Proposed Plans Cap Busy Year for Public Involvement

Proposed Plans for the
remediation of ETTP “Zone 1" and
Upper East Fork Poplar Creek garnered
considerable stakeholder attention
in 2001.

Public comment for the Upper East
Fork Poplar Creek Proposed Plan began
in early 2001, accompanied by a public
meeting Feb. 22. The plan focused on a
portion of the overall UEFPC watershed,
dealing with sources of mercury and PCB
contamination in surface waters.

In late summer, the public weighed in
on the Zone 1 Proposed Plan document,
and a number of
stakeholders
participated in the
public meeting
September 6. Zone
1 deals exclusively
with cleanup of
areas outside the
main fenced
section of
East Tennessee
Technology Park.

Also at ETTP, an
Engineering
Evaluation/Cost
Analysis (EE/CA)
for the decontami-
nation,decommis-
sioning and demo-
lition of the K-25
and K-27 buildings
was the subject of
a comment period
and public information session August 16.
The informal poster session format had a
historic feel with many of the displays
harkening back to the earliest days of
Oak Ridge and the development of the

gaseous diffusion process for enriching
uranium.

The FY 2001 Remediation
Effectiveness Report/CERCLA 5-Year
Review was the subject of another public
information session, September 13. There

was no formal comment period for the
document, but stakeholder input was
taken into consideration.

Also in 2001, DOE undertook an
update of its Public Involvement Plan for

CERCLA Activities at the U.S. Department
of Energy Oak Ridge Reservation. Stake-
holder input for the update was sought
early and often, beginning with a Brown
Bag Workshop January 16. The workshop
helped to determine the elements to be
included in the plan, which serves as a
guide for informing and involving the
public in EM program activities and
decision-making. The formal public
comment period for the document ran
from March through April.

Other EM-related
activities that
involved the public
included:
¢ ETTP Water
Quality public
meeting, April 9,
2001
* Annual Site
Environmental Report

public meeting,

Jan. 11, 2001
¢ with the U.S.
Department of Labor,
a series of Town Hall
Meetings to discuss
compensation for ill
workers and their
families in Oak Ridge
in June and July.
These meetings were
a result of the new
law that will provide
$150,000 in lump-
sum compensation
as well as related medical expenses to
workers who became seriously ill
because of exposure to beryllium, silica,
or radiation at DOE nuclear facilities.

21



The Y-12 Watersheds consist of
tivo main geographic areas:

Bear Creek Valley and Upper
East Fork Poplar Creek (UEFPC).
The 4,500-acre Bear Creek Valley
contains burial grounds, oil
landfarms and settling ponds,
where waste from the plant was
disposed. UEFPC includes the
main Y-12 Complex, which is
located south of Oak Ridge and
covers approximately 800 acres.
The complex has played a pivotal
role in the enrichment of uranium
for nuclear weapons. Its current
mission involves the dismantling
of nuclear weapons components,
providing support for ORNL
research programs, and serving
as a manufacturing technology
and demonstration center.
Contaminants of concern include
mercury, radionuclides and

volatile organics in groundwater,

surface water and sediments.

S-3 Pond Remediation Proceeding

DOE is taking additional
steps to stem contaminant releases
from four unlined disposal ponds, called
the S-3 Ponds, at the west end of the
¥-12 Complex.

These ponds, constructed in 1951,
were used to store various liquid wastes
containing uranium and nitrate from
Y-12 operations. The ponds were closed
and capped, but because they are
located on a shallow groundwater and
surface water divide, contaminants
have been migrating from the site. The
contaminants seep into groundwater that
eventually discharges into Bear Creek and
its associated tributaries.

Three primary pathways of ground-
water flow have been identified on the
western side of the ponds. Pathways
1 and 2 are shallow-flow regimes that
discharge to the main stem of Bear
Creek. Both pathways are contaminated

primarily with uranium. Pathway 3 is
deeper and travels through the bed-
rock, discharging nitrate- and
cadmium-contaminated groundwater to
two tributaries of Bear Creek.

DOE is capturing and treating
contaminated groundwater from these
pathways so that risk to human health
and the environment are reduced.

Modifications were completed for
the Pathway 1 and Pathway 2 systems
to improve performance. Continuous
operation of the modified system began
in December 2000, During 2001, more
than 2 million gallons of contaminated
groundwater were treated by the system.

A treatment system for Pathway 3 is
under development.

A Pathway 3 pre-design
study system, pictured,

will help determine the
best method of remediation.

| Pipe is being
installed to
connect the
pathways of
S-3 Ponds
contamination.

i)



Steps involved in demolishing the K-25 and K-27 buildings.

asbestos
Construction
debris to ORR
Industrial
Landfill

Demolish; ) 5
facility

Non-radioactive

Abate asbestos,
characterize and remove
equipment

Sel >

| |

Reuse clean
scrap metal

&

Radioactive >| 4a
debris ‘és

Dispose at
EMWMF or NTS

Backill building
rubble (concrete)
on O.

K-1070-A Burial Ground To Be Remediated

Organic compounds and
radioactively contaminated wastes
from 62 pits and 26 trenches at the
K-1070-A Burial Ground at East
Tennessee Technology Park will be
excavated and disposed of at the
Environmental Management Waste
Management Facility. Included in the esti-
mated 20,000 cubic yards of waste are as
many as 500 gas cylinders and various

size containers (reported in the site dis-
posal inventory as empty). However, pre-
caution will be taken during remediation
as if all containers encountered are not
empty until a determination is made.
Waste characterization was completed in
September 2001. Excavation was sched-
uled to begin early June 2002. Field
crews are shown collecting waste charac-
terization samples at the site.



