1

DOE/ORO-2496

Annual Report to the

Oak Ridge Regional 

Community

2014

Cleanup Progress
2
1

Message from the EM Manager

Department of Energy Oak Ridge Office

To the Oak Ridge Regional Community:

Reflecting on 2014, I am extremely proud of the Department of Energy (DOE) 

Oak Ridge Office’s accomplishments. We completed the Department of Energy’s largest-ever demolition project, transferred unneeded land to the community to bolster 

economic development opportunities, and progressed on cleanup projects at the Oak 

Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and the Y-12 National Security Complex (Y-12). 

And, planning is under way to carry this momentum forward and continue to realize 

tangible successes in our effort to complete cleanup of the Oak Ridge Reservation.

Undoubtedly, our most notable accomplishment in Fiscal Year 2014 was the 

successful completion of the K-25 Building Demolition Project at East Tennessee 

Technology Park (ETTP), the former Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant. The K-25 

Building was built in the 1940s to support the Manhattan Project and later produced 

enriched uranium for commercial and defense purposes. We completed the K-25 project six months ahead of schedule and almost $300 million under its federal baseline 

budget. This early completion allowed us to retain our highly skilled workforce and 

begin the K-31 Demolition Project earlier than expected. Concurrently, we are continuing to prepare the K-27 Building for demolition, which is slated to begin next year. 

Eliminating all of the former ETTP gaseous diffusion process buildings will bring us one step closer to completing the transformation of a former Manhattan Project and Cold War complex into a viable location for private industry and sustainable economic development. In a 2014 visit to ETTP, Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam agreed with that assessment and shared our excitement about the 

possibilities to attract major industry to the site. Our work at the site has made that vision a possibility in the immediate future.

Of course, our cleanup focus extends beyond demolition at ETTP. The Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management is currently planning three capital asset projects that will further advance our cleanup objectives. At Y-12, we are proposing to construct a 

mercury treatment facility that will reduce the concentration of mercury in surface water and help prepare us for large-scale demolition 

at Y-12. We are also planning to construct a new disposal facility that will accept the debris from future cleanup at Y-12 and ORNL. 

And finally, we will build a sludge treatment facility at the Transuranic Waste Processing Center that will get us closer to removing all 

the transuranic waste from Oak Ridge.

Finally, I would like to recognize you, our stakeholders, as the best community partner in the Department’s Environmental Management program. Through your unwavering support, we are able to share a vision for Oak Ridge’s future and work together to make 

that a reality. I am encouraged that we will continue our important dialogue, and together we can develop a set of ideas that will help 

maintain our cleanup momentum. 

Thank you for your time, interest, and shared commitment to protect and restore the environment. We are grateful for your involvement and feedback that provide valuable insight to enhance our operations. I look forward to another great year of partnership 

and public participation as we work together to advance our cleanup mission in Oak Ridge.

Environmental Management

safety v performance v cleanup v closure

E

 M

Sue Cange

Susan M. Cange

Manager
2

Introduction.....................................................................................................................................................................................4

East Tennessee Technology Park...........................................................................................................................................5

Historic K-25 Building demolished........................................................................................................................................................7 

K-31 demolition begins.........................................................................................................................................................................9

Workers preparing K-27 for demolition...............................................................................................................................................10

Work continues to reduce ETTP environmental contamination.........................................................................................................12

Progress continues on commemorating the K-25 Site.......................................................................................................................13

Parcels transferred as ETTP Reindustrialization progresses.............................................................................................................14

Oak Ridge National Laboratory..............................................................................................................................................15

Waste handling plan approved for Molten Salt Reactor Experiment Facility......................................................................................16

Prep work continues for U-233 disposition.........................................................................................................................................17

Completion reports issued for various ORNL projects.......................................................................................................................17

Y-12 National Security Complex............................................................................................................................................19

Mercury technology development activities under way for Y-12, East Fork Poplar Creek.................................................................20

Remediation strategy developed........................................................................................................................................................21

Alpha 4 roof repairs completed..........................................................................................................................................................21

Outfall 200 mercury treatment facility treatability study, conceptual design report prepared.............................................................22

Debris from UPF haul road work disposed.........................................................................................................................................22 

Waste Management ....................................................................................................................................................................23

Reservation facilities receive and oversee waste from cleanup.........................................................................................................24 

Site under consideration for new on-site waste disposal facility........................................................................................................25

Transuranic Waste Processing Center addressing ORNL wastes.....................................................................................................27 

Wastewater treatment continues on Oak Ridge Reservation.............................................................................................................28

Legacy waste disposed......................................................................................................................................................................28

Contents

2

Page 8 Page 10
3

Oak Ridge Reservation..............................................................................................................................................................29

Reservation groundwater strategy document details efforts to evaluate off-site movement..............................................................30

Remediation Effectiveness Report submitted....................................................................................................................................31

Monitoring shows no man-made contaminants..................................................................................................................................31

 

Public Involvement.....................................................................................................................................................................33

Stakeholder event held to celebrate completion of K-25 demolition..................................................................................................34

Advisory Board provides input on DOE cleanup activities .................................................................................................................34

DOE Information Center.....................................................................................................................................................................38

Information Resources .............................................................................................................................................................39

Internet Sites.................................................................................................................................................................................39

Commonly Used Abbreviations.............................................................................................................................................40

Commonly Used Terms.............................................................................................................................................................40

3

Page 17 Page 20 Page 34

This report was produced by URS | CH2M Oak Ridge LLC, DOE’s 

Environmental Management contractor for the Oak Ridge Reservation.

UCOR

URS | CH2M

Oak Ridge LLC
4

Introduction

Cleanup activities are taking place across 

the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Oak Ridge 

Reservation, and the agency has made great 

progress in 2014. The most notable achievement 

is completing demolition of the K-25 Building, the 

largest facility in the Environmental Management 

(EM) complex. This project joins numerous others 

across the 33,500-acre Oak Ridge Reservation 

that were completed or in progress in Fiscal Year 

2014 (Oct. 1, 2013, to Sept. 30, 2014).

The Oak Ridge Reservation has played key 

roles in our nation’s defense and energy research. 

However, past waste disposal practices and unintentional releases have left land and facilities contaminated. These contaminants include radioactive elements, mercury, asbestos, polychlorinated 

biphenyls, and industrial wastes. 

DOE’s Oak Ridge Office of EM is responsible 

for cleaning up this legacy contamination at the 

Reservation’s three major facilities: East Tennessee Technology Park (ETTP), Oak Ridge National 

Laboratory (ORNL), and Y-12 National Security 

Complex (Y-12).

The contaminated portions of the Reservation are on the U.S. Environmental Protection 

Agency’s (EPA) National Priorities List, a list of 

hazardous waste sites across the nation that are 

to be cleaned up under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability 

Act of 1980 (CERCLA). In 2013, DOE completed 

a project that clearly defines the areas that require cleanup or further action throughout the Oak 

Ridge Reservation, and the EM program is working to clean those areas under a Federal Facility Agreement with the Environmental Protection 

Agency and the State of Tennessee.
5

The former K-25 Gaseous Diffusion Plant 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 2,200-

acre plant was permanently shut down in 1987 and is undergoing 

cleanup for ultimate conversion to a private sector industrial park. 

Restoration of the environment, deactivation and demolition of 

facilities, and disposition of wastes are the major activities at the site.

