1

FY 2007 FY 2007

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

Cleanup Progress Cleanup Progress

DOE/ORO-2254 DOE/OR-XXXX
2

About the cover: The photo featured on the cover shows a stream bypass 

that was part of a wetlands restoration effort initiated in conjunction with 

construction of a new haul road. The road connects East Tennessee 

Technology Park to the on-site CERCLA Waste Facility in Bear Creek 

Valley. More than 11,000 loads of waste have been transported on the 

road as of the end of FY 2007. The project received a “Best in Class” 

award for pollution prevention from DOE in 2007.

This report was

 produced by Bechtel Jacobs Company LLC,

 DOE’s Environmental Management Contractor for the Oak Ridge Reservation.
1

Message from the Manager DOE Oak Ridge Office

Gerald Boyd

 One mission supporting many others on the Oak Ridge Reservation...that’s how we view our 

important responsibilities in the Environmental Management Program. As one of the most diverse field 

sites in the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), we can see how accomplishing the cleanup of the Oak 

Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and the Y-12 National Security Complex enables the Department’s 

missions in science, nuclear energy, and national security to be 

achieved, while work at the East Tennessee Technology Park (ETTP) 

clears the way for this site to be reindustrialized into a private industrial 

park. Our Environmental Management Program allows other programs 

to be successful for the benefit of both the region and the nation.

 At the ETTP site, dismantling and preparing the massive K-25 

building for demolition is our biggest challenge. Our primary concern 

as we began this project in earnest in FY 2007 was for the safety 

of our employees. This is one of the largest decontamination and 

decommissioning projects in the entire Department. This structure alone 

includes 44 acres under one roof and contains ~400 miles of piping. 

We made great progress this year with pre-demolition preparations. 

Removal of the high-risk equipment components will be completed in 

the K-25 building west wing in 2008 and the east wing in 2009, with 

the actual demolition of the west wing scheduled to begin in the fall.

 Continuing to clear the ETTP site of structures allows us to address 

other environmental legacies in the soil and piping under those 

facilities. Altogether, 12 structures were demolished in FY 2007, including the K-1401 building, a 

former maintenance facility that covered approximately 10 acres and was one of the original Manhattan 

Project facilities. 

 Our Reindustrialization Program obtained both regulatory and DOE Secretarial approval for the 

transfer of the ETTP fire station and water treatment plant and two land parcels totaling 23 acres. The 

two land parcels will be transferred to Community Reuse Organization of East Tennessee (CROET), 

while the fire station and water treatment plant will be transferred to the City of Oak Ridge. We are 

continuing to transition the entire site into a private sector industrial park; six buildings at ETTP have 

already been successfully transferred to CROET. 

 During 2008, we will also be initiating design work for the cleanup efforts at the ORNL and

Y-12 sites as defined within previously signed Records of Decision. It is exciting to see new work being 

started at these sites that have ongoing missions.

 Our commitment to the safety and health of our employees and the public is a constant focus while 

we work toward cleanup mission completion. We also strive to be a good steward of your tax dollars 

as we work with our regulatory agencies to accomplish cleanup efficiently for the benefit of the Oak 

Ridge community. And it is the community, as represented by citizens who volunteer their time on the 

Oak Ridge Site Specific Advisory Board, that enables us to receive community input on how we are 

doing in our cleanup program.

 The Oak Ridge Reservation is a unique site. Most major mission work DOE undertakes is 

accomplished here. With your support, environmental cleanup will enable success of DOE’s missions 

in Oak Ridge. The following pages highlight our work toward this goal.
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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.

Commonly Used Terms

Definitions
3

Introduction 5

East Tennessee Technology Park 7

Preparations Continue for Demolition: K-25/K-27 Buildings 8 

Transformation of ETTP Continuing 10

Progress Made on ETTP Soil Remediation 13

Plan Submitted for Groundwater Remediation 14

Building, Land Transfers Continue 15

Project Completion: Melton Valley 17

Melton Valley: At a Glance 18 

Remediation Milestone Completed 19

 - Hydrologic Isolation 19 

 - Small Facilities Decontamination and Demolition 20

 - T-1, T-2, and HFIR Tanks 20

 - Transuranic Waste Retrieval 21 

 - Trenches 5 and 7 22

 - Melton Valley Soils and Sediment Project 22

 

Balance of Reservation 23

Remediation Resumes at MSRE Facility 24 

DWI 1630 Expected to Be Completed Ahead of Schedule 25 

UEFPC ROD Supports Remediation Decisions 26

3019 Project to Resolve Safety, Security Issues 26 

Waste Management 27

TSCA Incinerator Treats 1.4M Pounds of Waste 28 

Disposal Continues in Waste Facility, Landfills 29

Waste Facility Expansion Planned 30 

Reservation Wastewater Treated 30

Wastes Being Processed for Disposition 31 

Facility Preparing for RH-TRU Handling 32 

 

Public Involvement 34

Involvement Includes New Plan, Remediation Report 34 

ORSSAB Provides Input on Several Issues 35

DOE Information Center 38

Information Resources 39

Commonly Used Acronyms 40

Contents Contents
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5

Introduction

 Environmental Management (EM) is 

the largest DOE program in Oak Ridge, 

with cleanup programs under way to cor-

rect the legacies remaining from several 

years of energy research and weapons 

production. 

 Because of past practices, portions 

of land and facilities on the 33,750-acre 

Oak Ridge Reservation are contaminat-

ed with radioactive elements, mercury, 

asbestos, polychlorinated biphenyls, and 

industrial wastes. The Oak Ridge Reser-

vation is on the Environmental Protection 

Agency’s National Priorities List and is 

being cleaned up under a Federal Facili-

ty Agreement with the U.S. Environmental 

Protection Agency and the State of Ten-

nessee.

 In 2007, the program focused 

on cleanup efforts at East Tennessee 

Technology Park. Significant progress 

has been made in cleaning up large 

gaseous diffusion buildings, various 

facilities, and soils at this site. Cleanup 

efforts also continued at the other Oak 

Ridge Reservation sites and were initiated 

at the David Witherspoon Inc. 1630 site 

in South Knoxville.

 The current focus of the EM Program 

is completing the high-priority projects of 

demolishing the K-25 Building and pre-

paring for cleanup activities at the Oak 

Ridge National Laboratory and Y-12 Na-

tional Security Complex.
6
7

East Tennessee Technology Park

Heritage Center

The 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 cleanup for ultimate 

conversion to 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.
8

Preparations Continue for Demolition 

K-25/K-27 Buildings

 Workers are continuing to prepare the K-25 

and K-27 buildings for eventual demolition. 

 The three-story, U-shaped K-25 building, built 

during the Manhattan Project, covers 1.64 million ft2 and contains 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 374,000 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 K-25 and K-27 buildings. 