Information Resources

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

Telephone Numbers

DOE Public Affairs Office
(865) 576-0885

DOE-ORO Public Info Line
1-800-382-6938

Oak Ridge Site Specific Advisory Board
(865) 241-3665

Local Oversight Committee
(865) 483-1333

Tennessee Department of Environment
and Conservation
(865) 481-0995

Environmental Protection Agency,
Region IV 1-800-241-1754

Agency for Toxic Substances &
Disease Registry
1-888-422-8737

(Oak Ridge Office)

(865) 220-0295

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/em

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

Accelerating Cleanup: Paths to Closure
www.em.oakridge.doe.gov/closure/

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

Environmental Protection Agency
wuww.epa.gov/region4/

Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation
www.state.tn.us/environment/doec

DOE Public Reading Room
www.oro.doe.gov/foia/
DOE Public Reading Room.htm


TSCA Incinerator Continues Hazardous Waste Treatinent

The Toxic Substances Control
Act (TSCA) Incinerator, located at East
Tennessee Technology Park in Oak Ridge,
plays a key role in treatment of radioac-
tive polychlorinated biphenyl waste and
hazardous waste (“mixed waste”) from
the Oak Ridge Reservation and other
DOE facilities.

The TSCA Incinerator continued to
accomplish many new objectives this past
year, beginning with a trial burn that was
conducted May 14 to 25, 2001, to support
renewal of the Incinerator RCRA Permit

and PCB disposal approval. A permit
modification request was submitted to
the Tennessee Department of
Environment and Conservation on

July 26, 2001, to convert three existing
buildings to permitted hazardous waste
storage units for burn boxes containing
solids only. The Incinerator also treated
1,314,207 pounds of waste. More than 24
percent of the total, or 321,041 pounds,
was out-of-state waste.

Improved Technologies Being Used for Cleanup

Nearly everyone agrees that
cleanup of the environmental
legacy of the Cold War will be an expen-
sive, long-term process. Because of the
magnitude and nature of the problem,
development of new technologies offers
hope for acceleration and cost reduction,
both attractive alternatives for taxpayers.

In FY 2001, 13 new technologies joined
the DOE-ORO Environmental Manage-
ment Program’s arsenal. Among the tech-
nologies deployed was a method for
inserting sensors into tanks or vaults, the
Video Inspection System deployed at
Oak Ridge National Laboratory. This
method can be used to evaluate the
tank's integrity or to characterize the
waste contained. Monitoring corrosion
in a steel-walled storage tank helps
guard against leakage. A corrosion probe
deployed detects electrochemical noise,
which indicates that corrosion
is taking place.

Much environmental cleanup involves
removing contaminants from surfaces,
soils, and water. Traditional approaches
frequently generate large quantities
of waste that must subsequently be
disposed of. EM successfully used two
commercially-available coatings to
remove surface radiological contamina-
tion in a former metal-recovery facility.

The vinyl-strippable coatings added no
contaminants to the waste stream and
avoided generation of large quantities of
liquid waste typical of other approaches.
EM successfully used low-temperature
thermal desorption to remove organic
contaminants from soils excavated from
part of the K-1070-C/D Burial Ground,
which is the source of most groundwater
contamination at ETTP.

Removing asbestos insulation from
buildings has been a slow, labor-intensive
process. EM used a trailer-
mounted vacuum with a
HEPA filter to remove
loose asbestos during
demolition of building
K-1001. The equipment
operated at a rate of
6-9 tons/hour, and
produced an estimated
60 percent compaction of
the waste for disposal.

As the amount of
waste generated by
cleanup work increases,
weight and volume
become larger cost fac-
tors in treatment and dis-
posal. EM deployed two
technologies to address
these issues in FY 2001.

The LiftLinerTM is a soft-sided shipping
container for low-specific-activity wastes
that offers advantages in weight and
capacity compared to the metal waste
boxes it replaces. The soft-sided contain-
ers also meet all regulatory requirements.

The HyperCompaction/ Shear was
used to super compact metal wastes
from D&D of gaseous diffusion buildings
at ETTP. The super compaction reduces
waste volume for savings in trans-
portation and disposal costs.

The LiftLinerTM soft-sided waste packaging system

offers weight and volume advantages
compared to the metal boxes it replaces.

19


ORNL Cooling Towers Dismantled

Six ORNL cooling tower structures have been
dismantled as a maintenance action. The deteriorated
condition of these towers posed a safety risk to the ORNL
workforce and to ongoing operations. The structures were
dismantled and the basins were cleaned and covered. The
debris was shipped to BNFL Inc. for compaction and dis-
During demolition posal at Envirocare in Utah.

After demolition

Metal Recovery Facility at ORNL Demolished

The Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Metal Recovery Facility, a pilot, small-scale
nuclear fuel reprocessing plant, has been
demolished.

The structure was a one-story, metal-sided
building that was operational between 1952
and 1960. The facility was used primarily to
recover fuel and other nuclear materials. The
fuel reprocessing took place in the building's
seven concrete hot cells; fission products were
also separated out.

Also demolished were the walls of the
dissolver pit, a small storage building, and a
canal associated with operations at the facility.
The dissolver pit and other small pits and sumps
were first drained and decontaminated, then
stabilized with grout. All but ten 55-gallon drums
of transuranic waste and three 55-gallon drums of
lead debris generated from this project were
disposed of at Envirocare in Utah.

Shown is the ORNL
Metal Recovery
Facility before and
during demolition,
above, and the
cleared site after
demolition.

What is the Comprehensive Environmental Response,
Compensation, and Liability Act?

DOE's Oak Ridge Reservation was environment. Placement on the The selected alternative must
placed on the Environmental NPL means that DOE must follow CER- _ reflect the wishes of the regulators
Protection Agency's National Priorities CLA requirements. Under the CERCLA (EPA and the State of Tennessee) as
List (NPL) in 1989. The NPL is an EPA process, a Record of Decision formally well as the public.
list of waste sites across the country documents the selection of a preferred
that pose the greatest long-term cleanup method after a series of steps
threat to human health and the to identify the best alternative.

ea ES PS Pe RRS |
11



Hmnie Ww
Unit iL. W

The Oak Ridge National
Laboratory (ORNL) Watershed
encompasses tivo distinct geo-
graphic regions: Melton Valley
and Bethel Valley. Past ORNL
operations have resulted in con-
tamination at these sites. Melton
Valley occupies about 1,000
acres in the southern portion of
ORNL. Bethel Valley occupies
about 1,700 acres, including
the main area of ORNL.
Contaminants of concern include
low-level radioactive wastes,
uansuranics, metals, and poly-

chlorinated biphenyls.