5

East Tennessee 

 Technology Park
66

The K-25 Building was built in the early 1940s as part of the Manhattan Project and continued enriching uranium for defense 

and power generation purposes until it was shut down in 1964. Its demolition was a high priority due to its contamination 

and deteriorated state.
7

Demolition of the historic K-25 Building, one of the original Manhattan Project facilities, was completed in December 2013, and 

workers removed the final debris in June 2014. The K-25 Building was constructed in the mid-1940s to produce highly enriched 

uranium for the atomic bombs that would end World War II. At 44 acres, the mile-long, U-shaped facility was once the largest building 

under one roof in the world. 

Completing K-25’s demolition on schedule required creative solutions to several challenges; however, EM and its cleanup 

contractor, URS | CH2M Oak Ridge LLC (UCOR), worked together and completed the project six months ahead of schedule and 

nearly $300 million under its federal baseline budget.

During demolition of the building’s west wing, material without a clear disposition path was placed in other parts of the building 

so that demolition could continue. This material included a collection of process equipment that had been disconnected and placed in 

the east wing. Enclosures were built around the 

equipment, the uranium was mined out, and the 

hulls stayed in place to be disposed as part of 

the building demolition.

Completing demolition of Building K-25 

required crews to address and move a collection 

of high risk equipment, including items called 

monoliths—large blocks of uranium-containing 

components encased in concrete—and sodium 

fluoride (NaF) traps. NaF traps were used as 

part of the uranium separation process. The 

sodium fluoride pellets were used to trap the 

uranium, and the traps still contained uranium 

from when workers conducted operations in 

the facility. Each NaF trap was approximately 

the size of a household hot water heater and 

ranged in weight from 1,500-2,000 pounds.

Employees opened, mined, and 

repackaged the high risk equipment to meet 

disposal criteria. The concrete in the monoliths 

was chipped away, and the uranium content 

was mined out of the components in an on-site 

facility. The NaF traps, some of the highest risk 

equipment in the building, were removed prior 

to demolition.

EM and UCOR also altered how they 

evaluated and removed compressors and converters from K-25. Previously, the components 

were taken into the shop to be surveyed without 

breaching or damage, a process known as nondestructive assay. Instead, as part of the deactivation and demolition of units contaminated 

with Technetium-99 (Tc-99), these components 

Largest demolition project in DOE Complex

Historic K-25 Building demolished

Last section of K-25 Building coming down
8

were decontaminated and sprayed with fixative in the demolition 

field. Teams brought the non-destructive assay equipment into 

the field and established a packaging, assay, and shipping production line. 

Following demolition and debris removal, Tc-99, which is 

extremely mobile, was found in storm water and underground 

utilities associated with Building K-25. EM performed an 

extensive investigation of storm water sewers, underground 

electrical duct banks, sanitary sewers, and groundwater. Despite 

levels below regulatory compliance levels for any concern to 

human health, EM and UCOR worked to capture the material 

and dispose the waste offsite. A Removal Site Evaluation was 

prepared that documented the findings.

Jim Kopotic, former 

Oak Ridge Office 

of Environmental 

Management’s 

Federal Project 

Director for ETTP, 

talks with workers 

who gathered to 

watch the last load 

of K-25 demolition 

debris be shipped 

from the site.

8
9

Fourth gaseous diffusion facility to be demolished

K-31 demolition begins

Demolition of the K-31 Building at ETTP began Oct. 8, 2014, 

after months of preparation. This demolition marks the removal 

of the fourth of five gaseous diffusion buildings at the former 

uranium enrichment site.

The two-story building covers 750,000 square feet and 

spans a 17-acre footprint. The K-31 facility began operations in 

1951, and it was used to enrich uranium for defense and power 

generation purposes until it was shut down in 1985. In 2005, 

EM removed most of the hazardous materials from the building’s 

interior.

UCOR, EM’s cleanup contractor for ETTP, is responsible 

for demolishing the facility. 

The company prepared it for 

demolition in 2014 by conducting 

asbestos abatement, removing the 

facility’s exterior transite paneling, 

disconnecting the building’s power 

sources, and completing pollution 

prevention efforts, such as filling 

interior and exterior storm drains. 

EM and UCOR worked together 

to accelerate K-31’s demolition five months ahead of its original 

proposed baseline schedule. The early start was achieved 

through UCOR’s work and EM’s oversight on other projects, such 

as the K-25 Building Demolition Project. EM selected the K-31 

project to continue removing former gaseous diffusion facilities 

at the site and maintaining the existing skilled workforce onsite. 

Once the K-31 demolition is completed, the 383,000-squarefoot K-27 Building will be the only remaining gaseous diffusion 

building at ETTP. Crews will begin the first stage of the building’s 

removal in 2015.

K-31 Building

First cut into the 

K-31 Building
10

Pre-demolition work continues in Building 

K-27, one of last remaining gaseous diffusion buildings at ETTP. The building is one of EM’s highest priorities at the site due to its risk and severely 

deteriorated state. The K-27 Building is similar in 

structure to the already-demolished K-25 Building. 

It is spans more than 8 acres, approximately 900 

feet long, 400 feet wide, and 58 feet in height. 

In 2014, workers completed inventory management and nondestructive assay measurements; 

characterized process equipment; performed vent, 

purge, and drain operations on process equipment; 

and prepared necessary regulatory documents.

The first stage of the building’s removal is 

expected to begin in 2015 and conclude the next 

year. When complete, it will mark the removal of 

the final gaseous diffusion building at ETTP.

Final gaseous diffusion facility to be demolished

Workers preparing K-27 for demolition

K-27 Building

Workers remove process piping inside the K-27 Building
10 1111

Among other activities, workers will be removing tie lines, 

pictured overhead, that connect K-27 to another facility.

11
12

ETTP environmental contamination

Work continues to reduce

EM continued remediation activities to reduce ETTP soil 

contamination in 2014. The site is divided into two cleanup 

regions: Zone 1, a 1,400-acre area outside the main plant area, 

and Zone 2, the 800-acre area that comprises the main plant 

area.

Zone 1

The interim Record of Decision, which documents the 

cleanup method for the site, required EM to remediate soil to a 

depth of 10 feet (suitable for the protection of an industrial work 

force) and remove sources of groundwater contamination. The 

EM program prepared a Remedial Investigation/

Feasibility Study (RI/FS) to address groundwater, 

surface water, ecological protection, and final 

land use controls. The EPA and the Tennessee 

Department of Environment and Conservation 

(TDEC) provided comments on the RI/FS, and 

the agencies reached an agreement to initiate 

a Zone 1 Final Soils Record of Decision and 

defer Zone 1 surface water and groundwater to 

a future decision. In FY 2014, TDEC prepared 

and approved a revised RI/FS. The initial draft of 

the Zone 1 Final Soils Proposed Plan was also 

prepared and transmitted to EPA and TDEC for 

review. Upcoming work includes addressing 

EPA and TDEC comments and finalizing the 

Zone 1 Final Soils Proposed Plan, conducting 

a public meeting on the Proposed Plan, and 

preparing the Zone 1 Final Soils Record of 

Decision.

Zone 2

Remediating Zone 2 involves removing 

some contaminated soil so that the site is safe 

for industrial use and removing sources of 

groundwater contamination. 

In FY 2014, EM initiated characterization of 

the footprints of Building K-25 and Building K-31. 

The approximately 40-acre footprint of Building 

K-25 has been declared the K-25 Preservation 

Footprint, and it is dedicated for historical commemoration and 

interpretation activities. To determine how to preserve this 

footprint, EM began characterization to determine if cleanup is 

required, and it is also conducting a study to evaluate potential 

end states of the slab. 

