WASTE MANAGEMENT

Sites Identified for Mixed and Low-Level Waste Disposal

The Waste Management Programmatic Record
of Decision, signed in February 2000,
determined that there will be two primary sites
[Nevada Te:
waste disposal from the DOE complex. Most
legacy and newly generated low-level waste
from the Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR) will be
sent to the NTS, Hanford or commercial
disposal facilities. Mixed low-level waste is

ite (NTS) and Hanford] used for

currently being disposed of at a commercial

isposal facility, DOE-ORO is currently
working with the NTS to obtain final approvals
to begin shipments of low-level waste for
disposal. Radioactive waste generated by
CERCLA projects are planned for disposal at
the Environmental Management Waste
Management Facility, currently under
construction on the ORR.

TRU Waste Record of Decision Issued

DOE has completed a major step in
preparation for the treatment of transuranic
waste at Oak Ridge National Laboratory
(ORNL) by issuing a Record of Decision
(ROD) under the National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA). DOE has decided to
proceed with the low-temperature drying
technology for waste treatment, with final
disposal at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in
New Mexico.

In August 1998, DOF awarded a contract to
Foster Wheeler Environmental Corporation to
construct a transuranic waste treatment facility
adjacent to the Melton Valley Storage Tanks at
ORNL. The selection was contingent on
completing the NEPA review and selecting
Foster Wheeler's technology and the decisions
incorporated in the ROD. Construction of the
treatment facility is expected to begin in 2001,
with waste processing to start in January 2003.



i

(5 Summary Bar
MEE Significant Subprojects

Critical Projects to Completion

Retivity

Decontamination and Decomi

JAssessment

Decontamination and Decommissioning)

—nin TCT ——For 1 —2 nr — ——ar rar —are —m ——ar

Interim Zone 1 Record of Decision (ROD)

EE BE Interim Zone 2 ROD
ES Final Zone 2 ROD

SSE Sas as
IK-29/K-31/K-33 Bldg Decontamination and Decommissioning (D&D)
IK-25/K-27 Bldg D&D

Main Plant D&D
Balance of Site D&D

er

Eee

11070-A burial ground
a ee

x E: Cor ie]
a -25/K-27 Remedial Action
ee {1070 C-D Burial Grounds Remedial Action

Powerhouse Remedial Action

EE i] aa)

a = ]
[EEE Bethe! Valley ROD

EE Boundary Sites ROD
Bethe! Valley
(EW) Final
ROD-

EE BE I Molton Sait Reactor Experiment MSRE) Conversion
MsRE Facility D&D

ET Bethe! Valley Reactor Area Facilities D&D
aE joiton Valley Homogeneous Reactor Experiment D&D

]
ll ORNL Burial Grounds Remedial Action (SWSA 4,5,6)
CU ES RO 1) Liquid Waste Disposal Sites Remedial Action

IWOC Flood Plain Soils & Sediments Remedial Action
BV Inactive Tanks & Pipelines

] Gi
|S Upper East Fork Poplar Creek (UEFPC) Phase 1 ROD
FOC EE BCV Phase 2 ROD

Chestnut Ridge ROD
UEFPC Phase 2 ROD

fe 1

ee Transition Facilities D&D

IEM Facilities D&D

Environmental Managem

Management Facility

Legacy Waste

a 7

| erences eerste] BoneyardiBurnyard

a  UEFPC Soils Remediation
I Bear Creek Valley Burial Grounds
|UEFPC Sediments ~ Streambed & Lake Reality

West End Mercury Area

EY:2020=05)
0
Cell Operation

Ms Mixed Low-Level Waste
es Hazardous Waste
TRU Waste
Low-Level Waste



followed by a public tour of the Melton Valley
Storage Tank facility.