J
)

nee

Gunite Tanks at Oak Ridge
National Laboratory Stabilized

Eight large underground
gunite tanks that, until a year ago,
contained the largest inventory of
underground contaminants at the Oak
Ridge National Laboratory, have been
stabilized.

In September 2000, radioactive sludge
and liquid was removed from the eight
gunite tanks. Stabilization of the tanks
was not scheduled until October 2001,
but because removal of the material had
been completed ahead of schedule,
officials were concerned that leaving the
50-foot diameter tanks empty for an
extended period could result in structural
failure if the gunite dried out. The tanks
were built during the World War II
Manhattan Project and were named for
their method of construction which
involved spraying gunite (a mixture of
cement, sand, and water) over a wire
mesh and steel reinforcing rod frame.

DOE decided in March 2001 to
expedite the stabilization of the tanks.
After completing the necessary regulatory

requirements. The tanks were filled with a
grouting mixture to prevent them from
collapsing. More than 1,000,000 gallons
of grout were used in the process.

Activities involved in the stabilization

included:

* removal of excess residual liquids
from the tanks,

* addition of dry material to absorb
any free liquid prior to tank
stabilization,

¢ stabilization of the tanks by filling
them with grout/flowable fill,

* disconnection of the tanks from the
active cell ventilation and continuous
level monitoring systems,

¢ removal of tank risers and demolition
of adjacent facilities to facilitate site
restoration, and

* restoration of site for beneficial
reuse.

The project was completed ahead of

schedule and with a cost avoidance of
$500,000.

Work at the gunite tank site at ORNL, above, has yielded a more stable site, right.


Remediation of K-1085 Old Firehouse Burn Area Completed

All drums and contaminated
soil at the K-1085 Old Firehouse Burn
Area, located adjacent to State Highway
58 near East Tennessee Technology Park,
have been excavated, characterized, and
placed into proper storage containers.

Tennessee Department of
Transportation workers discovered the

drums while removing an abandoned
natural gas pipeline in preparation for
widening the highway.

Five additional locations were
identified using geophysical investigation
results, All excavated areas have been
restored, allowing the state highway
project to proceed.

Contaminated drums were
excavated at the K-1085 site.

ETTP Three-Building D&D Project Progressing

BNFL Inc., under fixed price
contract to the Department of Energy,
is dismantling, removing, and disposition-
ing the materials and equipment within
the K-33, K-31, and K-29 gaseous
diffusion buildings at East Tennessee
Technology Park. The three buildings
cover more than 4.89 million square
feet and house more than 136,000 tons
of contaminated or potentially
contaminated material.

The purpose of the project is to
clean out and decontaminate the
three buildings to certain specifica-
tions, making them available for
reuse without radiological and other
safety concerns.

BNFL has dismantled, removed,
and dispositioned as waste or recycled
material a total of 65,880 tons of material.
The project was 54 percent complete at

the end of the FY 2001. BNFL completed

dismantlement and disposal of five of the

eight cascade units in K-33 in FY 2001.
Most of the material was disposed of at
Envirocare in Utah and at the Nevada

Pictured is a typical cell in K-33
before dismantlement.

Test Site. Some of the material is being
stored for future recycling. A total of
35,775 tons of metal from Building K-33
were dispositioned. An additional
12,250 tons of metal within K-33 was
dismantled to await disposition. BNFL
made the first classified low-level waste
shipment to the Nevada Test Site in
April 2001. BNFL started K-31 operation
in March 2001. The BNFL on-site
supercompactor started full operation
also in March 2001.

Complete dismantlement and
disposal of the last two of the eight
cascade units in K-33 and three of the
six cascade units in K-31 are expected
to be completed in FY 2002 along with
initiation of dismantlement and
disposal of one of the three cascade
units in K-29. The project is scheduled
to be completed end of FY 2004.

Zone 1 Proposed Plan, Record of Decision Developed

A Proposed Plan and Record
of Decision was developed in FY 2001
for the ETTP Zone 1 remediation. Zone 1
encompasses an area of approximately
1,400 acres located outside of the ETTP
main fence and surrounding the former
main plant production area.

DOE, the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA), and the Tennessee

Department of Environment and
Conservation (TDEC) agreed in
September 2000 on an approach for
cleaning up the Zone 1 areas.

Once soils are remediated in Zone 1,
additional data will be collected to sup-
port a final decision on soil, groundwater,
surface water, and sediment remediation.
Decision making on the cleanup

approach for the main plant portion of
ETTP will take place after more of the
buildings are demolished so that soils
can be more easily sampled and remedi-
ated.

A public meeting on the Proposed
Plan was held in September 2001.


DOE encourages public
involvement in the decision-
making process. Effective public
involvement and good community
relations rest on a foundation of
positive relationships. Methods
used to encourage public
involvement vary and may include
informal conversations, electronic
communication, scheduled
meetings and workshops, legally
required hearings, and stakeholder
advisory groups.

ORSSAB Provides Numerous
Recommendations on EM Projects

The Oak Ridge Site
Specific Advisory Board
(ORSSAB) made signifi-
cant progress this year in
its mission to provide
advice and recommen-
dations to DOE on its
Oak Ridge EM
Program. The group
was formed in 1995
and is chartered under
the Federal Advisory
Committee Act.

Significant accomplish-
ments for
FY 2001 include the following:

* The board made a record 20 recom-
mendations and comments to DOE,
EPA, and the State of Tennessee this
year on important topics such as the
DOE budget, long-term stewardship,
and the Toxic Substances Control
Act Incinerator.

ORSSAB established a Stewardship
Education Subcommittee to reach
out to students and the community
at large with long-term stewardship
education to help ensure that
stewardship issues are understood.

* Seven new members were seated this
year, and an extensive education effort
was undertaken to inform them on
EM Program issues and ORSSAB
procedures. Activities included
an orientation meeting and a tour
of the ORR.