During pre-demolition activities on Building K-31, workers 

also performed characterization of the surrounding land to 

determine if it required cleanup to support reindustrialization 

planning at the site.

Workers sample the soil under the K-31 slab as part of characterization
13

DOE achieved several major milestones in FY 2014 

toward meeting the commitment made in a Memorandum 

of Understanding with historic preservation agencies and 

interested parties. These measures will preserve the history of 

the K-25 Site and interpret the significance of ETTP. Milestones 

achieved in FY 2014 include:

• Demolish Building K-25 and remove all of the waste to 

prepare the slab for evaluation.

• DOE and UCOR awarded a Professional Site Design Team 

and Museum Professional design subcontract. 

• A team of subject matter experts, historians, design 

experts, and historic preservation agencies inventoried and 

reviewed all of the equipment identified for preservation 

and provided input for the conceptual design.

• A web design services firm was awarded the contract to 

develop and maintain a web-based K-25 Virtual Museum. 

Conceptual design of the equipment building, viewing 

tower, K-25 history center, wayside exhibits, and K-25 slab 

delineation is progressing and will be submitted to the historic 

preservation consulting parties in 2016 for review and comment. 

Employees completed numerous field activities in support of the 

conceptual design, including:

• Completed a field inventory of historic equipment and 

artifacts stored at the ETTP. The inventory included 

inspecting, photographing, conducting radiological surveys, 

and, where necessary, performing minor decontamination 

activities to release the items for potential use in the 

Professional Site Design Team’s wayside exhibits designs. 

Progress continues on

commemorating the K-25 Site

K-25 Site in 1950
14

• Conducted radiological surveys and released the bricks 

associated with the Powerhouse Area for potential use 

in the Professional Site Design Team’s wayside exhibits 

designs.

• Initiated characterization activities on the Building K-25 

footprint to determine contamination levels on and beneath 

the slab and the final slab end state.

DOE successfully completed the transfer of ED-11 and ED-12 to the Community Reuse Organization of East Tennessee (CROET) 

on May 12, 2014. The combined acreage of these two parcels is 28.3 acres and will allow CROET to pursue commercial clients for 

this centrally-located industrial area of the ETTP site. This flat parcel of land once housed a machine shop and other support facilities, 

but has since undergone environmental cleanup and been approved for reuse by EPA and TDEC. With this successful property 

transfer, DOE has transferred a total of 721 acres to CROET for reuse, which increases potential economic development in the local 

community. These transfers also reduce maintenance costs for DOE, which frees up additional money for environmental cleanup.

as ETTP Reindustrialization progresses

Parcels transferred

Mark Whitney, DOE’s environmental 

manager in Oak Ridge, Lawrence Young, 

president and CEO of CROET, U.S. Rep. 

Chuck Fleischmann, R-Tenn., and David 

Klaus, DOE’s Deputy Undersecretary for 

Management and Performance attend the 

signing ceremony for the transfer of ED-11 

and ED-12 from DOE to CROET.

Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam tours 

ETTP and views the progress being made 

to further reindustrialization efforts. 
15

Oak Ridge

 National Laboratory

15

Oak Ridge National Laboratory is one of the world’s most modern campuses for scientific discovery in materials and chemical sciences, nuclear 

science, energy research, and super-computing. However, among all this

modern infrastructure are large contaminated areas that resulted from past

operations and waste disposal practices. The Environmental Management

Program has divided ORNL into two major cleanup areas: Bethel Valley and Melton Valley. The Bethel Valley area includes reactors and 

the principal former research facilities, and Melton Valley area includes

reactors and waste management areas, such as burial grounds.
16

The Molten Salt Reactor 

Experiment facility was a graphitemoderated, liquid-fueled test reactor 

that operated at ORNL from June 

1965 until December 1969. Since the 

reactor’s shutdown, EM has performed 

several studies and removal actions to 

stabilize the facility, including removal 

of uranium deposits and defueling of 

the reactor salts. Routine surveillance 

and maintenance activities continue 

to manage the remaining hazards 

associated with the facility, including 

periodic removal of reactive gas 

generated by the defueled salts. 

In 2014, an addendum to the 

waste handling plan for the facility was 

approved to address disposition of remaining waste from the earlier actions. The addendum includes a schedule for characterization 

and disposition of seventy-four waste items. Thirty waste items were characterized, and twenty waste items were disposed in 2014. 

Additional study and planning were performed to support future removal and disposal of the defueled salt. A draft report was prepared 

documenting the completion of defueling and the status of the salt as transuranic waste eligible for disposal at the Waste Isolation Pilot 

Plant.

for Molten Salt Reactor Experiment Facility

Waste handling plan approved

MSRE

Waste from MSRE being 

packaged for transport
17

Buildings 3074 and 3136

In FY 2014, EM submitted a Removal Action Report documenting dismantlement of Buildings 3074 and 3136 to the EPA 

and TDEC.

Oak Ridge has a significant inventory of uranium-233 (U-233) stored in Building 3019 at ORNL. U-233 is a special nuclear 

material that requires strict safeguards and security controls to protect against access. The U-233 Project’s objective is to 

address safeguards and security requirements, eliminate safety and nuclear criticality concerns, and safely dispose of the 

material. 

Processing and transporting the U-233 inventory as expeditiously as possible will reduce the substantial annual costs 

associated with safeguards and security requirements, eliminate the risk of a nuclear criticality event, and avoid the need for 

future facility upgrades to Building 3019 to ensure safe storage of the inventory. Constructed in the 1940s, Building 3019 is the 

oldest continually operating nuclear facility in the DOE complex.

In 2014, DOE continued working to address concerns with the planned disposition of the Consolidated Edison Uranium 

Solidification Project (CEUSP) material. CEUSP originated from a 1960s research and development test of thorium and uranium 

fuel at Consolidated Edison’s Indian Point 1 nuclear plant in New York. Following the completion of that test, the fuel was 

processed by Nuclear Fuel Services in West Valley, New York. Approximately 8,000 liters of liquid uranium nitrate were shipped 

to ORNL for storage in anticipation of future reuse. However, when no future use was identified, the material was solidified in the 

1980s and placed in sealed stainless steel canisters for storage. 

Preparations for the processing campaign also continued in FY 2014. The campaign will focus on the material that cannot 

be directly disposed. The conceptual design work is in progress, and it is expected to be completed in late 2015. Building 2026, 

located directly across from Building 3019 at ORNL, will be used for this processing work. Initial preparations in Building 2026 

continued in FY 2014, including clean out of the existing hot cells and cell access areas.

Building 3074 was a 3,500-ft2, single-story structure built in 

the early 1950s used to repair and maintain hot cell manipulators. 

Building 3136 was a 30-foot-tall structure constructed in 1994 

used as a mock-up test facility; however, it was most recently 

Prep work continues for U-233 disposition

Building 3074 Building 3136

Completion reports

issued for various ORNL projects
18

3550 area after being cleared

used for document storage. Both buildings were dismantled in FY 

2009, and the resulting waste was disposed in FY 2012. Since 

the 3020 stack continues to be used for Building 3019’s ventilation, it was not dismantled. If dismantled in the future, the scope 

will be performed as a separate CERCLA response action. 

Building 3550

During FY 2014, the EPA and TDEC approved a completion 

report documenting the demolition work performed on Building 

3550.

One of the first facilities constructed at ORNL, Building 3550 

once housed the Lab’s chemistry facilities. It is one of 34 buildings 

recently demolished in the Central Campus area of ORNL. 