Further public comment opportunities were

offered for:

* removal actions at ETTP, including the
Group I] D&D Engineering Evaluation
and Cost Analysis;

¢ the first annual EM Remediation
Effectiveness Report;

¢ an Environmental As
Mixed Low-Level W
and disposal;

¢ an EA for Low-Level Waste transportation
and disposal; and
se eral RCRA permit modifications at
ETTL.

ment (LA) for
aste transportation

In addition, DOE-EM public involvement
played a supporting role in several additional

on Valley Watershen

DOE Oak Ridge Operations

Public Involvement

Public involvement in government a

one of this Nation’s most treasured civic
processes. Each Oak Ridge Operations
(ORO) program and matrix organization will
identify meaningful opportunities to involve
the public in Departmental decisions that
impact stakeholders and communities at all
ORO sites. While many laws are in place
that require government agencies to hold
public meetings and comment periods,
ORO will go beyond the minimum
regulatory requirements. We will develop
relationships and ongoing dialogue with
stakeholders at each of our sites with the
objective of enabling more effective public
participation in our activities. Public
involvement is an integral and effective part

meetings, including a preliminary scoping
meeting for parcel ED-3 sponsored by the
DOE Office of Assets Reutilization, an
Environment, Safety and Health (ES&IT)
meeting with DOE Assistant Secretary David
Michaels attended by more than 400 people,
and a public meeting to present results of the
ETTP ES&H Investigation conducted last year.

In March 2000, EM sponsored the first-ever
Environmental Symposium for area Sth
graders, Close to 700 students from Morgan
and Anderson counties participated in this
hands-on learning event. A second Symposium
was conducted in October for students from
Loudon and Roane counties. The symposia
curriculum was designed and implemented by
Roane State Community College under
subcontract to Bechtel Jacobs Company LLC.

Policy Statement on

of ORO’ activities. Decisions are made with
the benefit and consideration of the public,
as appropriate, ‘The Public Affairs Office
has the lead responsibility for coordinating
public involvement activities, Each program
and support organization is expected to
actively participate as opportunities are
identified to present the Department's
message and engage in meaningful dialogue.
To ensure accountability to the public,
activities that involve significant public
interaction will be noted in weekly reports
to the Manager. Commitment of staff and
financial resources necessary to implement
required by all ORO
organi Ss.
DOE-wide Policy Reference: DOE P 1210.1



ETTP Zone 1 Proposed Plan Being Developed

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE),
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and
Tennessee Department of Environment and
Conservation (TDEC) agreed in September
2000 to a path forward for the cleanup of the
East Tennessee Technology Park (ETTP). This
path forward includes an interim decision on
soil remediation in the areas outside the main
fence. This area has been designated as Zone 1.
DOE issued the draft Proposed Plan to
regulators for review in December 2000. This
Proposed Plan will be issued for public
comment once finalized and approved by EPA
and TDEC. Ultimately, a Record of Decision
will be signed by the three agencies allowing
cleanup to begin in Zone 1.

Demolition Projects at ETTP

As part of cleanup efforts at Fast Tennessee
Technology Park (ETTP), the U.S. Department
of Energy (DOF) is demolishing several
buildings there. Five buildings, known
collectively as Group 1, have already been
demolished, The Group 1 Buildings include
the K-725 Beryllium Building and the nearby
K-724 Storage Building, the K-1131 Feed and
Tails Building, the K-1410 Plating Facility, and
the adjacent K-1031 Warehouse. These
auxiliary facilities were selected for
dismantlement because of their poor physical
condition, proximity to surface water or other
structures, expense of surveillance and
maintenance activities, or a combination of
these. Demolition was completed in

April 1999.

Group 2 decontamination and
decommissioning activities include 89
contaminated above-ground facilities that will
be demolished by groupings. These facilities
include buildings as well as tanks, sheds, and
other above-grade structures. Facilities with
actual or potential elevated concentrations of
radiological anW/or other hazardous substances
were included in this evaluation. Demolition
will include decontamination and disposal of
materials at approved off-site disposal facilities
and Oak Ridge Reservation storage or disposal
facilities.

Buildings that are not contaminated are also
being demolished when it has been determined

that they are of no future use or are structurally

unsound.

Once the soil has been remediated, additional
data will be collected to support a final decision
on soil, groundwater, surface water, and
sediment remediation in Zone 1. Decision
making on the cleanup approach for the main
plant portion of ETTP will occur after more of
the buildings are demolished so that soils
requiring remediation can be more easily
sampled and remediated.