The board sponsored a tour of
disposal sites in the southwestern
United States to educate ORSSAB
members about waste disposal
practices at locations where EM
wastes are being disposed or may be
disposed in the future. Sites included
Envirocare of Utah, near Salt Lake
City; the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in
Carlsbad, N.M.; and the Nevada Test
Site and Yucca Mountain Project near
Las Vegas.

* Ad hoc committees were established

to study and make recommendations

‘on the FY 2001 Remediation
Effectiveness Report/CERCLA
5-Year Review, EPA's “Draft
Public Involvement
Policy," DOE
Headquarters’
“Revised Public
Participation
Guidance,” and the
draft Public
Involvement Plan for
CERCLA Activities at the
U.S. DOE Oak Ridge
Reservation.
¢ Anad hoc committee was
impaneled to participate in creation of
an “Oak Ridge Success Story” docu-
ment — a concept being developed
by a broad coalition of local communi-
ty, government, and business groups
to promulgate an accurate picture of
environmental conditions in
Oak Ridge.

* The board appointed a representative
to participate on the Community Input
Team for the ETTP Water Quality
Project, which was established by
DOE to determine the historical
potential for contamination of
ETTP's drinking water.

ORSSAB has 20 members chosen to
reflect the diversity of gender, race,
occupation, views, and interests of per-
sons living near the ORR. Members are
selected by an independent screening
panel and are appointed by DOE and
serve volun-tarily, without compensation.

All board and committee meetings are
open to the public and are announced in
newspaper advertisements, in the Federal
Register, at the DOE Information Center
in Oak Ridge, and through the board's
24-hour information line: (865) 576-4750.

The Board maintains a web site at
http://www.oakridge.doe.gov/em/ssab
where additional information can be
found, Information also is available by
calling the ORSSAB support office at
(865) 241-3665 or (800) 382-4582.


Most Federal Facility Agreement Tanks Remediated

All but 3 of the 26 inactive
low-level waste tanks in Bethel
Valley and Melton Valley referred to as
the Federal Facility Agreement Tanks
have been remediated. Remediation of
three of the tanks has been deferred
because they contain transuranic waste
resins and require a more sophisticated
approach to retrieval and treatment.

These tanks were built to hold radioac-
tive liquid low-level waste resulting from
operations at Oak Ridge National
Laboratory. Through the years, the tanks
were removed from service as their
integrity was breached or as research
projects ended.

Tank remediation activities involved:

* performing tank video inspections to
confirm initial tank conditions;

* high pressure washing for sludge
removal;

¢ transferring waste to a high integrity
container and transporting it to a pre-

Efforts Taken to Eliminate Corehole 8 Plume Source

Pipeline leaks to Tank W-1A
have been a major source of contamina-
tion to the surrounding soil and ground-
water. A plume of contaminated ground-
water, referred to as the Corehole 8
plume, has spread east and west of the
tank site.

The liquid radioactive waste collec-
tion/storage Tank W-1A was commis-
sioned in 1951 and remained in service
for 35 years. Tank W-1A was used as a
storage tank for wastes from the high-
radiation analytical facilities.

To eliminate the source of this contam-
ination, the contents of Tank W-1A were
removed in 2001, and 90 percent of the
surrounding contaminated soil was exca-
vated. However, unexpectedly high con-

10

conditioning
tank;

¢ transferring
waste from
the high
integrity con-
tainer to the
precondition-
ing tank;

* transferring
the waste
from the preconditioning tank to
the ORNL Melton Valley Storage
Tanks for final disposition;

* performing tank video inspec-
tions to confirm final tank condi-
tions; and

¢ in-place tank grouting.
Remediation of these tanks

ensures that contaminant migration does
not occur.

centrations of transuranic contaminants
were encountered while excavating the
soils immediately surround-
ing and under the tank.
Excavation of this highly
contaminated soil was not
within the approved scope
of this removal action or
within the scope or expert-
ise of the selected contrac-
tor. Therefore, the tank and
approximately 100 cubic
yards of highly contaminat-
ed soil were left in-place to
be addressed later. The
excavated area was back-
filled to protect the ORNL
employees.

The site around one
of the FEA tanks,
Tank W-11, is
shown being
restored after tank
grouting.

Contaminated soil is being excavated at the
Corehole 8 plume source site, Tank W-1A.


OE/ORO/2002-2128



SWSA 4 Remediation Begins

The D2 Remedial Design
Report and Remedial Action
Work Plan for this project were sub-
mitted to the regulators for approval in
August 2001. The haul road upgrades
and borrow area development efforts
have been initiated.

This project includes the hydrologic
isolation of SWSA 4, Liquid Waste
Disposal Pit 1, the Pilot Pits Area, and
potentially, the 7819 Decontamination
Area, as well as the excavation of the
Intermediate Holding Pond. Hydrologic
isolation includes the installation of a

multilayered cap, upgradient stormflow
diversion trenches, and downgradient
collection trenches. To facilitate cap
installation, this project also includes
plugging unneeded wells within the cap
boundary, developing a borrow area and
associated haul roads, and relocating
Lagoon Road.

SWSA 4 was used for disposing vari-
ous liquid and solid radioactively contam-
inated wastes in unlined trenches and
auger holes from 1951 to 1959. SWSA 4
contains approximately 20,000 Ci of
radioactive wastes and contributed

approximately 38% of the total risk in sur-
face water to a hypothetical resident at
the White Oak Dam.

Pit 1 was constructed in 1951 to test
the feasibility of disposing liquid waste
into pits excavated in the natural clays in
Melton Valley. Pit 1 received liquid waste
from August to October 1951. In 1981, Pit
1 was backfilled and covered with an
asphalt cap. In 1991, the majority of
wastes disposed in Pit 1 were stabilized
as part of an in situ vitrification technolo-
gy demonstration.

13



Melton Valley Remediation Under Way

Several projects have gotten
under way within the Melton Valley
Watershed, which occupies approximate-
ly 1,000 acres in the southern portion
Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The
Melton Valley Record of Decision was
signed by the Federal Facility Agreement

parties in September 2000. The D2 reme-
dial design work plan (RDWP) was
approved by the regulators in May 2001,
with the approval of the land use control
implementation plan still outstanding.