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

of 944 waste shipments containing approximately 621,000 ft3 of waste were transported to the 

on-site CERCLA Waste Facility, a waste disposal 

facility located near the Y-12 National Security 

Complex.

 A new plan for demolishing the K-25 and K27 buildings was developed in 2006 that would 

better protect workers from deteriorated conditions in the buildings by reducing the number of 

workers and hours in the buildings. The new plan 

involves removing high-risk components, unbolting and removing motors and compressors, and 

then demolishing the building from the outside 

using heavy equipment. 

 Activities that have been under way to prepare 

the K-25 building for demolition include process 

system stabilization by foaming, removal and 

segmentation of high-risk components, removal 

of transite panels, and shipment of converters off 

site for disposal.

 Additional activities in FY 2007 included 

constructing segmentation and nondestructive 

assay shops to expand dismantling capabilities, 

installing nets and barriers to protect workers 

from falling debris, and initiating removal of 

approximately 2,700 light ballasts.

8
9

A valve removed from the building 

process gas system in the K-25 

building is being loaded into a 

box for shipment to the Nevada 

Test Site.

Process equipment is being foamed 

for contamination control. The foam 

solidifies contaminants in place.

Shops have been built to increase 

dismantling capacity outside the 

K-25 building.

Workers are removing light ballasts for the K-312 section of the 

K-25 building. About 2,700 light 

fixtures will need to be removed.
10

Potential Reuse Equipment removal/

pre-demolition Demolished

East Tennessee

Technology Park

K-25

K-33

K-31

K-27 K-29

K-1401

Centrifuge 

Facilities

K-1420

K-1007

K-1330

K-1225

TSCA

Incinerator

K-1580

Po

plar Creek

Clinch

Riv

er

K-1652

K-1400

K-1036

Transformation of ETTP Continuing 

 Six buildings transfers have taken place, and 

two more are in the planning stages. 

 Building demolition is being performed 

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

(2) Group I Auxiliary Facilities, (3) Group II, Phase 

1 Main Plant Facilities, (4) Group II, Phase II 

Buildings (K-1064 Peninsula), (5) Group II, Phase 

3 Remaining Facilities, and (6) K-29/K-31/K-33 

Buildings Decontamination. 

 Because these are removal actions, the Comprehensive Environmental Response, CompensaAs demolition activities continue at ETTP, 

the landscape at the site continues to change. 

Workers have already demolished the massive K29 building, and in FY 2007, Building K-1401 

and several other facilities were brought down.

 Most buildings at ETTP, except for a few usable 

ones, are scheduled for demolition as part of 

DOE’s accelerated cleanup plan. The facilities 

that will remain are targeted for potential title 

transfer to private sector organizations under a 

reindustrialization program.

Transferred

K-1064

Peninsula
11

tion, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA) Zone 

1 and Zone 2 Records of Decision (RODs) will 

determine the final remedy for the contaminated 

slabs, soils, and below-grade structures.

Group I: Auxiliary Facilities

 In FY 1997, DOE signed an AM to demolish 

five ETTP auxiliary facilities. This project began 

in FY 1998 and was completed in FY 2006. In 

FY 2006, the final Removal Action Report was 

prepared.

Group II, Phase 1: Main Plant Facilities

 In FY 2000, DOE signed an AM to demolish 

the ETTP 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.

Group II, Phase 2: K-1064 Facilities

 DOE signed an AM in July 2002 for the 

demolition of 18 facilities and the removal of 

scrap material located in the K-1064 peninsula 

area. In FY 2007, the work was completed, and 

the Removal Action Report was prepared.

Group 2, Phase 3: Remaining Facilities

In September 2003, DOE signed an AM to demolish the approximately 500 remaining facilities. In FY 2007, 16 predominantly unconDemolition projects 

in FY 2007 

included Building 

K-1401 (above) 

and K-1320 (left)
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taminated facilities, 20 low-risk/low-complexity 

facilities, and two high risk facilities—K-1401 and 

K-1420—were demolished. 

 K-1401 was built in the early 1940s as a 

maintenance facility to support the gaseous diffusion process. It was approximately 400 feet by 

1,000 feet by 32 feet in height with a basement 

measuring approximately 200 feet by 340 feet.

 K-1420 was built in 1953 and placed into operation in 1954 to perform maintenance and reconditioning on uranium enrichment equipment. 

It had approximately 101,600 square feet of floor 

space. Huge excavators were used to rip through 

the concrete and steel structural elements that 

comprised the buildings’ walls and floors. The 

demolition of K-1401 was completed in September 2007, and 

demolition of K-1420 was completed in December 2006.

 In the Poplar Creek area, asbestos abatement was completed 

in K-633, K-131, K-631, K-1231, 

and K-413; chemical treatment 

was completed in K-633 and the 

K-27/K-633 tie line; characterization was completed in K-1231, 

K-1233, K-633, and K-633/K-27 tie line; chemical treatment was completed of all facilities and 

tie lines associated with hydrofluoric acid distribution to the uranium processing facilities; and the 

remaining uranium hexafluoride (UF6) cylinders 

from Building K-33 were disposed.

K-29/K-31/K-33 Buildings

 DOE signed an AM in 1997 to decontaminate 

and remove equipment from the K-29, K-31, and 

K-33 gaseous diffusion buildings. The contractor, 

BNG America, completed that work in FY 2005, 

and the Removal Action Report was prepared in 

FY 2006.

K-1420 demolition project team

K-1420 demolished to 

slab foundation
13

Photos above and right: Balance of 

Site laboratories acid pit removal

Progress Made

on ETTP Soil 

Remediation

 The soil at ETTP is to be remediated 

to a level that protects a future 

industrial work force and the 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). 

 In Zone 1, characterization of the Contractor’s Spoils Area and K-901 North Area, removal 

of several underground storage tanks, and remediation of Duct Island soil and the K-895 piers 

were completed in FY 2007. Also, the K-770 Scrap Removal Project and its Phased Construction 

Completion Report (PCCR) were completed. In Zone 2, the characterization results of 11 of the 44 

delineated Exposure Units were documented in a PCCR. This PCCR cleared approximately 143 acres 

and identified two areas requiring remedial actions. Also, the K-1407 E & F Ponds and the K-1420 

and K-1501 basements were backfilled. 

 Remediation in the Zone 2 Balance 

of Site–Laboratories area continued, 

including:

• removing the K-1004-A, B, C, D, and 

L concrete slabs; and

• removing seven acid pits from K1004-A, B, C, D, and laboratories.
14

K-770 scrapyard 

before (above,) 

and after (below)

Plan Submitted for Groundwater Remediation

 A Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study was previously submitted to EPA and TDEC addressing 

the nature and extent of groundwater contamination and ecological concerns, evaluating alternatives 

for remediation, and providing the basis for the final remediation decision for ETTP. 