The public will be kept informed throughout
this process, including briefings to the Oak
Ridge Site Specific Advisory Board
subcommittees,

Under Way

Building groupings are:

* main plant area,

° K-25/27 area,

* Poplar Creek area,

© Powerhouse area,

¢ K-31/33 rabbit cars area,
¢ centrifuge area, and

¢ balance of the site.

Demolition of ETTP contaminated facilities is
being performed under the Comprehensive
Environmental Response, Compensation, and
Liability Act of 1980.

K-1410 during
demolition



TSCA Incinerator
at ETTP

Changes Take Place at TSCA Incinerator

IT Corporation is Subcontractor

Bechtel Jacobs Company LLC (BJC) awarded
a subcontract to Pennsylvania-based IT
Corporation to operate the Toxic Substances
Control Act (TSCA) Incinerator for three years,
beginning in January 2000. An option in the
contract allows for two 2-year extensions.

‘To streamline operations, I'T Corporation made
some changes to the incinerator’s operating
schedule, The company plans to burn waste for
three months at a time, then minimize burning
while workers package waste to prepare for the
next burn, That will allow fewer workers to
operate the incinerator. The incinerator is
currently not in operation but will be restarted
in July 2001. The incinerator previously was
operated almost continuously for nine months
of the year.

The incinerator is scheduled for closure in
2003 based on the assumption that private
industry will have developed suitable disposal
alternatives by then. If not, DOE officials
may have to re-evaluate the incinerator’s
planned life.

TSCA Incinerator Pre-Trial Burn

A pre-trial bum for the TSCA Incinerator was
held in November 2000. The TSCA Incinerator
is required to periodically perform a rigorous
test to make sure it is meeting its permit
requirements, which is a standard part of
reapplication. BJC awarded the subcontract to
TRC Environmental Corporation, based in
Lovell, Mass., to perform the pre-trial and trial
burns and issue a final report. The RCRA/PCB
Trial Burn is scheduled for April 2001,

TSCA Incinerator Burn Plan

The state has approved the DOE “burn plan”
for the TSCA Incincrator, including limited
authority to bring toxic wastes to Oak Ridge
from DOE sites in Colorado and Idaho. Justin
Wilson, the policy deputy to Tennessee Gov.
Don Sundquist, informed DOE of the decision
ina letter to Leah Dever, DOE Oak Ridge
Operations manager.

In approving the burn plan, Wilson said the
state will permit DOF to burn “limited
amounts” of liquid nuclear waste from the
Idaho National Engincering and
Environmental Laboratory and the Rocky Flats
Plant, a former warhead plant near

Denver, Colo.

The plan also allows continuation of waste
shipments from DOE sites in Ohio and
Kentucky, which were included in the original
incinerator agreement because those facilities
are managed by DOE's Oak Ridge Operations
office.

“This approval is another example of the
cooperative working relationship that exists
between (DOE'S) Oak Ridge Operations and its
state regulators,” DOE spokesman David Page
said. “This approval is not only important to
DOE's Oak Ridge facilities but also to other
DOE facilities across the complex that will
have their wastes treated in a safe and
environmentally protective manner.”



PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT

Stakeholder Voices Heard Throughout 2000

Year 2000 proved to be another busy year for
Oak Ridge area stakeholders. Many of you took
advantage of a myriad of opportunities to get
involved in EM decision making. Those
opportunities included seven public meetings,
eight public comment periods, 98 Oak Ridge
Site Specific Advisory Board (SSAB) meetings
(full Board and committees), a dozen Local
Oversight Committee (LOC) Citizen Advisory
Panel meetings, and countless informal
discussions with DOE and Bechtel Jacobs
Company managers
2000 (Oct. 1999-

Following is a snapshot of the year-that-was in
public involvement,

In July, EM conducted a public meeting on the
Proposed Plan for Bethel Valley. The meeting
was planned with the assistance of
stakeholders, whose input was solicited during
a special open mecting of the Oak Ridge
SSAB's Environmental Restoration Committee.
The public meeting began with a one-hour
poster session, followed by presentations from
DOE's ORNL Watershed manager and Bethel
Valley project manager and extensive public
question and comment. A public comment
period also accompanied the document.