This facility’s slab was selected for excavation because it is 

the largest in the area and the only one located along Central 

Avenue. It was excavated, along with the contaminated soil 

beneath the slab to a depth of up to two feet, and the area was 

graded and seeded with grass. 

Building 3038

During FY 2014, the EPA and TDEC approved a report 

documenting completion of demolition of Building 3038.

Building 3038 is a 7,773-ft2 nuclear facility located in 

the ORNL Central Campus area. It was used for packaging, 

inspecting and shipping radioisotopes until operations ceased in 

1994.

In the previous fiscal year, in order 

to prepare the building for demolition, 

workers removed and disposed all 

waste from the building, re-started the 

local ventilation system, and placed the 

air-monitoring equipment on-line. 

4500 Hot Cells/Duct Stabilization

During FY 2014, the EPA and 

TDEC approved a Phased Construction 

Completion Report outlining finished 

and future stages of work for 4500 Hot 

Cells/Duct Stabilization.

The 4500 Area Central Gaseous 

Waste System provides containment 

ventilation, off-gas treatment and 

discharge of gaseous waste from many 

ORNL Central Campus facilities. The 

system is designed to prevent environment and safety risks 

associated with accidental release of airborne pollutants. Risks 

have increased over the years as the central gas waste system 

and connected facilities have aged.

The objective of the 4500 Area Gaseous Waste System 

Upgrades Project was to deactivate one of the five cell ventilation 

system branches and remove several facilities from the central 

hot off-gas system. This, in turn, would reduce the potential for 

some of the older facilities in ORNL’s central campus to have a 

release through the stack. 

The ventilation system branches and off-gas system are part 

of the central gaseous waste system that vent through the 3039 

Central Stack. The project provided localized ventilation systems 

to the 4501, 4505, 4500N, and 4507 facilities; stabilized the hot 

cells in Building 4507; cleaned out filter pits 3106 and 4556; and 

stabilized hundreds of feet of deactivated underground ductwork. 

Past work includes demolition, removal of existing equipment, 

and fabrication and installation of the replacement ventilation 

system for the 4501, 4505, and 4500N facilities, characterization 

and stabilization of the underground ductwork and cleanout of 

the 3106 and 4556 filter pits. Design, fabrication, installation, and 

operation of the local ventilation system for Building 4507 were 

also completed along with stabilization of the 4507 hot cells.
19

Y-12 National

 Security Complex

The Y-12 National Security Complex is a premier manufacturing facility 

dedicated to making our nation and the world a safer place. The Y-12 

Complex helps ensure a safe and reliable U.S. nuclear weapons deterrent. 

The site also retrieves and stores nuclear materials, fuels the nation’s naval 

reactors, and performs highly skilled, specialized manufacturing work for 

other government and private-sector entities. 

19
20

Mercury remediation is a high priority for DOE in the Oak 

Ridge area. Releases of mercury during Y-12 Site operations 

during the 1950s and early 1960s resulted in contamination of 

soil and groundwater. Subsequent transport from these sources 

resulted in off-site contamination of the Lower East Fork Poplar 

Creek. 

As EM continues its mercury studies, results are revealing 

that source reduction alone at Y-12 may not achieve mercury 

regulatory goals in downstream waters. Mercury concentration, 

methylation and bioaccumulation processes in the creek are 

complex and are driven by mass of mercury in the system in 

addition to physical, chemical, and ecological factors in the 

receiving stream. 

In FY 2014, DOE contracted with UCOR and ORNL to develop 

a number of mercury remediation technology development 

activities. The UCOR/ORNL technology development studies 

in the next few years are timely because they will support 

evaluations of alternatives by regulators, which are scheduled in 

the early 2020s. 

In the years leading to that time, EM will conduct studies 

in a phased, adaptive approach to reduce uncertainties to better 

define and target potential actions or new technology use, and 

to increase efficiencies in characterization targeted removal and 

treatment, and waste disposition. 

The mercury remediation technology development scope for 

FY 2014 includes three main areas: 

ORNL field and laboratory studies are investigating the 

use of chemical, physical, and ecological manipulations and 

management actions in the watershed to decrease mercury 

concentration and bioaccumulation. 

DOE is conducting preliminary evaluations to determine 

the feasibility of placing a Field Research Station along Lower 

East Fork Poplar Creek. The station will serve as a near-stream 

research facility for mercury research. 

UCOR is investigating waste management practices to gain 

a better understanding of mercury-contaminated debris disposal 

techniques, strategies to reduce the quantity of debris that 

requires treatment, and the extent of contamination in mercury 

contaminated areas at the Y-12 site. The results of these studies 

will be used in planning future D&D and Remedial Action projects 

within Y-12 mercury contamination zones using the latest cleanup 

and treatment techniques. 

activities under way for Y-12, East Fork Poplar Creek

Mercury technology development

Workers collect streambank samples 

at Lower East Fork Poplar Creek
21

A final Mercury Remediation Strategy Plan, incorporating 

regulator comments and suggestions, was completed and 

submitted in 2014. EM is proposing a phased, adaptive 

management approach to first address mercury contamination 

in surface water. A key component of the plan is the proposed 

construction of a water treatment facility, the Outfall 200 

Mercury Treatment Facility, to reduce the amount of mercury 

currently in the creek and to prepare for potential future 

releases during future cleanup in the West End Mercury Area 

at Y-12. 

Other proposed actions included in the plan will also 

advance mercury cleanup in the creek and throughout the 

site, including diverting water sources to avoid contact with 

contaminated soils and sediments. Technology development 

efforts, described in the plan and further refined in a recently 

completed Mercury Technology Development Plan, will 

help support future cleanup. For example, gaining an 

understanding of mercury bioaccumulation and movement in 

the environment can help refine and target effective methods 

for remediation—reducing cost and time investments. 

Mercury source removal—building demolition and 

soil/sediment remediation—is planned to begin in the 

early 2020s. Since the majority of the waste resulting from 

these activities will be generated after the existing onsite 

disposal facility reaches capacity, the plan calls for disposal 

of the waste in a proposed future landfill. As outlined in 

the strategy, evaluations on disposal options, including 

microencapsulation, are ongoing.

Remediation strategy developed

Roof repairs to the 9201-4 Building, also known as 

Alpha 4, were completed in 2014. Cleanup contractor UCOR, 

along with the Y-12 Project Management and Construction 

organizations and contractors from the National Nuclear Security 

Administration’s (NNSA) Roof Asset Management Program, 

conducted the project. The project included repairs to large 

areas of the nearly four-acre roof footprint. 

“This project demonstrates that multiple federal agencies, 

contractors, and functional organizations can work together to 

achieve excellent project and safety performance,” said Laura 

Wilkerson, Y-12 portfolio federal project director for the Oak 

Ridge Office of Environmental Management. “It’s exciting to 

see projects like the 9201-4 roofing repair being accomplished 

safely, while saving the government valuable dollars.”

While roof work may seem like a basic task, it requires the 

extensive use of hazard controls including personal fall restraint/

arrest systems, fall protection carts, and warning lines to ensure 

worker safety. 

This work was completed as part of EM’s ongoing 

Surveillance and Maintenance Program to ensure the building 

remains in a safe condition. The project is expected to extend 

Alpha-4’s roof life by 7-10 years, and it also decreases the cost 

of demolition by eliminating safety issues within the building.