Specific FY 2001 projects within the
Melton Valley Watershed include

Hydrofracture Wells Plugging and
Abandonment, SWSA 4 Remediation,
and decontamination and decommission-
ing of the Old Hydrofracture Facility, New
Hydrofracture Facility, and SWSA 4 Small
Facilities.

Several Hydrofracture Wells Plugged and Abandoned

The completion of plugging
and abandonment (P&A) of 33 monitoring
wells was a significant accomplishment
during FY 2001.

Between the 1960s and mid-1980s, the
process of deep injection of waste was
used at Oak Ridge National Laboratory to
dispose of radioactive liquids and sludges
in mixtures of waste with cement-based
grout and various additives. Two test
injection wells were constructed along
with boreholes and wells to observe the
behavior of the injected grout in the injec-
tion zone bedrock. At these two sites,
small quantities of radionuclides were
added to the injected grout to make the
grout sheets detectable using gamma
detectors.

The third and fourth injections wells
[called Old Hydrofracture Facility (OHF)
and New Hydrofracture Facility (NHF)]
were constructed for large-scale waste
disposal. More than 5 million gallons of
liquid waste-grout mix, containing
approximately 1.4 million Ci of activity,
were injected into artificially induced frac-
tures in a shale formation at depths of 300
to 1000 ft. All large-scale disposals were
at depths greater than 780 ft.
Contamination levels in hydrofracture
monitoring wells have been reported as
high as 97 million pCi/L gross beta, which
could potentially migrate up an
unplugged well bore. To prevent this
migration, a remedial action was initiated

12

in 2001 to plug and abandon the four
injection wells and 107 associated moni-
toring wells.

Wells are being grout-
ed in place with the
equipment pictured to
stabilize them.

In FY 2001, 33 wells
were plugged and
abondoned, almost
twice the number orig-
inally scheduled.



Fuel and Flush Salt to be Removed from MSRE Facility

The uranium deposits have
been removed from the Molten Salt
Reactor Experiment (MSRE) facility auxil-
iary charcoal bed, which was used to filter
the off-gas from the fuel drain tanks. This
removal ensured that an uncontrolled
chain reaction cannot occur and elimi-
nates the concern over the possibility
of a carbon-fluorine deflagration/
explosion (a chemical reaction that
would cause ignition of the charcoal
in the charcoal bed cell).

During FY 2001, the salt removal
equipment was designed and installed
at the MSRE. The construction of the
conversion facility and removal of the
salt from the MSRE facility will have
to be completed under the terms of
the work required by the MSRE
Record of Decision.

MSRE operated from 1965 to 1969
to test the molten salt concept for com-
mercial nuclear power reactors. Unlike
most current commercial reactors that
have fuel confined to fuel rods, 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
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 fuel was
drained into two salt storage tanks, where

Uranium deposit removal equipment is
shown being installed at the
MSRE auxiliary charcoal bed.

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.

Surveillance activities in 1987 indicat-
ed 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,
removal actions were taken to reduce
the risk and safely manage the fuel and
flush salts in their respective drain tanks.

A Record of Decision was signed in

1998 to remove the fuel and flush salts

and to build a conversion facility for the

removal materials. The selected remedy
includes:

* melting and chemically treating the

salt in the drain tank cell;

* separating the uranium from the salts,
converting the uranium to a stable
oxide;
transferring the converted uranium to
the U-233 repository at the Laboratory;
packaging the residual salt; and
* placing the salt in interim storage at

the Laboratory until arrangements are
made for final disposition.

°

Bethel Valley Cleanup Addressed in Record of Decision

Cleanup areas located in the
Bethel Valley area at Oak Ridge
National Laboratory are addressed in the
Bethel Valley Record of Decision. The lan-
guage of the Record of Decision has
been agreed to by the three FFA parties
(DOE, Environmental Protection Agency,
and the Tennessee Department of
Environment and Conservation). At the
end of FY 2001, DOE was delaying the

signing of this ROD to ensure that the
regulatory aspects of the decisions are
consistent with the timing, funding, and
cleanup concepts related in the DOE
Environmental Management top-to-bot-
tom report.

Surface water, soils, buildings, and
source units are being evaluated as a
single entity (i.e., watershed) to ensure
that a consistent approach to remediation

is implemented across the valley.

Final groundwater decisions are being
deferred. Selection of the preferred
alternative for the remediation of the
Bethel Valley area in the Record of
Decision will lead to the establishment
of remediation goals and identification
of the sequence of actions to be taken
during remediation of Oak Ridge
National Laboratory.





The East Tennessee Technology
Park (ETTP) Watershed encom-
passes all of the former Oak
Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant
(later called the K-25 Site, and
then ETTP) and the surrounding
areas. ETTP, which sits on a
1,400-acre tract of land, began
operations in World War II as
part of the Manhattan Project.
Its original mission was to
procure uranium enriched for
use in atomic weapons. The plant
produced enriched uranium for
the commercial nuclear power
industry from 1965 to 1985 and
was permanently shut down in
1987. Restoration of the environ-
ment, decontamination and
decommissioning of the facilities,
and management of the legacy
wastes have since been major
activities. Reindustrialization,
Which involves bringing in
private companies to use the

facility, began in 1996, and the
site was renamed ETTP in 1997.

ETTP Building Demolition Continues

Several unneeded buildings
and other facilities throughout
East Tennessee Technology Park have
been demolished or are scheduled
for demolition, including the historic
K-25 Building.

Group I, the K-25 Auxiliary
Facilities Area: The five facilities
included in the K-25 Auxiliary Facilities
Area Demolition (KAFaD) Group |
Building Demolition are K-724, K-725,
K-1031, K-1131, and K-1410.

After demolition, the building
concrete slabs were scabbled to remove
fixed contamination. The K-724 slab
and a large portion of the K-725 slab
were successfully cleaned to unrestricted
use levels.