Following a proposed plan public meeting in
1999, the Melton Valley Record of Decision
(ROD) was signed by DOE and regulators.
Members of the SSAB Stewardship
Committee, which also includes representatives
from the LOC, Friends of ORNL, and other
stakeholder groups contributed significantly to
stewardship language included in the ROD.

‘The Oak Ridge $SAB cosponsored and assisted
DOF with the content of a public meeting on
the EM budget. The meeting, which focused
on the EM budgets for FYs 2000, 2001, and
2002, was held in February 2000 at the

Jacobs Technical Center.

EM went the extra mile to involve the public in
the recent Notification of Intent to Comply
with new National Emissions Standards for
Hazardous Air Pollutants standards for the
ETTP Toxic Substances Control Act
Incinerator. In addition to a public mecting,
expanded outreach included a public comment
period and extensive public notification,

including a sign posted near the Incinerator on
Blair Road, daily announcements on local
access cable, and notification via the monthly
newsletter Public Involvement News.

DOE held a public comment period and public
hearing in March on the Transuranic Waste
Draft Environmental Impact Statement, which
helped determine the most viable alternative
for treating TRU waste at the Oak Ridge
Reservation. These activities led to a ROD

in August.

The DOE-ORO ‘Technology Development
organization sponsored a stakeholder Open
House with the theme “Wastewater Triad:
Deployment of Imovative Modular Waste
Reduction Systems at the Oak Ridge National
Laboratory.” Three technologies recently
deployed as part of the ORNL integrated tank
waste management strategy were showcased,



Phase I of Bear Creek Valley Remediation Progressing

Work has progressed steadily on portions of the
Bear Creek Valley (BCV) Watershed since the
signing of the first of two Records of Decision
(ROD) in June 2000. The BCV encompasses an
area from the western end of the Oak Ridge Y-
12 National Security Complex (S-3 Ponds area)
to the point where Bear Creek exits the valley
near State Highway 95.

The sites discussed here are part of the BCV
Phase I ROD and include waste areas that are
the greatest contributors to human-health and
ecological risks within the BCV Watershed.
These sites include the $-3 Ponds,
Boneyard/Burnyard (BY/BY), Oil Land Farm,
and other miscellancous sites.

The Phase IT BCV ROD will address the Bear
Creek Burial Grounds and finalize groundwater
remediation goals.

S-3 Ponds

‘The $-3 functional area includes areas where
contaminants are attributable to operations at
the former S-3 Ponds. The $-3 Ponds were
closed in 1988 under the Resource
Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA).
Primary contaminants are nitrates and uranium
with smaller concentrations of heavy metals
and organic solvents.

The actions at the S-3 Ponds Site consist of an
igation into the applicability and
effectiveness of passive treatment of shallow
groundwater plumes. The groundwater in this
area is contaminated with cadmium, uranium,
and nitrate. Contaminants discharge from the
shallow groundwater to upper Bear Creek
through three pathways. Pathway 1 flows
directly south of the $-3 Ponds Site, Pathway 2
flows southwest of the S-3 Ponds Site, and
Pathway 3 flows west of the S-3 Ponds Site.

Barrier systems were installed to intercept and
treat contaminated water flowing through
Pathways 1 and 2, but testing demonstrated
that the operation of the two treatment systems
has been inconsistent and less than satisfactory
overall. Efforts to evaluate the Pathway | and 2
systems to determine the necessary

modifications to fix them are undenvay. A
subcontract was awarded to evaluate, design,
and construct these modifications. The systems
modifications will be completed in 2001.

A pre-design study has been initiated to
determine the most efficient and cost effective
means for addressing the Pathway 3 Plume.
The study includes the installation of two
trench tanks with different treatment media.
The installation of the pilot design system was
completed in 2000. Collection of data from the
system will continue throughout 2001 and will
be used to support the design of the remedial
action.