Alpha 4 roof repairs completed

Above, workers perform flashing repairs on one of the eight 

Alpha 4 roof decks. Below is leaking roof pan and drain 

before repair.
22

Outfall 200 is the point at which the west end Y-12 storm drain system discharges to Upper East Fork Poplar Creek. EM initiated 

a treatability study and conceptual design to evaluate options for a treatment plant to reduce the release of mercury from Outfall 200 

into Upper East Fork Poplar Creek. 

In 2014, EM completed the Outfall 200 Mercury Treatment 

Facility (MTF) Conceptual Design Report. The recommended 

treatment configuration includes grit removal, chemical 

precipitation, and media filtration for flow rates up to 3000 

gallons per minute. The Outfall 200 MTF conceptual design 

incorporates flexibility and expandability of treatment processes 

and capacities, if required, including if conditions change.

In 2014, work also progressed with the facility’s pre-design 

and additional treatability data required for the Outfall 200 

MTF design. Teams also searched for opportunities to achieve 

cost savings and/or operational efficiencies. These studies 

are scheduled to be performed 2015, with the results used to 

support the MTF preliminary and final design.

treatability study, conceptual design report prepared 

Outfall 200 mercury treatment facility

Sampling equipment at Outfall 200

Currently under construction, the Uranium Processing Facility (UPF) is a stateof-the-art consolidated facility for enriched uranium operations, including assembly, 

disassembly, dismantlement, quality evaluation and product certification. 

A new haul road will support construction of the UPF by providing separate travel 

routes for routine traffic on the west end of Y-12 and the heavy vehicle construction 

traffic required for moving materials and equipment to and from the UPF construction 

site.

In January 2014, the haul road construction contractor encountered a fill area 

that contained both uncontaminated and radioactively contaminated debris ranging 

from wood to metal pipes, concrete, and transite (an asbestos-containing material). 

The area was on the south slope of Pine Ridge just northeast of the Bear Creek Road-Old Bear Creek Road intersection. The 

construction work and waste management plan were re-evaluated and arrangements were made to properly segregate and dispose 

the wastes.

In April 2014, the crews encountered the first of several large (roughly 3-feet x 3-feet x 10-feet) concrete pedestals. None of 

these pedestals exhibited radioactive contamination, but some contained very small beads of mercury. Work and waste management 

options were re-evaluated. 

In consultation with regulators, DOE decided to remove, treat, and dispose the contaminated debris from the road corridor. 

Uncontaminated debris was disposed at the ORR landfill, and radioactive and mercury-contaminated debris were shipped off site for 

disposal.

Debris from UPF haul road work disposed

Excavated haul road debris
23

 Waste

 Management

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

of ways. Much of the waste is going into the on-site disposal cell 

called the Environmental Management Waste Management Facility. 

Wastewater is treated at the Chromium Water Treatment System at 

ETTP and the Process Waste Treatment Complex at ORNL. 

23
24

EMWMF

Much of the waste generated during FY 2014 cleanup 

activities was disposed at facilities on the Oak Ridge Reservation.

The Environmental Management Waste Management 

Facility (EMWMF), located in east Bear Creek Valley near the 

Y-12 Complex, received 6,059 truckloads of waste, accounting 

for 69,198 tons during FY 2014. This engineered landfill consists 

of six disposal cells, and it only accepts low-level radioactive and 

hazardous waste that meets specific waste acceptance criteria. 

Waste types that qualify for disposal include soil, dried sludge 

and sediment, solidified wastes, stabilized waste, building 

debris, scrap equipment, and personal protective equipment.

EMWMF operations collected, analyzed, and dispositioned 

approximately 5.1 million gallons of leachate at the ORNL Liquid/

Gaseous Waste Operations Facility in FY 2014. No contact 

water (water that comes in contact with waste but does not enter 

the leachate collection system) required treatment in FY 2014. 

An additional 9.8 million gallons of contact water was collected, 

analyzed, and released to the storm water retention basin after 

employees verified it met all discharge standards. Operating 

practices at the landfill also effectively controlled site erosion and 

sediment. 

During FY 2014, waste and debris from K-25, K-31, and 

several smaller cleanup projects at ETTP, ORNL, and Y-12 was 

shipped to the EMWMF.

DOE also operates solid waste disposal facilities called the 

Oak Ridge Reservation Landfills. These landfills, located near the 

Y-12 Complex, are engineered facilities used to dispose sanitary, 

industrial, construction, and demolition waste. In FY 2014, 

approximately 29,661 yd3 of industrial wastes and construction/

demolition debris were disposed in the landfill. 

Operation of the Oak Ridge Reservation Landfills generated 

approximately 1.556 million gallons of leachate that was collected, 

monitored, and discharged into the Y-12 Complex sanitary sewer 

system. 

receive and oversee waste from cleanup

Reservation facilities

EMWMF
25

The EMWMF, the existing on-site disposal facility for lowlevel, mixed, and classified waste, is expected to reach capacity 

before all Oak Ridge Reservation cleanup waste has been 

generated and disposed. Therefore, it is important that planning 

begin for another landfill so that there is not an interruption of 

cleanup work once EMWMF is full.

During 2014, EM revised a Remedial Investigation/

Feasibility Study to include characterization data for a proposed 

new Environmental Management Disposal Facility (EMDF). The 

document, issued in FY 2012, analyzed three alternatives to 

support cleanup decisions:

• Under the no action alternative, no coordinated Oak Ridge 

Reservation-wide strategy to manage wastes generated 

by future CERCLA actions would be implemented. The no 

action alternative provides a benchmark for comparison with 

the action alternatives.

• The on-site disposal alternative would provide consolidated 

disposal of future-generated CERCLA waste in a newly 

Site under consideration for

new on-site disposal facility

Workers drill into the proposed EMDF site in 

order to characterize the area
26

constructed, engineered facility referred to as the EMDF.

• Under the off-site disposal alternative, future CERCLA 

waste would be transported off-site for disposal in approved 

disposal facilities, primarily by rail. 

The alternatives document concludes that both the on-site 

and off-site disposal alternatives would protect human health 

and the environment long-term by disposing the waste in a 

landfill designed for site-specific conditions; however, short-term 

risks are much higher for the off-site disposal alternative due to 

significant transportation efforts required to dispose of the waste 

off-site. Inversely, the off-site disposal alternative has the potential 

to isolate the wastes more effectively, since other disposal are 

located in arid climates. 

While the on-site disposal alternative requires a permanent 

commitment of additional Oak Ridge Reservation land for waste 

disposal and impact environmental resources, it would be much 

less costly, has lower transportation risk, and provides a greater 

level of certainty that long-term disposal capacity will be available.

The proposed EMDF site is located next to the Environmental Management Waste Management Facility, which is 

shown in the background. OREM is collecting additional data before making a decision on the location.
2735

The Transuranic (TRU) Waste Processing Center 

characterizes and packages TRU waste from the Oak Ridge 

Reservation for disposition in underground salt caverns at DOE’s 

Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) near Carlsbad, New Mexico.

TRU waste contains man-made elements heavier than 

uranium, such as plutonium, hence the name “trans” or “beyond” 

uranium. Transuranic waste material is generally associated with 

the human manipulation of fissionable material dating back to the 

Manhattan Project. It consists primarily of clothing, tools, rags, 

residues, soil and debris.

Two waste streams—contact-handled (CH) and remote 

handled (RH)—are processed at the TRU Waste Processing 

Center. Contact-Handled TRU can be safely handled without 

remote equipment, although workers never actually touch the 

waste without protective barriers such as special clothing or 

equipment. Higher energy radioactive TRU is processed by 

remote control equipment in special rooms called “hot cells.” 

