Construction Completion Report

PP Proposed Plan

RAWP Remedial Action Work Plan

RDR Remedial Design Report

RH remote-handled

ROD Record of Decision

S&M surveillance and maintenance

STT shielded transfer tank

SWSA Solid Waste Storage Area

TDEC Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation

TRU transuranic

TSCA Toxic Substances Control Act

UEFPC Upper East Fork Poplar Creek

UF6 uranium hexafluoride

VOC volatile organic compound

Y-12 Complex Y-12 National Security Complex

Acronyms and Initialisms

54
www.energy.gov

www.oakridge.doe.gov

www.oakridge.doe.gov/external (Click

on “Program,” then select 

“Environmental Management”)

www.oakridge.doe.gov/em/ssab

www.bechteljacobs.com/doeclean/

www.atsdr.cdc.gov

www.epa.gov/region4/

www.state.tn.us/environment/doe

www.oakridge.doe.gov/External (Click 

“Public Activities,” then “Info Center”)

Information Resources

Telephone Numbers

Internet Sites

DOE Information Center

55

475 Oak Ridge Turnpike

Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830

Phone: (865) 241-4780

Fax: (865) 574-3521

Hours 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday – Friday

DOE Public Affairs Office

(865) 576-0885

DOE-ORO Public Information Line

1-800-382-6938

Oak Ridge Site Specific Advisory Board

(865) 576-1590

1-800-382-6938

Tennessee Department of Environment

and Conservation

(865) 481-0995

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Region IV

1-800-241-1754

Agency for Toxic Substances and

Disease Registry

1-888-422-8737

DOE Main Web Site

DOE-ORO Home Page

DOE-ORO Environmental Management Program

Oak Ridge Site Specific Advisory Board

Oak Ridge Accelerated Cleanup

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Tennessee Department of Environment

and Conservation

DOE Information Center

This document is approved for public release per review by the 

ETTP Classification and Information Control Office.

Contact Information

If you have any comments or suggestions about this report, please contact the 

DOE Public Affairs Office at (865) 576-0885.
Publication of the U.S. Department of Energy Oak Ridge Ofce