Boneyard/Burnyard

At BY/BY, uranium contained in soils and in
waste materials leaches into groundwater,
which subsequently discharges to surface water
ina tributary of Bear Creek. Uranium in
groundwater that has leached from buried
waste and fill material in BY/BY likely migrates
directly to the Maynardville Limestone and to
Bear Creek via shallow groundwater flow,

The Remedial Investigation Report estimates
that more than half of the human health risk
and hazard index for the watershed is because
of uranium derived from BY/BY waste.
Excavation of contaminated soils and waste
materials that are leaching uranium to
groundwater and surface water will significantly
reduce uranium flux and, therefore, reduce
unacceptable health risk.

Results from sampling indicated that
approximately 35,000 yd of buried waste
contributed to off-site migration of uranium.
This primary source area material was
excavated, and hydraulic controls were
constructed to mitigate movement of water into
the remaining buried waste.

Oil Land Farm

The Oil Landfarm functional area covers land

immediately downgradient of the Oil

Landfarm, BY/BY, a sanitary landfill, and the

Oil Landfarm itself. The Oil Landfarm was

used from 1973 to 1982 for the disposal of
[continued on page 20)



Former DOL
Seerctary Bill

Richardson aud

other dignitaries

were in

Oak Ridge to

recounize the

successful

completion of

the annite tanks

project. Pictured

up frou) ave
State Rep. Gene
Caldwell, Gor

Don

Sunelquist

U.S. Rep. Bob
Clement, U.S,

Richardson, and

Rep. Zach

Wamp.
!

ORNL Tanks

Project

Manager
Dirk Van
Hoesen

‘continued from pase 9,
Based on the EE/CA, an Action Memorandum
was prepared stating that excavation was the
selected alternative. A Request for Proposals
was issued, and a removal action subcontractor
was selected. The removal action activities are
under way with completion expected in 2001.

The tanks are located in Bethel Valley. The
Proposed Plan for Interim Actions in Bethel
Valley, which was issued for public comment in

June, recommends groundwater pumping for
control of the plume.

Already operating is Well 4411, located in the
southwest corner of the North Tank Farm in
the ORNL main plant area. The well is
downgradient of the Core Hole 8 plume source
and intersects the contaminated plume. In
conjunction with other plume collection actions
being taken, the well is expected to enhance
the containment of the plume.

Radioactive Sludge Removed from Storage Tanks

The Gunite Tanks Remediation Project
removed radioactive sludge and liquid from
eight underground storage tanks at Oak Ridge
National Laboratory (ORNL), following 8 years
of planning, preparation, and waste retrieval
operations. The project was completed in
September 2000, eliminating a potential risk to
laboratory employees, the public, and the
environment. The Gunite Tanks were built
during the World War I Manhattan Project.
The name for the tanks was derived from the
process used for their construction. Gunite, a
mixture of cement, sand, and water, was
einforcing

sprayed over aiwvire mesh and stee
rod frame.

The tanks were removed from service in the
carly 1970s. Waste removal operations in the
early 1980s removed most of the transuranic
and mixed waste that had settled at the bottom
of the tanks. Although those efforts were

successful, some 87,000 gallons of sludge and
250,000 gallons of liquid containing 78,000
curies of radioactivity remained in six 170,000-
gallon and two 42,500-gallon tanks.

The Gunite Tanks Remediation Project was the
first of its kind completed in the United States,
and project officials say the technologies used
for this successful tank remediation project can
serve as a model for other DOE sites.
According to DOE project manager, Stephanie
Short, “This achievement represents a
significant milestone in the environmental
cleanup of ORNL. The project climinated the
largest inventory of underground contaminants
at ORNL’ main plant area, and was
accomplished without accidents or injuries.”

Integrated robotic and remotely operated
equipment was used to clean the tanks,
‘Twenty-eight technologies were combined into



K-1001 Demolished

As part of the East Tennessee ‘Technology Park
(ETTP) Ausiliary Facilities Demolition Project:
Group 2 Buildings, Bechtel Jacobs Company
LLC has demolished the original
administration building (K-1001). The building
was demolished because a structural
engineering analysis determined it was no

r structurally sound to use as an office

Bechtel Jacobs Company aw
subcontract to Safety and Ecology Corporation
(SEC) of Knoxville, ‘Tennessee, to perform the
EC removed all the ashes
1 and other contaminants, v
they had all been removed, and proceeded with
demolition, SEC conducted air monitoring to
ensure the health and safety of its workers and
employees. SEC also demolished seven
tailers located east of Building K-1001. These
trailers were not needed and would require

significant work for continued use.