 In FY 2007, this document was reviewed by EPA and TDEC, a revision was prepared and reviewed 

by these agencies, and a second revision was prepared. This second revision is expected to be approved 

in FY 2008. A Proposed Plan was submitted to EPA and TDEC in FY 2007; however, it will be placed 

on hold until the Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study is finalized.

 An Action Memorandum for the remediation of the K-1007 Holding Ponds, K-901-A Holding 

Pond, K-720 Slough, and K-770 Embayment was approved in FY 2007. The Remedial Action Work 

Plan was drafted, and the Waste Handling Plan was completed.
15

 DOE Oak Ridge Office’s Reindustrialization 

Program obtained regulatory and DOE Headquarters approvals for the transfer of the ETTP 

Water Treatment Plant and Fire Station as well as 

two parcels of land.

 One parcel, referred to as ED-5 East, is 

approximately 18 acres and is located near 

the front of ETTP, behind Building K-1007, a 

large office building previously transferred to 

the Community Reuse Organization of East 

Tennessee (CROET). The second parcel, referred 

to as ED-7, is approximately 5 acres in size. ED-7 

will be transferred to CROET and will be used for 

development of the Southern Appalachian Railway 

Museum. (SARM). SARM presently operates the 

Secret City Railroad from a leased location at 

ETTP and offers train rides 

through the plant and 

environs. Both of the land 

parcels have received all 

necessary approvals, and 

transfers will take place in 

early FY 2008.

 The ETTP Water Treatment Plant complex (K1515) will be transferred 

to the city of Oak Ridge, 

which will provide potable 

water service to ETTP. The 

K-1652 Fire Station will 

also be transferred to the 

City of Oak Ridge, and 

the City will provide fire, 

ambulance, and emergency response services 

at ETTP and to the west 

Building, Land Transfers Continue 

Reindustrialization Program

Parcel ED-5 East, 

an 18-acre lot, has 

been transferred to 

CROET under DOE’s 

Reindustrialization 

Program.
16

Transferred buildings 

include, from top,

K-1400, K-1225, 

K-1330, K-1036,

K-1580, and K-1007.

end of Oak Ridge. The transfer of the two facilities will 

take place in FY 2008. Once transferred, the total number of buildings transferred will be eight. The transfers are 

part of DOE’s plan to transform ETTP into a private sector 

industrial park. The two transfers to the City of Oak Ridge 

are a significant achievement in that transition effort.

 The K-1652 building offers approximately 23,000 

square feet of space and consists of office area as well as 

an emergency vehicle bay and 2.2 acres of land. K-1652 

was constructed in 1983. The K-1515 water treatment 

plant complex was constructed between 1944 and 1945 

and consists of the main water treatment plant and a raw 

water intake structure on the Clinch River. Two potable 

water tanks, one dating from the early 1970s and the 

other from 1982, are also part of the transfer. The water 

plant complex has been leased to CROET since 1998 

and is operated by Operations and Maintenance, Inc., 

CROET’s contractor for provision of utility services. The 

plant provides potable water to ETTP.

 Previous transfers to CROET include Buildings K1225, K-1330, K-1580, K-1007, K-1036, and K-1400. 

CROET is a not-for-profit corporation established to foster 

diversification of the regional economy by reutilizing DOE 

property for private sector investment and job creation. 

 Additional buildings at ETTP and several land areas 

are in various stages of the transfer process.

ETTP Fire Station
17

Project Completion

Melton Valley

More than 50 years of operation, production, and research activities at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) 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. 

These sites have been remediated.
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Melton Valley: At A Glance

A total area of 

1,000 acres was 

remediated in 

Melton Valley

7841 Scrapyard

Solid Waste Storage Area 4

Transuranic Waste Retrieval

Solid Waste Storage Area 6

Trench 5

Trench 7

Solid Waste 

Storage Area 5

Melton Valley

After Completion
19

 The Melton Valley Project field work wrapped up in September 2006. It involved capping 145 acres 

of waste sites, demolishing and disposing of 6,000 ft2 of various buildings, and excavating 50,000 

yd3 of soil. The site now moves to the monitoring and maintenance phase to ensure the remediation 

actions remain effective. The next few pages present a recap of the work completed in Melton Valley.

 The Melton Valley Remedial Action Report, which documents remediation activity completion, was 

approved by the regulators in September 2007. An Explanation of Significant Differences to the Melton 

Valley ROD, which removes the requirement for remediation of the Shielded Transfer Tanks from the 

scope of the selected remedy, was approved by the regulators in December 2006. Remediation of the 

these tanks will be addressed in the development of the appropriate NEPA documentation.

Remediation Milestone Completed

Hydrologic

Isolation

 Hydrologic isolation, 

achieved by placing engineered barriers over waste 

areas, decreases the rainwater infiltration to waste 

associated with the Melton 

Valley burial grounds, pits, 

and trenches.

 Construction of 13 

separate caps covering 

145 acres in Solid Waste 

Storage Area (SWSA) 4, 

SWSA 5, SWSA 6, and 

Seepage Pits and Trenches was completed in FY 

2006 with all of the caps completed and transferred to operations and maintenance activities. Collection and treatment of 

groundwater from Seepage Pits, 

Trench 7, SWSA 4, and SWSA 5 

has been initiated and is now an 

ongoing process. 

 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 lowlevel waste (LLW) from 1943 to 

1986, when improved disposal 

technologies were implemented. 

Early burial procedures used unlined trenches and auger holes 

for containment, which were 

then covered by soil from the 

trench excavation or by a concrete caps and soil. 

 To facilitate cap installation, 

the project included a subproject to plug and abandon approximately 1,000 unnecessary, 

shallow wells; the development 

and closure 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.

How Hydrologic Isolation 

Works

 Multi-layer caps over the 

waste units minimize rainfall 

infiltration and lower the water 

table.

 Stormflow diversion trenches along the uphill edge of the 

waste units intercept and divert 

shallow groundwater before it 

flows into the waste units.

 Groundwater collection 

trenches along the downhill 

side of the waste units collect 

groundwater contaminated by 

leachate. 
20

 The remediation of several 

inactive facilities, buildings, and 

structures in Melton Valley were 

addressed under the Melton 

Valley Decontamination and 

Demolition (D&D) Project. The 

D&D project involved demolition of surface structures to slab 

or below grade; decontamination; removal and/or stabilization of subsurface structures in 

place; waste characterization, 

transportation and disposal; 

and site restoration. Stabilization of subsurface structures was 

preceded by removal or fixation 

of transferable contamination. 