Workers who process remote-handled waste are protected by 

barriers, such as thick concrete walls and leaded glass viewing 

windows.

In FY 2014, the TRU Waste Processing Center processed 

70 m3 of CH waste, achieving an overall total of 1440 m3 of 

processed CH waste. In addition, employees at the facility 

processed 112 m3

 of RH waste for an overall total of 414 m3. 

These values represent approximately 96% of the legacy CH 

TRU waste and approximately 64% of the legacy RH TRU waste.

addressing ORNL wastes

Transuranic Waste Processing Center

During the year, employees shipped a total of 187 m3 of CH 

TRU inventory, reaching a total of 1157 m3

 disposed. In addition, 

they shipped 180 m3 of RH TRU inventory, reaching a total of 290 

m3

 disposed. These values represent approximately 77% of the 

legacy CH TRU waste disposed and approximately 45% of the 

legacy RH TRU waste disposed.

More than 350,000 gallons of radioactively contaminated 

sludge are stored in tanks at ORNL. The sludge was produced 

as a result of the collection, treatment and storage of liquid 

radioactive waste originating from ORNL radiochemical 

processing and radioisotope production programs. To eliminate 

long-term liability, EM will remove the sludge from the tanks and 

process the material for permanent off-site disposal in a new 

sludge processing facility. The project includes the construction 

of a test facility to verify the technology associated with sludge 

treatment process and support the design and construction of the 

future sludge processing facilities. 

During the year, the project received approval to update 

the cost range and reaffirm the solidification and stabilization 

alternative. Solidification and stabilization is one of three 

alternatives DOE is considering to treat sludge contaminated 

with transuranic constituents. Other alternatives include drying 

or dewatering the sludge. In FY 2014, progress continued 

toward acquiring Architect and Engineering Services to design 

the facility.

Workers process contacthandled waste at TWPC
28

A total of 3,578 m3 of legacy waste was disposed—consisting of large 

transformers, shielding, waste containers that were emptied and reused 

and various individual items of low-level radioactive waste. The waste came 

primarily from ETTP, ORNL, and the Fernald site in Ohio. Most of it was 

disposed in the Oak Ridge Reservation Landfill and the Nevada Nuclear 

Security Site. 

DOE’s goal is to effectively manage waste from identification through 

disposal so the waste does not require on-site storage. Prior to beginning 

waste-generating activities, EM and its cleanup contractors identify a 

disposition path, and together they make plans to dispose of the waste 

efficiently and effectively. Legacy waste is managed and disposed on a 

timetable that is consistent with regulatory requirements, programmatic 

priorities and funding availability. 

Legacy waste is actively managed by tracking, labeling, posting, and 

performing routine inspections. Legacy waste is prioritized for disposal 

based on its risk or an economy of scale associated with volumes, and it is 

disposed as funding is made available. 

During 2014, as in past years, activities on the Oak Ridge 

Reservation generated millions of gallons of wastewater that 

must be treated to remove oil, chemical, radiological materials 

and other contaminants. 

At ORNL, the Process Waste Treatment Complex treated 

approximately 92,217,000 gallons of wastewater. In addition, the 

liquid low-level waste evaporator at ORNL treated 122,200 gallons. The ORNL 3039 Stack Facility treated a total of 1.6 billion 

disposed

Legacy waste

on Oak Ridge Reservation

Wastewater treatment continues

More than 60 storage containers that had 

degraded were removed from ETTP.

m3

 of gaseous waste. These waste treatment activities supported 

both EM and Office of Science mission activities in a safe and 

compliant manner.

The National Nuclear Security Administration at the Y-12 

Complex treats wastewater generated from both production activities and environmental cleanup activities. Safe and compliant 

treatment of a total of almost 109,000,000 gallons of wastewater 

was provided at various facilities this year. 
29

 Oak Ridge

 Reservation

The DOE Oak Ridge Reservation is home to ETTP, ORNL, and the 

Y-12 Complex. It contains approximately 33,500 acres, which is mostly 

wooded. In addition to cleanup projects at the three facilities on the 

Reservation, DOE is taking measures to address Reservation-wide 

issues.

29
30

An off-site groundwater assessment will be conducted to evaluate off-site groundwater quality and movement. DOE 

is not aware of any adverse health effects from off-site groundwater.

In 2014, an ORR Groundwater Strategy report was approved, 

documenting efforts and recommendations by a team of DOE, 

EPA, and TDEC representatives. The current work builds on 

2013 achievements when the same team conducted a series of 

workshops about Oak Ridge Reservation groundwater to identify 

and prioritize groundwater issues and projects across the ORR. 

The team included a U.S. Geological Survey representative who 

serves as an interface with the Oak Ridge Site Specific Advisory 

Board.

Key strategy recommendations from the report are already 

under way and include the following:

• DOE establishment of an ORR Groundwater Program to 

systematically prioritize and investigate groundwater plumes 

and data gaps. 

• Data Quality Objectives workshops to define the type, quality, 

and quantity of data needed to evaluate off-site groundwater 

quality and movement. DOE is not aware of any adverse 

health effects from off-site groundwater. The approximate 

investigation area is located west and north of the Clinch 

River at the western boundary of the ORR (see map below). 

Sampling will be performed in 2015 in accordance with an 

approved work plan. After sampling and laboratory analysis 

are complete, results will be evaluated to determine if any 

follow-on actions are necessary. 

• Initiating development of an ORR-wide regional flow model. 

The model will serve as an underlying framework to support 

future cleanup decisions and actions. 

document details efforts to evaluate off-site movement 

Reservation groundwater strategy
31

The 2014 Remediation Effectiveness Report for the ORR, which assesses progress of remedial actions toward cleanup 

goals and compliance with long-term stewardship requirements, was finalized. The areas evaluated in the report are shown on 

the map on the next page.

During the year, the Water Resources Restoration Program continued its role of coordinating watershed monitoring. This 

included data interpretation and final reporting that is submitted and used in the Remediation Effectiveness Report for the Oak 

Ridge Site. Additionally, the program documents the condition of certain controls activities including fences, patrols and signs, 

which are required at selected sites. 

These activities are necessary to protect human health and the environment following cleanup in these locations. As 

reported in the report, stewardship controls were in place and working effectively. 

submitted

Remediation Effectiveness Report

Groundwater sampling at Mitchell Branch

The potential for threats to groundwater is a constant focus 

of environmental protection and safety activities around nuclear 

facilities. 

In 2014, EM conducted groundwater monitoring in off-site 

wells adjacent to Melton Valley to determine if any contaminant 

migration was occurring off the ORR. 

Through its extensive groundwater monitoring efforts, EM 

has detected certain signature man-made contaminants near former Melton Valley waste disposal areas on DOE property. These 

contaminants include tritium, strontium-90, and technetium-99 

and chlorinated organic compounds, including Trichloroethylene (TCE), an industrial solvent, and its degradation products. 

However, despite a growing network of sample locations, none of 

these signature man-made contaminants were detected in any of 

the monitored off-site groundwater wells.

Monitoring shows no man-made contaminants
32 39 Oak Ridge Reservation CERCLA Decision Areas evaluated in the Remediation Effectiveness Report
33

 Public

 Involvement

The public is involved in all cleanup decisions made by DOE. To keep the 

public informed, DOE provides information through a variety of outlets, 

including meetings, fact sheets, public notices, the Internet, and various 

publications.