Building K-1001 was a two-story, wood frame
structure with an underlying crawl space and
he building was constructed in 1944 to
be used mainly as offices for administrative
mnel. K-LOOL was deactivated in 1999. It
ified radiologically clean based on past
radiological surveys. Contaminants present in

ce

the building included asbestos-containing
materials, small amounts of polychlorinated
biphenyls, and lead, These contaminants are

being shipped to a permitted disposal facility.

The majority of the demolition debris has been

shipped to the DOE Y-12 Construction
Debris Landfill.

Treatment Method for
CERCLA Waste Identified
for G Pit

The treatment method to remediate the
K-1070-C/D G Pit generated waste will be a
portable low-temperature thermal desorption
unit that will remove volatile organic
compounds and capture any polychlorinated
biphenyls (PCBs) in the soils. The filter units
will be disposed of at the TSCA Incinerator at
ETTP with the options for disposal of the soil
dependent upon the final sampling data of
the containers. The concrete pad was covered
with a soil cap in April 1999, and the G Pit
removal was completed in January 2000.

The K-1001
building prior to
demolition

Workers are
shown removing
siding from the

K-1001 building



K-25/K-27 Demolition Process

Demolish
Facility

100 million Ibs.
—
ye
a) ®e

Recycle Scrap Metal

Remove Equipment

(x! Encase/stabilize
Equipment
(inside & out)

Dispose at
EMWMF

Building rubble (concrete) used
as backfill on ORR

K-1070-A Burial Ground Subcontract Awarded

The IT Corporation has been awarded an
$11.1 million subcontract by Bechtel Jacobs
Company LLC to clean up a major waste burial
ground at East Tennessee Technology Park.

The 1070-A Burial Ground covers one acre and
contains 62 pits and 26 trenches that were used
to dispose of a variety of waste containing low
levels of radioactivity (mostly uranium) and
toxic chemicals from the 1950s until 1976.
Most of the waste came from the uranium

enrichment process that was then in operation,
as well as contaminated construction debris,
laboratory waste, and other miscellaneous
waste.

‘The IT Corporation will be responsible for
planning and engineering design, followed by
the excavation, characterization of the waste,
disposal and finally re-vegetation of the burial
ground site. The schedule calls for work to be
completed by the summer of 2002.

Three-Building D&D Project Progressing

BNFL Inc., under contract to the Department
of Energy, is decontaminating and

joning the materials and equipment
K-33, K-31, and K-29 gaseous

ion buildings at East Tennessee
Technology Park. The three buildings contain
more than 4.89 million square feet and house
more than 136,000 tons of contaminated or
potentially contaminated material.

decommi!

The purpose of the project is to clean out the
three buildings to make them available for
reuse without radiological and other

safety concerns.

In 2000, BNFL dispositioned 17,881 tons of
metal from Building K-33. An additional

16,350 tons of metal within K-33 was
dismantled to await disposition. The K-31 and
K-33 Switchyard equipment demolition
removal was completed, with a total of 4,615
tons of metal removed and dispositioned.
BNF also designed and constructed a
supercompactor on-site to reduce the disposal
volume of low-level waste. The supercompactor
became operational in January 2001.

Complete dismantlement and disposal of five
of the eight cascade units in Building K-33 and
two of the six units in the Building K-31 are
expected to be completed in 2001,


waste oils and coolants that contained
beryllium compounds, depleted uranium,
polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and
chlorinated hydrocarbons. Final RCRA closure
of the site was accepted by the Tennessee
Department of Environment and Conservation
(LDEC) in 1990.

The Oil Landfarm Soil Contamination Pad is
located just north of the now closed Oil
Landfarm. This facility consists of a concrete
pad and dike within a fabric-covered, metal-
frame building. It was constructed to store soils

excavated during closure of the Oil Landfarm.
The pad lies within the footprint of the
proposed Environmental Management Waste
Management Facility (EMWMPF), and efforts
are under way to close it in order to
accommodate construction of the EMWMT.