 The buildings and structures 

addressed by the D&D Project 

included:

• New Hydrofracture Facility, 

• Homogeneous Reactor Experiment (HRE) ancillary facilities,

• Liquid LLW pumping stations,

• Equipment Storage Yard, 

• Miscellaneous storage buildings, and

• Hydrofracture well plugging 

and abandonment.

Small Facilities Decontamination & Demolition

Dismantlement of the New Hydrofracture Facility

T-1, T-2, and HFIR Tanks

 Three inactive underground liquid LLW storage tanks identified as Tanks T-1 and 

T-2, and the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) Tank contained liquids and a mixture 

consisting primarily of spent 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 pulsejet system and the resulting slurry transferred to the active ORNL liquid LLW system. 

Approximately 3,000 gallons of sludge was transferred from the tanks to be treated at 

the Transuranic (TRU) Waste Processing Center 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 CERCLA Waste 

Facility along with the remaining secondary waste. 
21

 TRU wastes that have been stored in the 22-

Trench Area in SWSA 5 North were removed in 

2006. A total of 204 concrete casks were retrieved, overpacked, and staged in 2006. 

 The six waste packages with the highest radiological inventory were relocated to Building 7883. 

Retrieval and overpacking of all of the concrete 

casks, along with loose waste and other containers, was completed. 

 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, were disposed at the 

CERCLA Waste Facility or at another appropriate 

facility. After retrieval, the 

overpacked TRU waste 

packages were staged 

pending transport to the 

TRU Waste Processing 

Center, where the wastes 

will be further characterized and repackaged for 

off-site disposal.

 A significant pyrophoric reaction occurred 

on August 8, 2005, as 

DOE’s contractors were 

attempting to retrieve 

the containers in Trench 

13. These containers included carbon steel and 

stainless steel drums. 

Several of the drums 

were damaged, and the carbon steel drum had 

deteriorated, revealing inner contents of glass 

mason jars. Based on historical records, the jars 

contained metallic carbides of uranium and plutonium that are pyrophoric. 

 The excavation activity apparently broke a jar 

from a damaged or deteriorated drum, exposing 

some material to air. Methane is believed to have 

accumulated in the headspace of the jar and was 

ignited when the pyrophoric material reacted. 

 On July 28, 2006, DOE proposed to the 

regulators to maintain Trench 13 in interim in situ 

storage, pending further efforts to identify treatment and disposition pathways. DOE proposed 

that final disposition of the Trench 13 pyrophoric 

material be addressed in the future, prior to September 30, 2009. On August 11, 2006, TDEC 

acknowledged DOE’s effort to retrieve drums containing jars of pyrophoric metallic carbides of uranium and plutonium with methane, and agreed to 

the temporary storage approach as proposed by 

DOE.

Transuranic Waste Retrieval

Retrieval of a TRU cask
22

 In situ grouting (ISG) of Seepage Trenches 5 and 7, former waste disposal sites in 

Melton Valley, was completed in June 2006. 

ISG of the HRE Fuel Wells, adjacent to Trench 

5, was also completed. 

 In situ vitrification (ISV) had been the initial 

remedial action selected for these trenches 

in the Melton Valley ROD. However, a 2003 

field investigation prompted a reassessment 

because of the presence of standing water 

in the trenches and a higher-than-expected 

cost for ISV. After further evaluation, DOE 

proposed in a ROD amendment that ISG be 

substituted as the remedial action.

 ISG is a treatment process in which materials, such as cement-based or chemical grouts, are injected at low pressures into the subsurface 

(or waste unit) to isolate the waste through reduction of the hydraulic conductivity. The trenches were 

treated by the permeation grouting method, utilizing cement-based grouts injected into the crushed 

limestone trench material. The soil adjacent to the trench walls was treated with a solution grout (e.g., 

polyacrylamide) to reduce migration of contaminants away from the trench by sealing off seepage 

pathways.

Trenches 5 and 7

Driving sleeve pipes at Trench 7

The Melton Valley Closure Soils and Sediments Project accomplishments included:

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

facility, received liquid process waste streams mostly from floor and laboratory drains, steam 

condensates, and pressure vessel cooling waters. 

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

from the HRE waste evaporator and from discarded shielding water, was taken out of service 

and backfilled. It later served as a demonstration for cryogenic stabilization in which soil around 

the pond was frozen to form a barrier to groundwater. 

• Remediation of the EPICOR-II Lysimeters. Five stainless steel lysimeters near SWSA 6 were used 

for a 10-year study of the in situ leaching properties of solidified waste forms from the cleanup 

of Three Mile Island. The solidified waste forms were removed in 1996 and transported to another DOE facility for processing and disposal. The lysimeters and remaining contaminated soil 

were removed and disposed at the CERCLA Waste Facility.

• Excavation of the Engineering Test Facility. Nine test trenches were excavated and filled with 

compactible LLW in a study of disposal techniques in the early 1980s. The trench wastes and 

associated contaminated soils were excavated and disposed at CERCLA Waste Facility.

• Removal of contaminated soil. Six sites contaminated as a result of pipeline leaks or hydrofracture experiments were excavated. As a result of verification walkover surveys and sampling, 25 

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. 

Melton Valley Soils and Sediment Project
23

Balance of Reservation

The remaining Reservation 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, Bear Creek 

Valley sites, and remedial actions for the remainder of the Reservation. 

It also includes off-site projects: Atomic City Auto Parts in Oak Ridge, 

which has been completed, and two David Witherspoon Inc. sites 

in Knoxville. Only a few of the high-profile activities have been 

addressed as recent attention and funding were directed to ETTP 

and Melton Valley.

Oak Ridge and Off-Site Projects 
24

 After successful completion 

of a Contractor Operational 

Readiness Review, fuel removal 

at the Molten Salt Reactor Experiment (MSRE) facility resumed in 

October 2007. 

 Completing fuel removal 

activities for Fuel Drain Tank 2, 

relocating equipment to process 

and remove the fuel from Fuel 

Drain Tank 1, and completing 

fuel removal activities from the 

Fuel/Flush Tanks are scheduled 

for completion in FY 2008. 

 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 facility was 

fueled by molten salt that flowed 

through the reactor chamber, 

where the nuclear chain reaction produced heat. 

 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 recirculated 

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.

 In 1998, DOE signed a 

ROD for interim action to remove the fuel and flush salts to 

address the presence of fluorine 

and uranium hexafluoride gas. 

The selected remedy includes 

separation of the uranium from 

the fuel and flush salts, removal 

of the fuel and flush salts from 

the drain tanks, storage of the 

uranium material, stabilization/

repackaging of the residual salt, 

and placement of the residual 

salt in interim storage until final 

disposition.

 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 an existing small pipe prevented removal of the flush salts 

from the flush salt tank. 

 An alternate method of salt 

removal has been proposed to 

allow residual salt removal from 

all tanks after completion of the 

two fuel salt drain tanks uranium 

fuel removal. 