After two passes with scabbling
equipment, contamination was still
present on the K-1031, K-1131, and
K-1410 concrete slabs. These slabs had
the potential to create mobile, transfer-
able contamination close to surface
waters and storm drains. A 2-inch layer
of asphalt was applied to cover the
concrete slabs to stop the weathering of
the fixed contamination and help reduce
the potential for the spread of radioactive
contamination. Because the Group |
Auxiliary Facilities removal action is an
interim action, future CERCLA decisions
will determine the final remedy for the
contaminated slabs, soils, and below-
grade structures. Remaining activities for
this project are debris disposition.

In 2001, 945 ft° of industrial waste from
this action was sent to the Oak Ridge
Reservation Industrial Landfill. Disposition
of 5,800 ft? of low-level waste was
delayed so that it can be disposed of at
the under-construction Environmental
Management Waste Management
Facility. Disposing of this waste at this on-
site facility rather than shipping it out of
state will save $250,000.

Group II Buildings, K-25 Auxiliary
Facilities Main Plant: The buildings in
this grouping include K-1300, K-1301,
K-1302, K-1303, K-1405, K-1407, and
K-1413. Three were demolished under
CERCLA in 2001: K-1301, K-1405, and
K-1407. Demolition of K-1303 and K-1413
were in progress at the end of FY 2001,
and Building K-1303 is now demolished.
Three additional buildings were demol-
ished under the National Environmental
Policy Act: K-1054A, K-1404, and K-1408.
The remaining facilities will be demolished
with concrete floor slabs remaining in
place with the exception of K-1407 and
K-1303, where the slabs were removed.
The slabs will either be decontaminated to
unrestricted levels to remove fixed con-
tamination or covered with asphalt to
prevent the potential for the spread of
radioactive contamination. Because the
Group II Auxiliary Facilities removal action
is an interim action, future CERCLA deci-
sions will determine the final remedy for
the contaminated slabs, soils, and below-
grade structures,

K-25/K-27 Buildings: The K-25
Building is the largest building on the
Oak Ridge Reservation and covers
approximately 1,637,170 ft’. The
U-shaped building was built during the
Manhattan Project and contains approxi-
mately 3,018 stages of gaseous diffusion
process equipment and associated auxil-
iary systems, which will be removed and
disposed of. Each stage consists of a con-
verter, two compressors, two compressor
motors, and associated piping. The K-27
Building covers approximately 383,000 ft?
and contains approximately 540 stages
of gaseous diffusion equipment and
associated auxiliary equipment. A public
information session was held in 2001 to
solicit comments from the public on this
project. A contract for the removal of
asbestos was awarded.


Bear Creek Valley

Hydraulic Controls at Boneyard/Burnyard Reducing
Contaminant Releases into Bear Creek

Some of the first wastes
that weve disposed of in Oak
Ridge began in 1943 at a waste site called
Boneyard/Burnyard (BY/BY). Both
radiological and nonradiological wastes
where disposed of at this site, which
continued receiving wastes until 1970.

DOE is now cleaning up portions
of the site to reduce the release of
contaminants into Bear Creek and its
tributaries.

A fabric filter blanket is being
installed in a trench at the
Boneyard/Burnyard site. This action
is one of a series of hydraulic isola-
tion measures taken to reduce con-
taminant migration.

Three release sites are associated
with the BY/BY remediation project:

¢ Hazardous Chemical Disposal Area
(HCDA): The HCDA was historically
used to dispose of chemicals that were
deemed to be hazardous to plant
workers, including acids, bases, and
miscellaneous liquids. The area was
capped in the 1980s.

* BY/BY, including Bear Creek Tributary
3 Floodplain Soils: Combustible wastes

Same area after filter blanket
installation and restoration of site.

at the BY/BY, including uranium

turnings, were placed either on the

surface, or in trenches, and set on fire.

The area was also used for storing

abandoned equipment, which resulted

in surface contamination. This waste is
now leaching to shallow groundwater
that discharges to surface water.

* Oil Land Farm (OLF) Soils
Containment Pad: This structure is a
below-grade storage pad that contains
570 yd? of PCB-contaminated soils
excavated during closure of the OLF.
Work being conducted has been divid-

ed into three phases:

* Phase |: remedial design.

© Phase Il: hydraulic isolation at the
BY/BY and removal/disposal of OLF
Soils Containment Pad.

Phase Ill: excavation and disposal of
BY/BY waste.

Phase II actions have been completed.
The series of hydraulic isolation measures
have substantially reduced
contamination entering Bear Creek from
this site and dried out the site
in preparation for excavation. The
OLF Soils Containment Pad has also been
removed and disposed of.

Interim Source Controls Considered for UEFPC

The language of the Upper
East Fork Poplar Creek Record
of Decision has been agreed to by the
three FFA parties (DOE, Environmental
Protection Agency, and the Tennessee
Department of Environment and
Conservation). At the end of FY 2001,
DOE was delaying the signing of this
ROD to ensure that the regulatory

16

aspects of the decisions are consistent
with the timing, funding,

and cleanup concepts related in the
DOE Environmental Management
top-to-bottom report.

This Record of Decision focuses on
interim source control actions for remedi-
ation of mercury-contaminated surface
water. Subsequent Records of Decision

will address soil remedial actions for
worker protection, additional surface
water actions as necessary, building
decontamination and decommissioning,
and groundwater actions.


Millions of Gallons of Wastewater Treated Yearly in Oak Ridge

Wastewater, and the by-prod-
ucts of treati for release into
the environment, is an inevitable result of
any industrial operation. Many millions of
gallons of wastewater are treated yearly
on the Oak Ridge Reservation.

The West End Treatment Facility at
Y-12 processes about 8 million gallons of
wastewater each year. This wastewater
may include hazardous materials such as
PCBs, cyanide, mercury, cadmium,
chromium, and uranium. The hazardous
materials end up in the sludge that
results from wastewater treatment. In FY
2001, 1.2 million kg of sludge (about
1,320 tons) was treated and packaged for
off-site disposal. The remaining inventory
will be treated and disposed of by the
end of FY 2004,

At East Tennessee Technology Park,
the Central Neutralization Facility (CNF)

treated more than 34 million
gallons of wastewater in FY
2001, CNF is ETTP's primary
wastewater treatment facility
and processes both hazardous
and nonhazardous waste
streams arising from

multiple waste treatment facil-
ities and remediation projects.
The facility removes heavy
metals and suspended solids
from the wastewater, adjusts
pH, and discharges the treat-
ed effluent into the Clinch
River. Sludge from the
treatment facility is current-

ly stored in drums at ETTP,
pending future treatment

and disposal.