Current plans are to dispose of the soils as
mixed waste and remove the remaining
structures. The soils contain low-level
radiological constituents and potentially contain
RCRA-listed wastes, and arrangements are
being made to dispose of the soils at an off-site
disposal facility im 2001,

Proposed Plan for Poplar Creek Released

A Proposed Plan for remediation of areas
contributing to contamination in and around
Upper East Fork Poplar Creck (UEFPC) has
been released.

UEFPC encompasses the developed Y-12
complex industrial area. It is bounded to the
north by the base of Pine Ridge, to the south
by the base of Chestnut Ridge, and to the west
by the Bear Creek Valley Characterization
Area. To the east, the UEFPC area extends to
the Oak Ridge Reservation boundary along
Scarboro Road.

Built in 1943 as part of the Manhattan Project,
the Y-12 complex is a manufacturing and
developmental engineering facility that
produced components for various nuclear
weapons systems. Activities at the plant have
released contaminants to the environment
resulting in contamination of soil, surface
water, sediments, and groundwater.
Contaminated areas within the UEPFC area
pose potential risks to human health and the
environment.

Mercury contamination is widespread at the
Y-12 complex and has been found in soil,
sediment, surface water, groundwater,
buildings, drains, and sumps. Mercury
continues to be released into UEFPC from
several sources within the complex. Mercury
enters UEFPC from direct erosion of
contaminated soil, migration of dissolved
mercury through storm drains and outfalls, and

through shallow groundwater.

UEFPC surface water exceeds mercury levels
for Ambient Water Quality Criteria and
acceptable levels for ingestion of fish by
recreational users. Surface water is a conduit
for off-site releases of mercury. Unacceptable
‘o human health are also present in soil,
sediment, and groundwater in the

UEFPC area.

The remediation of UEFPC will involve actions
to limit meremy releases via surface water. A
number of alternatives, including source
removal and water treatment, were presented
in the UEFPC Feasibility Study (FS) and FS
Addendum. The preferred alternative would
limit releases of mercury to UEFPC at the
sources, Principal actions include:
¢ isolating contaminated soil from
groundwater within mercury-
contaminated areas of the Y-12 Plant,

* excavating of contaminated sediments in
UEFPC and Lake Reality, and

¢ treating of water discharged from
Outfall 51 (a spring that is currently the
largest discrete source of mc~cury to

UEFPC).

A public meeting was conducted during the
public comment period for the Proposed Plan
in February 2001.


Work on Core Hole 8 Plume Under Way

DOE is implementing three coordinated
actions to stop the release of contaminants
from Core Hole 8 to First Creek and to

prevent the spread of additional contamination.

The Core Tole 8 contaminant plume and its
source are located at Oak Ridge National
Laboratory (ORNL).

The actions to control the plume and its source
during 2000 and 2001 include:

* seepage intercept action,

* contaminant source control action, and

¢ pumping from wells within the plume to
control flow and remove contaminant mass.

Additional sampling and analysis was

performed to identify contaminants and
concentrations. Because this project is being

| The first action is the

_ AL construction of an
additional groundwater

| seepage interceptor. This is
being performed as a

| maintenance action to

immediately stop contaminant — Farm, cons

| discharge to the creck via
storm drains. The project
consists of adding a

near a storm drain manhole
and connecting it to the
existing Core Hole 8 plume
interceptor system.

The second action being

implemented will remove
the contaminant source that
has created the Core Hole 8
plume, The plume source,
located in the North Tank

of

contaminated backfilled soil
and bedrock at the site of a
historic liquid low-level waste _ gradually removes

groundwater seepage collector _ leak from a broken pipe at the — contaminant mass from the
inlet valve of Tank W-1A.

performed as a Comprehensive Environmental

Response, Compensation, and Liability Act

(CERCLA) Removal Action, an Engineering

Evaluation/Cost Analysis (EE/CA) was

developed. The EE/CA evaluated the technical

feasibility, implementability, and effectiveness

of three alternatives that include:

* excavating Tank W-LA and surrounding
contaminated backfill soil,

¢ grouting the tank and surrounding soil
to create a solidified, impermeable block
that would prevent groundwater seepage
through the contaminated soil, and

* grouting the tank and in situ chemical
treatment of the contaminated soil to
combine contaminants in a chemical form
that greatly reduces their solubility.