 Processing of Fuel Drain 

Tank 2 was initiated in December 2005. Operations were 

halted in May 2006 due to a 

fluorine release, which halted 

operations until the completion 

of the Operational Readiness 

Review in September 2007. Resumption of fuel removal from 

FDT-2 started in October, and 

the current forecast to complete 

the fuel removal activities from 

the tanks is FY 2008.

 Following issuance of the 

MSRE ROD, DOE initiated planning for processing of the total Uranium-233 inventory in 

storage in Building 3019-A at 

ORNL. The U-233 inventory at 

3019-A includes UF6-laden sodium fluoride traps from a previously completed MSRE removal 

action and will also include additional UF6-laden sodium fluoride traps from the current MSRE 

remedial action. 

Remediation Resumes at MSRE Facility

MSRE
25

Scrap size reduction at 

the David Witherspoon 

Inc. 1630 site

 From the early 1950s until 1984, DOE and its 

predecessors sold scrap radioactive and hazardous materials from its Oak Ridge operations to 

local permitted dealers in Oak Ridge and Knoxville, Tenn. One of those scrap dealers was David 

Witherspoon Inc. (DWI), which owned and operated facilities in South Knoxville.

 DOE has been remediating two DWI sites: 

901 and 1630. Work on the 901 site is complete, 

and remediation activities at the 1630 site are 

expected to be completed ahead of schedule and 

under budget. 

 Acres of brush and trees have been removed, 

surveyors have laid out planned excavation areas, 

and soil excavation was initiated. Trucks began 

removing waste in December 2006.

 At the end of FY 2007, more than 95% of 

all above-ground contaminated scrap and 

debris had been size-reduced and shipped to the 

CERCLA Waste Facility. Twenty-two truckloads 

of asbestos waste were safely shipped along 

with 3,500 truckloads of other soil and debris. 

Approximately 600 yd3 of soil was excavated and 

awaiting treatment. Approximately 52,000 yd3 

of waste was transported from South Knoxville to 

Oak Ridge in FY 2007.

 Almost 1,400 days have been worked on the 

901 and 1630 project at the end of FY 2007 

without a lost-time injury, and more than 900,000 

truck miles have been logged between South 

Knoxville and Oak Ridge without an incident.

DWI 1630 Expected to Be

Completed Ahead of Schedule

1630 Site during remediation 1630 Site at end of FY 2007
26

UEFPC ROD Supports Remediation Decisions

 During FY 2007, the approved Phase 2 Record of Decision for Upper East Fork Poplar Creek

(UEFPC) was utilized by the UEFPC Core Team to support remediation decisions at Y-12 National 

Security Complex locations that were undergoing modernization. Planning to support building demolition and the Infrastructure Facility Disposition Program was also conducted. Remediation of the Y-12 

Salvage Yard is scheduled to begin in FY 2008.

 Remediation of the UEFPC Watershed is being conducted in stages using a phased approach. Phase 

1 addresses interim actions for remediation of mercury-contaminated 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. Decisions 

regarding final land use 

and final goals for surface 

water, groundwater, and 

soils will be addressed 

in future decision documents. The Phase 2 ROD 

was approved by all parties in April 2006.

Y-12 National Security Complex

 The U-233 Building 3019 Project has been 

developed by DOE to resolve legacy safety and 

security issues associated with 450 kg of Uranium 

233, primarily uranium oxides stored in Building 

3019 at ORNL. The project addresses safety issues that were identified by the Defense Nuclear 

Facilities Safety Board in Recommendation 97-1, 

“Safe Storage of Uranium-233.” Down blending 

this material to a stable oxide will begin in 2012. 

This action will make the U-233 inventory unsuitable for use as special nuclear material, thereby 

reducing security costs at ORNL.

 In FY 2007, the project completed an Environmental Assessment for the project and issued a Finding of No Significant Impact under 

the National Environmental Policy Act process. In 

May 2007, Critical Decision 2/3A was approved, 

which is a term used in the DOE project management process that established the project baseline 

and allowed for the procurement of long-lead 

items. 

 Since the beginning of FY 2008, the project 

has issued request for bids for the design and fabrication of several long-lead procurement items to 

support processing operations. In October 2007, 

the project completed a readiness assessment 

allowing for the receipt of sodium fluoride traps 

from the MSRE facility. Dismantlement activities 

are scheduled to start in March 2008 to support 

future facility modifications. 

3019 Project to Resolve Safety, Security Issues
27

Waste Management

Oak Ridge Reservation

Wastes on the Oak Ridge Reservation are being disposed in a variety 

of ways. Much of the waste is going into the on-site CERCLA Waste 

Facility, which was opened to receive waste from Reservation cleanup. 

Wastewater is treated in the Central Neutralization Facility at ETTP, 

and radioactive PCBs and other hazardous wastes are incinerated in 

ETTP’s TSCA Incinerator.
28

TSCA Incinerator Treats

1.4M Pounds of Waste

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

treated 1.4 million pounds of waste in FY 2007 (1.24 million pounds of 

liquid waste and 174,000 pounds of solid waste). 

 This amount represents the most waste treated in a fiscal year since 

1999—double the annual average for the preceding five years. As of 

the end of FY 2007, the incinerator had operated 629 days since the 

last recordable injury and 1,462 days since the last lost workday injury. 

DOE is planning to incinerate approximately 2.3 million pounds of 

waste in the TSCA Incinerator in FY 2008.

 The TSCA Incinerator is a one-of-a-kind thermal treatment unit. It plays a key role in treatment 

of radioactive PCB and hazardous wastes (mixed wastes) from the Oak Ridge Reservation, as well as 

other facilities across the DOE complex, thus facilitating compliance with regulatory and site closure 

milestones. 

28
29

 The on-site CERCLA Waste 

Facility, located in Bear Creek 

Valley, is used for disposal of 

waste resulting from CERCLA 

cleanup actions on the Oak 

Ridge Reservation. 

 The CERCLA Waste Facility 

is an engineered landfill that accepts low-level radioactive and 

hazardous wastes in accordance 

with specific Waste Acceptance 

Criteria under an agreement 

with state and federal regulators. 

 During FY 2007, the CERCLA 

Waste Facility operations collected, analyzed, and dispositioned 

approximately 1,989,000 gallons of leachate and 916,000 

gallons of contact water at the 

ORNL Liquids and Gases Treatment Facility. 

 An additional 4 million gallons of contact water were collected and analyzed, and after 

determining that the volumes 

met the release criteria, were 

released to the sediment basin. 

The operations also effectively 

controlled site erosion and sediments.