33
34

to celebrate completion of K-25 demolition 

Stakeholder event held

Local elected officials, business leaders, DOE personnel, 

and project staff joined Daniel Poneman, Deputy Secretary of 

Energy, at a special event to celebrate completion of the K-25 

demolition project. K-25 is the largest facility to be demolished in 

the DOE complex.

“Today marks a tremendous accomplishment for the 

American people – advancing our commitment to the safe 

and complete cleanup of former Manhattan Project sites.” said 

Deputy Secretary of Energy Daniel Poneman. “While there is still 

important cleanup work to do, completing the demolition of the 

K-25 gaseous diffusion building and doing so ahead of schedule 

and under budget is a testament to the outstanding Oak Ridge 

workforce.”

The event was held Dec. 19, 2013, at the Oak Ridge Fire 

Station, which sits adjacent to the K-25 demolition site.

Poneman speaks at the K-25 demolition completion 

ceremony

The Oak Ridge Site Specific Advisory Board (ORSSAB) is a federally appointed citizens’ 

panel that provides independent advice and recommendations to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Office of EM. The board is composed of up to 22 members, who are chosen 

to reflect the diverse occupations, perspectives, and interests of people living near the Oak 

Ridge Reservation.

Since 1995, ORSSAB has actively provided input to the DOE Oak Ridge EM Program on 

cleanup operations and stewardship of remediated areas and permanent waste disposal sites. 

The board continued that tradition in FY 2014. All of ORSSAB’s activities can be viewed by 

accessing the board’s website at www.energy.gov/orssab.

Following are some of the board’s major contributions and activities for FY 2014.

on DOE cleanup activities 

Advisory board provides input

Community Outreach

In FY 2014, ORSSAB continued efforts to keep the public 

informed of its activities to provide opportunities for dialogue between EM and the surrounding communities.

Each board meeting is video recorded, and the presentation portion is broadcast on cable television stations in Anderson, Knox, and Loudon counties. The videos are also on the 

board’s YouTube channel. ORSSAB’s website and Facebook 

site have links to the YouTube postings. 

The board also reaches out through its quarterly Advocate 

newsletter, news releases, and postings on the board’s website 

and Facebook page. The board’s permanent exhibit at the American Museum of Science and Energy in Oak Ridge features a variety of touch-screen kiosks and displays on waste management 

activities, long-term stewardship, history, and other aspects of 

DOE’s cleanup program. In 2014, the board expanded the coverage of the Advocate by making copies available to 25 public 

libraries in the nine-county area around Oak Ridge. 
35

Environmental Management & Stewardship

Committee

The Environmental Management & Stewardship Committee 

is the board’s primary committee for studying planned and current cleanup activities on the Oak Ridge Reservation and drafting 

recommendations for the full board to consider concerning those 

activities.

The committee also follows stewardship requirements for 

areas of the Reservation that have residual waste remediated 

in place and ensures that those requirements, such as land use 

controls, institutional controls, and other methods of protecting 

human health and the environment, are being enforced.

Topics that the committee followed in FY 2014 included:

• Long-term groundwater strategy development

• Additional waste disposal capacity on the Oak Ridge Reservation

• Acquisition, storage, and retention of environmental management data for future use

• The annual Remediation Effectiveness Report

• The DOE geographical information system and the Land 

Use Manager for following stewardship efforts

• Long-term stewardship of contaminated groundwater at 

Y-12 National Security Complex

• Legacy waste disposition

Recommendations

ORSSAB’s primary function is to provide advice 

and recommendations to DOE on its environmental 

cleanup of the Oak Ridge Reservation. ORSSAB 

submitted four recommendations to DOE for consideration in FY 2014.

Complete text of all ORSSAB recommendations can be found on the ORSSAB website at http://

www.energy.gov/orem/listings/orssabrecommendations-responses.

Recommendation on the FY 2016 DOE Oak 

Ridge EM Budget Request

Each year DOE EM develops its budget request 

for the fiscal year two years beyond the current fiscal 

year. It uses budget requests from the various DOE 

field offices in developing the EM Program budget 

request to the President.

In March 2014, DOE briefed ORSSAB on the 

current budget picture and described near-term 

(2014-2016), mid-term (2017-2026), and long-term 

(2027-2043) priorities for cleanup of the Oak Ridge 

Reservation. In March 2014, the ORSSAB EM & Stewardship 

and Budget & Process committees met with DOE representatives for a more in-depth discussion and explanation of the reasoning behind setting the priorities. The committees drafted a 

recommendation, which the board approved, on the DOE Oak 

Ridge EM budget request for FY 2016.

In its recommendation, ORSSAB agreed with DOE’s nearterm, mid-term, and long-term priorities and strongly encouraged 

DOE EM to request funding sufficient to adequately address 

those projects. In particular, the board recommended aggressive 

implementation of projects which will reduce the “base” costs of 

the Oak Ridge cleanup program and allow accelerated investment in remaining cleanup work.

DOE EM Oak Ridge sent the recommendation along with its 

budget request to DOE Headquarters.

Recommendation on Additional Off-site Groundwater Migration Studies

In 2013, DOE, EPA, and TDEC held a series of workshops 

to prioritize groundwater pathways on the Oak Ridge Reservation. The agencies created a groundwater strategy document 

that describes the potential for releases from waste disposal 

sites and storage areas. The document also prioritized known 

groundwater plumes, contaminants of concern, concentration of 

contaminants, and potential health risks. 

Dan Goode, U.S. Geological Survey, explains the geology around the 

ORR during a presentation to ORSSAB about groundwater on the ORR. 

His presentation was related to the Groundwater Strategy Workshops 

held by DOE, EPA, and TDEC.
36

In May, ORSSAB recommended that DOE 

conduct additional groundwater studies to address 

any potential off-site migration of chemicals or radioisotopes from the Oak Ridge Reservation. The 

recommendation focused on developing information 

that fosters a better understanding of potential impacts of groundwater contamination related to risk 

mitigation, groundwater remediation, and long-term 

stewardship.

In its response, DOE said it has proceeded with 

the off-site groundwater migration studies working in 

cooperation with EPA and TDEC.

ORSSAB had recommended additional baseline funding to perform interpretive analysis to better 

understand potential plume migration and effects on 

off-site receptors. DOE said it has planned budgets 

for three years for the project studies, and it has 

planned budgets for follow-on years for additional 

activities that may result from the studies. 

ORSSAB members believed the plume rankings were subjective and suggested the development of process knowledge documents for each 

plume. The board continued that the ranking methods should be 

reviewed to confirm or revise the rankings. DOE acknowledged 

the plume rankings may be subjective, but said they were agreed 

to by the three agencies and will remain in place unless conclusions from the additional studies warrant revision of the rankings. 

Recommendations on Additional Waste Disposal Capacity 

on the Oak Ridge Reservation

Also in May, ORSSAB recommended that DOE continue to 

plan for additional on-site waste disposal capacity on the Oak 

Ridge Reservation for low-level radioactive and chemically hazardous waste.

DOE currently operates the Environmental Management 

Waste Management Facility (EMWMF), a low-level radioactive 

waste disposal facility in Bear Creek Valley near Y-12. When 

the facility began accepting waste in 2002, it was expected to 

handle all projected low-level waste from cleanup operations on 

the Oak Ridge Reservation. However, EM’s scope of work has 

increased over the years and additional disposal capacity on-site 

is needed.