The Central Neutralization Facility is the
primary wastewater treatment facility at ETTP,
processing both hazardous and nonhazardous
wastewater from multiple plant sources.

Reservation Wastes Disposed Of in a Variety of Ways

Operations at the Oak Ridge
Reservation (ORR) produce wastes
that frequently contain radionuclides.
Such wastes are characterized as either
low-level (LLW) or transuranic (TRU)
wastes. These wastes may also contain
materials that are deemed hazardous
and are regulated under the Resource
Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA),
which are then characterized as mixed
low-level wastes (MLLW).

Transuranic wastes from throughout
the DOE complex are to be disposed of
at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP)
near Carlsbad, New Mexico. Before
shipping TRU wastes to WIPP; however,
it must be treated and packaged to meet
the waste acceptance criteria.

DOE awarded a contract to Foster
Wheeler Environmental Corporation in
1998 to build and operate a TRU-waste
treatment facility on the ORR. In FY 2001,
an ~1000-ft. extension to the access road
from White Wing Road (State Route 95)

18

and fencing of the ~20-acre site was
completed. TRU waste processing will

begin in 2003.

Most legacy and newly-generated

LLW from the ORR will be
disposed of at the Nevada
Test Site (NTS), DOE's
Hanford site, or at commercial
disposal facilities. MLLW is
disposed of at commercial
facilities, and in FY 2001

the ORR MLLW inventory
was reduced by more than
3,600 m3, Only about

20 percent of the legacy
MLLW existing in storage at
the beginning of the Bechtel
Jacobs Company contract
remains, which has allowed
the Waste Disposition Project
to close more than 9 acres of
RCRA-permitted storage area
across the ORR since April
1998. The Waste Disposition

Project received certification in FY 2001 to
dispose of LLW at the NTS, and shipped
35 waste monoliths were shipped for
disposal before the end of the fiscal year.

rl
Much of the legacy and newly-generated
LLW and MLLW is stored in tanks pending
treatment and disposal. Reducing this
inventory reduces surveillance and
maintenance costs and avoids

releases to the environment.


If you have comments or
suggestions about this report,
please contact the DOE Public
Affairs office at (865) 576-0885.

You can find out more about
DOE Oak Ridge Operations at
http:/vww.oakridge.doe.gov.

This document has been
approved for release to the
public by the Classification and
Information Control Office at
East Tennessee Technology Park.

Nate {| re ae ee ee ee ee

ETTP Building Demolition Continues
K-1070-A Burial Ground To Be Remediated

Remediation of K-1085 Old Firehouse Burn Area Completed ......++++ 7
ETTP Three-Building D&D Project Progressing «1.1... ++ esse eneeee 7
Zone 1 Proposed Plan, Record of Decision Developed ......+.+++0+++ 7
IRNL Wate 1; rr ‘
Gunite Tanks at Oak Ridge National Laboratory Stabilized
Fuel, Flush Salt to be Removed from MSRE Facility .......++++++0++ 9
Bethel Valley Cleanup Addressed in Record of Decision .....+++++++5 9
Most Federal Facility Agreement Tanks Remediated 10
Efforts Taken to Eliminate Corehole 8 Plume Source 10
ORNL Cooling Towers Dismantled 6... 0000 cere eer eer e eee eens 11
Metal Recovery Facility at ORNL Demolished ......+ +++ +0000 eeeee 11
What is the Comprehensive Environmental Response,
Compensation and Liability Act? . 60.6 s eee cece eens 11
Melton Valley Remediation Under Way 12
Several Hydrofracture Wells Plugged and Abandoned . . 12
13

SWSA 4 Remediation Begins
Decontamination and Decommissioning Activities Ongoing
at Melton Valley ....

J

S-3 Pond Remediation Proceeding 1.1.1... ccc sree seen eee e eens 15
Hydraulic Controls at Boneyard/Burnyard Reducing
Contaminant Releases in Bear Creek 6.1.6.6 eee seen eee eee ene 16
Interim Source Controls Considered for Upper East Fork Poplar Creek .16
J iV /Te yalogy Dev emt LF
Construction of CERCLA Waste Management Facility
Nearing Completion .... 66.00 cece cece eee e eens 17
Millions of Gallons of Wastewater Treated Yearly in Oak Ridge ...... 18
Reservation Wastes Disposed of in a Variety of Ways .....+++e000 18
TSCA Incinerator Continues Hazardous Waste Treatment .......+++ 19
Improved Technologies Being Used for Cleanup ......++.0eee veers 19
yolvernent wsivvneewecererrseravns 20
ORSSAB Provides Numerous Recommendations on EM Projects ..... + 20
Proposed Plans Cap Busy Year for Public Involvement ......+++.+++ 21
eS eT 22


| hope you enjoy this second annual edition of Cleanup Progress, our Environmental
Management status report to the community. It is designed to give you, the stake-
holders, an overview of the past year's progress and future challenges in cleaning up
the Oak Ridge Reservation.

Again this year, we have organized this report to mirror the cleanup program—by
watershed. The Oak Ridge Reservation is divided into three main watersheds: the
East Tennessee Technology Park (ETTP) Watershed, which encompasses the main
ETTP plant and surrounding areas; the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, which
includes Bethel Valley and Melton Valley; and the Y-12 Watershed, which includes
Upper East Fork Poplar Creek and Bear Creek Valley.

Also inside is an update on the latest waste management and technology develop-
ment efforts, as well as a summary of recent public involvement initiatives.

| assumed the position of Assistant Manager for Environmental Management earlier
this year. Still being relatively new to the job, | continue to be impressed by the vari- :
ety of cleanup projects that are taking place throughout the Reservation and that Gerald G. Boyd
have already been accomplished here.