 The CERCLA Waste Facility received 9,186 truckloads of 

waste accounting for 104,062 

tons during FY 2007. Projects 

that have disposed of waste at 

the CERCLA Waste Facility include the following:

• DWI 901 Site Remedial Action Project;

• ETTP Scrap Removal Project; 

• ETTP Main Plant Facilities including K-1085, Balance of 

Site Labs, K-1070-B Burial 

Ground, and Duct Island 

Soil Mounds;

• Melton Valley Weir Cleanout 

Project; ETTP D&D Housekeeping Project;

• ETTP D&D Project, including Buildings K-1420 and K1401; 

• K-25/K-27 D&D Project; 

and

• MSRE Debris Project at 

ORNL. 

 Concurrent with the activities 

at the CERCLA Waste Facility, 

DOE also operates solid waste 

disposal facilities located near 

the Y-12 Complex, called the 

Oak Ridge Reservation Sanitary 

Landfills. 

 In FY 2007, more than 

109,000 yd3 of industrial, conDisposal Continues in Waste Facility, Landfills

struction/demolition, classified, 

and spoil material waste were 

disposed.

 To keep landfill capacity 

ahead of the demand, Area IV at 

Construction Demolition Landfill 

VII became available for use in 

early FY 2007. This expansion 

provides an additional 336,000 

yd3 of capacity to support the accelerated cleanup program, as 

well as the other sanitary waste 

generators on the Oak Ridge 

Reservation. 

 The CERCLA Waste Facility 

and the Oak Ridge Reservation 

landfills are serving the disposal 

needs of the Oak Ridge Reservation cleanup program as well 

as the active missions of the Y12 Complex and ORNL.

Disposal of DWI waste at the CERCLA Waste Facility
30

Waste Facility

Expansion

Planned

 Waste disposal operations 

continued in the first phase of 

CERCLA Waste Facility expansion 

during FY 2007, placing waste 

in Cell 3, while Cell 4 currently 

remains unused. As waste placement continues toward Cell 4, focus will be shifted to the final build-out of the facility. While the design 

for Cell 5 is complete and approved by the regulators, construction is not expected to begin until FY 

2009. 

 Cell 5 will add 500,000 yd3 of capacity to the previous 1,200,000 yd3 capacity, bringing the total 

airspace at the facility to the ROD-approved limit of 1,700,000 yd3. The design of Cell 5 incorporates 

the lessons learned from both the initial construction and the first phase of expansion of the facility. 

Timing for the start of Cell 5 construction will depend on how quickly the existing capacity is consumed 

as the accelerated cleanup program continues.

 During FY 2007, the National Nuclear Security 

Administration program at the Y-12 Complex treated 

16.6 million gallons of ground/sump water at the 

Groundwater Treatment Facility, East End Mercury 

Treatment System, Central Mercury Treatment System, 

and East End Volatile Organic Compound System.

 The East End Mercury Treatment System was 

decommissioned in December 2006 after the sump 

water being treated was rerouted to the Big Spring 

Water Treatment System. The East End Mercury 

Treatment System was demolished and disposed. 

 At the Big Spring Water Treatment System, 119.8 

million gallons of ground/sump water was processed. 

In addition, approximately 1 million gallons of 

methanol-contaminated ground/sump water that 

was put into inventory in the West End Tankage in 

FY 2006 was completely dispositioned by controlled 

metering of the water into the Oak Ridge sewage 

treatment plant.

 The West End Treatment Facility and the Central 

Pollution Control Facility at the Y-12 Complex proReservation Wastewater Treated

Big Spring Water Treatment System

CERCLA Waste Facility
31

cessed about 1 million gallons of wastewater, primarily in support of National Nuclear Security Administration operational activities. This wastewater 

included hazardous materials such as cyanide, 

mercury, cadmium, chromium, and uranium. The 

hazardous materials end up in the sludge that is 

generated from wastewater treatment. The sludge 

is disposed off-site. 

 At ETTP, the Central Neutralization Facility 

treated more than 15 million gallons 

of wastewater in FY 2007. 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. Plans are to 

provide continued wastewater treatment 

for ETTP at CNF and/or at the Waste 

Water Treatment System.

 At ORNL, approximately 118 million 

gallons of wastewater were treated and 

released at the Process Waste Treatment Complex. 

In addition, the liquid LLW evaporator at ORNL 

treated 92,000 gallons of such waste. A total of 

2.3 billion cubic meters of gaseous waste were 

treated at the ORNL 3039 Stack Facility. These 

waste treatment activities supported both EM and 

Office of Science mission activities in a safe and 

compliant manner during FY 2007.

Central Neutralization Facility

 All of the subprojects under Waste Disposition Project were performed with no transportation, 

environmental, or radiological incidents during FY 2007. These subprojects include managing newly 

generated waste from UT-Battelle, managing waste storage facilities at ORNL and ETTP, managing 

treatment and disposal of RCRA-regulated mixed waste, and managing TRU waste.

 A total of 1,500 containers of contact-handled TRU waste drums were prepared for transfer to 

the TRU Waste Processing Center (TWPC). Preparation included remotely installing filtered vents and 

sample ports and analyzing headspace gas samples to remove the hazard of hydrogen gas in the 

drums prior to transfer. Approximately 600 of the 1,500 drums were prepared and safely transferred 

to TWPC. Several process improvements were implemented during the year, resulting in an increase 

of more than 150% in throughput of prepared drums (from 20 drums per week to more than 50). 

Additionally, the project began preparations for transfer of remote-handled shielded containers of 

TRU waste in FY 2008. Approximately 350 containers of remote-handled TRU in storage that will be 

transferred to TWPC for processing during the next 5 years.

 Approximately 36 cubic meters of newly generated mixed waste that were picked up from UT-Battelle in FY 2006 were shipped for treatment and disposal in FY 2007, in addition to approximately

Wastes Being Processed for Disposition
32

3 m3 that were picked up in FY 

2007. Approximately 8 m3 of 

newly generated mixed waste 

picked up in FY 2007 from 

UT-Battelle are being staged 

for shipment for treatment and 

disposal in FY 2008.

 Approximately 700 m3 of 

newly generated low-level 

waste were picked up from UTBattelle in FY 2007 and placed 

into storage for disposal in FY 

2011.

 In 1998, DOE entered into a fixed-price 

privatization contract with Foster Wheeler Environmental Corporation (FWENC) to construct, 

operate, decontaminate, and decommission a 

waste processing facility, which is now referred to 

as the TRU Waste Processing Center. 

 Construction of the facility was completed in 

FY 2004. On September 12, 2006, a new costplus-fixed-fee contract was signed. Because of 

the many uncertainties about the waste characteristics and changing requirements, this type of 

contract is deemed more suitable. 

 The new contract includes initiation of processing and packaging for the two remaining 

waste streams stored at ORNL—remote-handled 

(RH) solids/debris and RH sludge—for transportation to and disposal at the Nevada Test Site 

or the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in New 

Mexico.