DOE has conducted a study to develop, screen, and evaluate alternatives for an additional waste disposal facility with a 

working name of EM Disposal Facility (EMDF). ORSSAB’s recommendation asked DOE to continue working toward adding 

disposal capacity and proposed recommendations for a new facility. 

ORSSAB encouraged DOE to minimize the need for additional on-site capacity when possible. In its response, DOE said 

it was examining the final cover design of the EMWMF to allow 

for extended capacity. The waste acceptance criteria for other 

so-called ‘sanitary landfills’ on Chestnut Ridge are being evaluated for possible modifications to allow a wider variety of waste.

DOE also said it has practices in place to minimize disposal volumes. The agency uses a hierarchy for dispositioning waste that 

includes reusing or recycling where possible, followed by the use 

of the sanitary landfills, the EMWMF, and off-site disposal facilities. 

ORSSAB also recommended that the EMDF have sufficient 

capacity to accept all future waste generated by DOE cleanup 

of the Oak Ridge Reservation. DOE’s planning for the EMDF includes projected future remediation waste, plus an additional 25 

percent contingency for any uncertainties in volume projections. 

The board recommended that the proposed disposal area 

be engineered to operate safely and block migration of contaminants into adjacent groundwater, soil, and air. DOE said the 

facility design will undergo modeling and third-party review to 

demonstrate regulatory compliance and provide the necessary 

protection of the environment and human health.

ORSSAB asked that the facility be located in proximity to 

existing waste burial sites. DOE said the proposed site is near 

EMWMF and other waste burial grounds. It said locating the 

EMDF near other disposal areas consolidates the burial sites 

for long-term stewardship purposes, improves cost benefits, and 

ORSSAB hosted two members of the Northern New Mexico Citizens’ 

Advisory Board in May 2014. Shown are NNM CAB Chair Carlos Valdez 

and CAB member Nona Girardi, center. They are flanked by Dave 

Hemelright, ORSSAB Chair, left, and Dave Adler, ORSSAB’s Alternate 

Deputy Designated Federal Officer. The guests toured the ORR and 

attended the May ORSSAB meeting.
37

maintains current greenfield land for unrestricted use.

Finally, the board requested that DOE establish a trust fund 

for the EMDF similar to one in place for EMWMF. DOE said the 

expense of a trust fund for long-term stewardship is incorporated 

in the feasibility study for the facility’s life-cycle. The continuation of the trust fund concept is contingent on TDEC accepting 

such an agreement, but DOE will be responsible for the longterm stewardship of EMDF either through a trust fund or independently by DOE.

Recommendation on DOE Oak Ridge GIS Fact Sheets

In May, DOE briefed the EM & Stewardship Committee on 

the Oak Ridge EM Geographic Information System (GIS). This is 

a public resource available at https://emgis.oro.doe.gov/. 

Website visitors can access maps of the Oak Ridge Site 

and obtain information about specific sites and areas, including 

their contamination/cleanup status. For each decision area there 

is a fact sheet that provides a concise answer to the question “Is 

it safe?” followed by short summaries of the site history, Record 

of Decision (ROD), remedial measures, and current status. The 

fact sheets also provide links to relevant documents, such as 

other RODs and the Remediation Effectiveness Report. 

It was noted, though, that not all fact sheets describe future decisions and actions. To keep the public fully informed, 

ORSSAB recommended that all fact sheets identify future acORSSAB member Bob Hatcher, Distinguished Scientist at 

the University of Tennessee – Knoxville, was awarded the 

Marcus Milling Legendary Geoscientist Medal in 2014. The 

award made him the only recipient of three most prestigious 

medals in the field of geology.

tions expected or planned. In particular, fact sheets for units with 

interim action RODs should indicate that additional evaluations 

will be done in the future before final decisions are made. DOE 

agreed with the recommendation and said it is important for the 

public to have appropriate information on residual contamination located on the ORR. DOE will update the current GIS fact 

sheets to capture current and anticipated future status of all interim cleanup actions.

The Oak Ridge Site Specific Advisory Board meets the second Wednesday of the month at the DOE Information Center in 

Oak Ridge. The public is always invited to attend.
38 45

The DOE Information Center is a one-stop information facility 

that maintains a collection of more than 46,000 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 website is 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.

FY 2014 Stats

Average number of visitors per month 57

Number of public meetings held 65

Total citizen inquiries 590

Total number of documents at the center 47,083

 Total number of documents on-line 14,600

Visit the DOE Information Center on the Web 

at www.energy.gov/orem/services/communityengagement/doe-information-center

Phone: 865-241-4780

DOE Information Center

The DOE Information Center is located at the Office of 

Scientific and Technical Information, Building 1916 – T1,

1 Science.Gov Way, Oak Ridge, Tennessee

DOE Information Center staff, from left, are Trilla Hutchins, Eva Butler, and Wanda Joyce 
39

DOE Information Center

Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Building 1916 – T1, 1 Science.Gov Way

Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830

Phone: (865) 241-4780

Fax: (865) 574-3521

E-mail: DOEIC@oro.doe.gov

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

DOE Oak Ridge Office of EM

(865) 576-0742

Oak Ridge Site Specific Advisory Board

(865) 241-4583, (865) 241-4584

1-800-382-6938

Tennessee Department of Environment

and Conservation - DOE Oversight Office

(865) 481-0995

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Region 4

1-800-241-1754

Agency for Toxic Substances and

Disease Registry

1-888-422-8737

DOE-ORO Environmental Management Program www.energy.gov/orem 

 

DOE Main Web Site www.energy.gov

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

Oak Ridge Site Specific Advisory Board www.energy.gov/orssab

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.energy.gov/orem/services/

 community-engagement/doe-information-center

Information Resources

Internet Sites
40

CERCLA Comprehensive Environmental Response, 

 Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980

CEUSP Consolidated Edison Uranium Solidification

 Project

CH Contact-handled

CROET Community Reuse Organization of East

 Tennessee

DOE U.S. Department of Energy

EM Environmental Management

EMDF Environmental Management Disposal Facility

EMWMF Environmental Management Waste

 Management Facility

EPA U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

ETTP East Tennessee Technology Park

FFA Federal Facility Agreement

Commonly Used Abbreviations

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 National Priorities List, a listing of the nation’s most hazardous waste sites. The Oak Ridge Reservation was added to that list in 1989. 

Environmental Management Waste Management Facility: The Record of Decision for the Disposal of Oak Ridge Reservation 

Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 Waste, Oak Ridge, Tennessee was issued in 

1999 to construct a dedicated disposal facility on the Reservation to receive low-level radioactive waste, Resource Conservation 

and Recovery Act hazardous waste, Toxic Substances Control Act waste, and mixed wastes generated from cleanup programs 

conducted under CERCLA. While the Record of Decision did not establish a formal name for this facility, it has been designated as the 

Environmental Management Waste Management Facility.

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, the Environmental Protection Agency, 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. The Environmental Protection Agency, 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

FY Fiscal year

MSRE Molten Salt Reactor Experiment

NNSA National Nuclear Security Administration

NNSS Nevada National Security Site

NPL National Priorities List

ORNL Oak Ridge National Laboratory

ORSSAB Oak Ridge Site Specific Advisory Board

RH Remote-handled

RI/FS Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study

ROD Record of Decision

TRU Transuranic

TSCA Toxic Substances Control Act

TWPC Transuranic Waste Processing Center

UEFPC Upper East Fork Poplar Creek

VOC Volatile organic compound
41
42

For more information, please contact the DOE Public Affairs Office

at (865) 576-0885 or 1-800-382-6938.