And yet, much remains to be done. Secretary Abraham's Top-to-Bottom Review, completed after the time frame
covered in this document, identified the need for more efficient, cost-effective cleanup as an issue across the DOE com-
plex. It challenged us to identify ways to swiftly clean up serious problems at sites and reduce the risks to human health,
safety, and the environment. The Oak Ridge Operation Office EM program has accepted this challenge to reexamine
our program priorities and funding as we work with our regulators and stakeholders to accomplish our cleanup mission.

Let me say “thank you” for your patience and for bearing with us during this time of transition. | look forward to meeting
you, working with you, and getting to know your interests and concerns in the days to come. Please let me know how we
can do a better job of keeping you informed and involved—through this publication or through any of your many other
public involvement activities.

--Gerald G. Boyd

For more information about this publication or the current status on any of the projects discussed, please contact
the DOE Public Affairs Office at (865) 576-0885.

The project photos on the cover show a variety of cleanup initiatives.
More information on these photos can be found throughout this publication.


D&D Activities Ongoing at Melton Valley

Three projects in Melton Valley have
moved into the decontamination and
decommissioning (D&D) phase of work.

Old Hydrofracture Facility (OHF) D&D
Facility demolition has been initiated at
the OHF site, which was used from 1964
to 1979 for permanent disposal of liquid
radioactive waste in shale formations at
depths greater than 780 feet. Various
facilities were required to support the
waste disposal operations. These includ-
ed fiveincluded five underground tanks
used for storing liquid waste before mix-
ing it with grout; surface structures for
storing, mixing, and handling the
grout/liquid waste mixture; and an
impoundment (OHF Pond) and waste pit
(T-4 Waste Pit) for emergency storage of

Old and New Hydrofracture facilities
before demolition activities

liquid waste in case of system failures.
Operations were terminated in 1980,
leaving approximately 50,000 gallons of
transuranic waste in the five underground
storage tanks. This waste has been
removed and transferred to the Melton
Valley Storage Tanks for processing and
disposal.

An additional removal action was con-
ducted in FY 2000 that stabilized (i.e.,
grouted) the OHF Pond, the five storage
tanks, and the T-4 Waste Pit. This

14

CERCLA removal action, which is part of
the MV Record of Decision, addresses
the D&D of the OHF structures and
equipment, which must be accomplished
prior to installing the SWSA 5 cap.
Inactive buildings, surplus above-
ground structures, and equip-
ment items at the OHF site are
being demolished to ground level
(slab). Subsurface structures
encountered during remediation
will be filled using concrete or
other inert and stable material.
Structures and equipment to be
addressed include the OHF
Building (7852), pumphouse and
valve pits, above-grade portions
of Waste Pit T-4, and abandoned
tank remediation equipment and
miscellaneous debris.

New Hydrofracture Facility (NHF) D&D
A fixed-price subcontract has been
awarded to perform D&D of the NHF,
which was constructed in 1980 following
the closure of the OHF to serve as the
operational hydrofracture waste disposal
facility for Oak Ridge National
Laboratory. The facility performed 13
operational injections, averaging approxi-
mately 220,000 gal of waste/grout mix-
ture per injection, between June 1982
and January 1984. This action addresses
D&D of the NHF surface structures and
equipment. Remediation of the injection
well and monitoring wells is being
addressed in a separate action. Above-
grade structures (i.e., Bldg. 7860) bulk
storage bins, etc., will be demolished to
slab level, and slabs will be removed.
Below-grade structure and equipment
(i.e., piping, valves, pumps, etc.) will be
grouted in place. The contents of Tank
T-13 will be removed and the tank shell
grouted in-place.

SWSA 4 Small Facilities D&D
Demolition of facilities and equipment
has been completed on SWSA 4. Prior to
the SWSA 4 cap installation, existing
facilities and equipment within the cap

Building 7819 during demolition

footprint must be demolished to slab.
Residual contamination will be handled
under the SWSA 4 remediation project.
The facilities and equipment demolished
as part of this project include the Alpha
Greenhouse Facility (7833),
Decontamination Facility (7819), Pilot Pits
Building (7811), Solid Waste Leaching
Lysimeters (7811), and the off-gas hood
and structure used during the Pit 1 in situ
vitrification technology demonstration.
Remediation of the shielded transfer
tanks, originally in the project scope, has
been deferred, with regulatory agency
agreement, to a future action.



Waste Management involves the
treatment, storage, and disposal
of the by-products of operating or
cleaning up the facilities of the
Oak Ridge Reservation. Wastes
managed include wastewater,
contaminated groundwater, sani-
lary wastes, industrial wastes,
classified (national security)
wastes, gases, construction or
demolition wastes, and earthen
materials. Any such wastes may
in addition include or be contam-
inated with radioactivity or
hazardous materials. Waste
management is regulated by
various federal and state regula-
tions, the application of which

is determined by the waste itself
and its constituents or contami-
nants. Treatment and disposal
include on-site and commercial
or federal offsite facilities.

Construction of CERCLA Waste
Management Facility Nearing Completion

Approximately 75 percent of
the construction of the Environmental
Management Waste Management Facility
({EMWMP), also known as the CERCLA
Waste Facility, was completed in 2001.

The facility, located in East Bear Creek
Valley near the Y-12 Complex, is an
on-site waste facility that will contain the
waste generated during cleanup of the
Oak Ridge Reservation and associated
sites in Tennessee. The facility will initially
be large enough to contain 400,000 yd*
of waste and may be
expanded to
as many as 2,000,000 yd?

Construction complet-
ed during FY 2001
includes:

* relocation of the 161kV
electric line and an
above-ground storage
facility;

* completion of all site
earthwork and con-
struction of the north,

east and south berms;

installation of and collection of back-
ground samples from the groundwater
monitoring well network;

completion of sedimentation basin
and all associated site drainageways;
construction of the test pads for the
geobuffer and clay liner;

installation of the leachate storage
pad and tanks; and

installation of the 10 ft. thick
geobuffer and 3 ft. thick clay liner.

The CERCLA Waste Facility, shown under con-
struction, will accept wastes generated during
cleanup of the Oak Ridge Reservation.