 The facility was designed and constructed to 

treat and dispose 900 m3 of RH 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. 

 The forecast for waste quantities to be processed at the TWPC has been updated to include 

the latest estimates: 2,000 m3 of RH sludge, 700 

m3 of RH-TRU solids, and 1,500 m3 of CH-TRU 

solids.

 Supernate processing was completed in FY 

2004. In 2005, FWENC prepared the facility, 

safety documentation, and procedures for CHTRU waste processing. CH-TRU processing started 

Facility Preparing for RH-TRU Processing

Mixed low-level waste being 

prepared for shipment
33

December 2005. By September 30, 2007, approximately 200 m3 had been processed. 

 Acceptance of RH-TRU waste at the WIPP has 

been pending the outcome of permitting actions 

by DOE with the state of New Mexico. The revised 

permit approving RH-TRU disposal at WIPP was 

signed on October 16, 2006, by the state of New 

Mexico. DOE is now preparing the facility for start 

of operations for processing RH-TRU debris. RHTRU debris operations are expected to begin in 

February 2008.

Waste drums containing mixed low-level waste are being 

prepared for safe transport to their final repository 
34

Public Involvement

Oak Ridge Reservation

 FY 2007 was a significant year for public 

involvement on the Oak Ridge Reservation. DOE 

and stakeholders updated the document “Public 

Involvement Plan for CERCLA Activities on the U.S. 

Department of Energy Oak Ridge Reservation.” 

This document, which is updated every three years, 

provides guidance on how the public can become 

involved in Reservation remedial decisions. Sessions 

were held with the public and local stakeholder 

groups to make the document more user-friendly.

 Another public involvement initiative was the 

release of the Remediation Effectiveness Report/Five 

Year Review and a public meeting on the document 

held in conjunction with the Oak Ridge Site Specific 

Advisory Board (ORSSAB).

 The Remediation Effectiveness Report is produced 

annually, and every five years a comprehensive 

review required under CERCLA is completed. 

 While the annual report evaluates if the remedy 

is working as planned, the Five-Year Review evaluates whether that chosen remedy is still effective and 

appropriate under today’s conditions. It also reevaluates the protectiveness of the cleanup decisions.

 The public meeting, held May 2007, included a presentation of the key conclusions of the Report 

as well as a poster session in which individuals could pose questions to project personnel. The format 

of the meeting was largely based on recommendations from the ORSSAB.

 DOE also provide information and sought input from the public on a variety of other initiatives in 

FY 2007, including the following:

• Environmental Assessment to evaluate the potential environmental impacts of processing uranium233 and the Building 3019 Complex shutdown at Oak Ridge National Laboratory,

• Permit renewal for transuranic storage areas and the Transuranic Waste Processing Center,

• Covenant Deferral Requests for ETTP property, and

• Modifications of waste permits for Oak Ridge Reservation facilities.

 Other Public Involvement initiatives included the monthly distribution of Public Involvement News, 

distribution of the FY 2006 version of Cleanup Progress, and updates of project fact sheet that are 

made available at the DOE Information Center and other venues.

Involvement Includes New 

Plan, Remediation Report
35

 The ORSSAB posted several 

key accomplishments in FY 2007 

in its mission to provide informed 

advice and recommendations to 

DOE on its Oak Ridge EM program and to involve the public 

in environmental decision-making. ORSSAB is an independent, 

volunteer, federally appointed 

citizens’ panel formed in 1995.

Melton Valley Closure

 For many years the Melton 

Valley burial grounds posed the 

highest risk at the Oak Ridge 

Reservation to human health 

and the environment. As a result 

of more than 50 years of operation, production, and research 

activities at Oak Ridge National 

Laboratory, a legacy of disposal 

sites, contaminated facilities, and 

areas of secondary contamination were spread over 160 acres 

of the watershed’s 1062 acres. 

 DOE’s cleanup project for 

the valley included a wide array of complicated and difficult activities, such as hydraulic 

isolation through installation of 

multilayer caps; removal, treatment, and disposal of retrievable transuranic waste; and in 

situ grouting. DOE has completed remedial actions in the valley, 

bringing the project to a close 

and ending a decade of involvement and oversight by ORSSAB.

 Beginning in January 1998 

with its “End Use Recommendation for the Disposal Areas 

in Melton Valley,” the board 

made 20 recommendations to 

DOE related to various aspects 

of Melton Valley cleanup. An inestimable number of hours were 

devoted by the board members 

in studying, debating, and writing 

recommendations on numerous 

issues related to the project and 

the acceptable end state for the 

area. 

 The remediation work was 

a huge undertaking that addressed 219 release sites over 

the course of six years at a cost 

of $360 million. It could have 

cost as much as $1.6 billion had 

all the waste been removed and 

shipped off site, but the board 

played an instrumental role in 

the decision to leave some relatively short-lived contamination 

in place in order to save taxpayers millions of dollars.

ORSSAB Provides Input on Several Issues

FY 2008 ORSSAB members, liaisons, and student representatives. Seated, left to right: Mike Haygood, Gloria 

Mei, Sondra Sarten, Rhonda Bogard, Hubert Gibson (Student Representative), Jan Teague. Standing, left to 

right: Bill Bass, John Owsley (TDEC Liaison), Pat Halsey (DOE Federal Coordinator), Steve Dixon (Vice chair), Ted 

Lundy (Secretary), Bob Olson, Kevin Westervelt, Dave Adler (DOE Liaison), Lance Mezga (Chair), David Martin, 

Charles Jensen, David Branch, Ron Murphree, Darryl Bonner, Steve McCracken (DOE Deputy Designated Federal 

Officer), Ben Adams. Not pictured: John Coffman, Ashlyn Hall (Student Representative), Tim Myrick, Steve Stow, 

Connie Jones (EPA Liaison).
36

Independent Verification

 In early 2007 the fruits of an ORSSAB recommendation began to be realized. Millions are 

being spent at ETTP to dismantle scores of old 

buildings and prepare the site for eventual use as 

a private industrial park. But how receptive will 

industry be to locating in an area where DOE 

generated a plethora of hazardous and radioactive waste materials? Will companies be willing 

to invest in a site without assurance that the land 

and any remaining buildings available for lease 

are free of contaminants?

 One way to assuage such concerns is to conduct an independent verification that cleanup requirements have been met and that the land and 

buildings are safe to use. 

 ORSSAB investigated the need and use of 

independent verification at ETTP and crafted a 

recommendation to DOE to employ the process 

at the site. DOE accepted that recommendation 

and contracted the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education to do the work. DOE has recently approved the institute’s statement of work, 

as well as funding of $234,000 per year for three 

years.

 Many in the community have stated that 

reindustrialization is the key to success at ETTP, 

and through this ORSSAB initiative an important 

step is being taken to help achieve that success.

Oral History Initiative

 In Spring 2007, ORSSAB formed a subcommittee to explore the possibility of facilitating an 

oral history program for the Oak Ridge area. This 

history contains invaluable information to the EM 

program when determining the scope and the 

data necessary to approach areas of the reservation requiring remediation or in determining if an 

area does not require remediation. 

 About 275 oral history interviews have been 

conducted to date with Oak Ridge scientists, engineers, community leaders, and residents, but there 

is no central location housing all of the existing 

tapes, and no mechanism exists to manage an active oral history program in terms of cataloguing 

and transcribing tapes, identifying and interviewing people, and providing access to material to 

researchers and other interested parties.

 The subcommittee has begun looking into 

funding options and how other DOE sites similar 

to Oak Ridge have conducted or are conducting 

oral history programs. 

 In addition, the subcommittee, along with the 

Oak Ridge Public Library, organized the first in a 

series of workshops on October 11, 2007, that 

brought together many groups and individuals interested in preserving Oak Ridge history. The purpose of the workshop was to help resolve several 

issues, including:

More than 

30 people 

representing various 

organizations in 

Oak Ridge attended 

a workshop to 

discuss ways 

to organize a 

comprehensive oral 

history program 

related to the 

DOE Oak Ridge 

Reservation. 
37

• What is the definition of an oral history?

• What are sources of funding?

• Should all oral histories be housed at one location along with the transcripts and other relevant files?

• Should a “permanent” administrative group/

advisory committee be formed to oversee the 

oral history program, and if so, who?

• What existing regulations/legislative acts control or influence an oral history program?

• Who are the individuals who need to be interviewed in the near future?

• What format of the end product will be most 

desired and easy to access?

• What organization will handle transcribing oral 

histories that have not yet been transcribed?

 ORSSAB’s work on the oral histories program 

is an important step in bringing cohesion to the 

various interests in the community on an issue of 

importance not only to the public but to the DOE 

Environmental Management program as well. 

Public Involvement Plan

 In 2007, DOE began working on an update 

of the Public Involvement Plan, which is required 

by CERCLA to be updated every three years.

 Two workshops were held with the public to 

work directly with DOE on this plan. ORSSAB also 

supplied numerous comments and suggestions, 

which were incorporated into the final document.

Remediation Effectiveness Report/

CERCLA Five-Year Review

 DOE is spending hundreds of millions of dollars in Oak Ridge each year cleaning up environmental contamination left from decades of 

nuclear enrichment and other activities. But how 

do you know it’s working?

 The answers lie in the Remediation Effective 

Report/CERCLA Five-Year Review, as discussed in 

the article on p. 34. 

 Because the Five-Year Review is so important, 

ORSSAB issued its “Recommendations on Logistics for a Public Meeting on the 2006 Remediation 

Effectiveness Report and CERCLA Five-Year Review” in November 2006. The board made several general recommendations about conducting 

the meeting, as well as specific recommendations 

concerning the agenda and publicity. A primary 

suggestion was to use an ORSSAB monthly meeting as a forum for the public meeting.

 DOE agreed and set the date for May 9, 

2007. About 50 people attended the meeting, 

which gave local stakeholders an important forum 

to express their views on both the Remediation Effectiveness Report and the CERCLA Five-Year Review.

Decommissioning Workshop 

 On March 9, 2007, ORSSAB sponsored a 

day-long workshop on the decommissioning process to give members a better understanding of 

what it takes to deal with structures like the K-25 

building. Seven board members attended, plus 

DOE and state personnel. The workshop was held 

at the DOE Information Center

Nine Recommendations Provided 

to DOE

 In FY 2007 the board generated several recommendations on cleanup-related issues, such 

as:

• the proposed method of accomplishment for 

decontamination and demolition of Buildings 

K-25 and K-27 at ETTP,

• long-term stewardship of contaminated sites, 

and

• the FY 2009 EM budget request. 

 ORSSAB also worked with the chairs of the 

other six SSABs that comprise the national EM 

SSAB to draft a joint recommendation to DOE on 

including public participation in technology development and deployment at DOE sites. Complete 

text of all the board’s recommendations is available on online at www.oakridge.doe.gov/em/

ssab/recc.htm.
38

DOE Information

Center

Phone: 865-241-4780 475 Oak Ridge Turnpike www.oakridge.doe.gov/info_cntr

 The DOE Information Center, located at 475 Oak Ridge Turnpike, Oak 

Ridge, Tenn., is a one-stop information 

facility that maintains a collection of 

more than 40,000 documents involving 

environmental activities in Oak Ridge. 

The Center hosts various meetings, including the ORSSAB meetings, relevant 

to cleanup activities in Oak Ridge. Staff 

are available Monday through Friday, 8 

a.m. to 5 p.m., to assist with your information needs. A web site is now available for users to search for information 

at the Center. Go to www.oakridge.doe.

gov and click on “Public Activities.” Select the “Online Catalog” to begin the 

search.
39

DOE Information Center

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) 241-4583, (865) 241-4584

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

Internet Sites

DOE Main Web Site www.energy.gov

DOE-ORO Home Page www.oakridge.doe.gov

DOE-ORO Environmental Management Program www.oakridge.doe.gov/external (Click on

 “Programs,” then select “Environmental 

 Management”)

Oak Ridge Site Specific Advisory Board www.oakridge.doe.gov/em/ssab

Oak Ridge Accelerated Cleanup www.bechteljacobs.com/doeclean/

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry www.atsdr.cdc.gov

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency www.epa.gov/region4/

Tennessee Department of Environment www.state.tn.us/environment/

and Conservation

DOE Information Center www.oakridge.doe.gov/info_cntr

Information Resources
40

AM action memorandum

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

CH contact-handled

D&D decontamination and demolition

DOE U.S. Department of Energy

DWI David Witherspoon Inc.

EM Environmental Management

EPA U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

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

MSRE Molten Salt Reactor Experiment

ORNL Oak Ridge National Laboratory

ORSSAB Oak Ridge Site Specific Advisory Board

PCB polychlorinated biphenyl

PCCR Phased Construction Completion Report

RCRA Resource Conservation and Recovery Act

RH remote-handled

ROD Record of Decision

SARM Southern Appalachian Railway Museum

SWSA Solid Waste Storage Area

TDEC Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation

TRU transuranic

TSCA Toxic Substances Control Act

TWPC TRU Waste Processing Center

UEFPC Upper East Fork Poplar Creek

UF6 uranium hexafluoride

WIPP Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico

Commonly Used Acronyms

EM Program
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42

A publication of the U.S. Department of Energy

For more information, contact the DOE Public Affairs Office at (865) 576-0885.