[continued on page LO]

The third action is i

implementation of |
hydraulic controls on the
plume. A pump test
demonstrated that |
groundwater pumping could — |
eflectively control |
groundwater flow in the |
plume. The pumping also |

bedrock affected by the
plume.


Oak Ridge SSAB Posts Numerous Accomplishments

The Oak Ridge Site Specific Advisory Board
(ORSSAB) made significant progress in
2000 in its mission to provide advice
and recommendations to DOE on
its Oak Ridge EM Program,

The Board submitted a total of
15 comments and recommen-
dations to DOE in FY 2000 on
prominent topics like metals
recycling, the TSCA Incinerator,
long-term stewardship, transuranic
waste treatment at Oak Ridge
National Laboratory, and environmental
sampling, Presentations at Board meetings
were geared to these topics, providing forums
for interested stakeholders to learn more about
top EM issues.

The Board expanded its outreach effort this
year by holding meetings in new locations, such
as Pellissippi State and Roane State community
colleges (both Oak Ridge and Tarriman
campuses). Presentations at these meetings
were targeted to local stakeholder interests and
concerns, such as the Watts Bar fish
consumption advisories.

Stewardship has been an ongoing topic of
ORSSAB interest, and in FY 2000 the Board
continued its efforts to include area
stakeholders by sponsoring the Stewardship
Working Group (SWG). This broad-based
stakeholder group was set up by ORSSAB to
follow up on long-term stewardship initiatives
developed by the ORSSAB over the past

3 years.

ORSSAB and SWG achieved two important
milestones this year. On October 25 to 27,
1999, the Board hosted the national SSAB

For More Information

Workshop on Stewardship. More than 100

DOE stakeholders, including 50 members of
SSABs from nine DOE sites, met in Oak Ridge

to discuss the current state of stewardship and
the related actions and activities that are most
important for DOE to pursue. In December
1999, ORSSAB published the Oak Ridge
Reservation Stakeholder Report on
Stewardship, Vol. 2, which spells out the
concerns, expectations, and recommendations
akcholders regarding long-term
stewardship of the reservation.

of local s

Tn other major actions and accomplishments,

the Board

¢ expanded its commitment to including the
younger generation in its activities by
seating two student representatives on the
Board;

© cosponsored and assisted DOE with the
content of a public meeting on the EM
budget; and

¢ made numerous presentations to local
civic, governmental, and educational
organizations to inform the public about
the EM Program and encourage
involvement in ORSSAB activities.

ORSSAB is composed of 20 members, chosen
to reflect the diversity of gender, race,
occupation, views, and interests of persons
living near the ORR. Members are appointed
by DOE and serve on a voluntary ba
without compensation. The group was formed
in 1995 and is chartered under the Federal
Advisory Committee Act.

All Board and committee meetings are open to the public and are announced in newspaper
advertisements and in the Federal Register, at the Information Resource Center in Oak
Ridge, and through the Board’s 24-hour information line: (865) 576-4750, The Board
maintains a Web site at http:/Awww.oakridge.doe.gov/en/ssab/, where other information

can be found. Information is
(865) 241-3665 or 1-800-382.

lable by calling the ORSSAB support office at



DOE/OPA-CPAR/OR20
H.0100. 049. 633-3
O1IWSO1.OO5

CLEANUPPROGRE



FFA Tank Remediation Continuing

The Federal Facility Agreement (FFA) Tanks
Project currently consists of the sludge removal
and stabilization of 26 inactive Low Level
Liquid Waste tanks located in Bethel Valley
and Melton Valley as a CERCLA Removal
Action.

Seven of the tanks were remediated (i.c., waste
removed and grouted) during the past year,
while an cighth had the sludge removed, and
others were sampled in preparation for waste
removal. Four additional tanks were
remediated in early 2001.

Tank remediation generally includes the
following activities:

* Inspecting the tanks internally using video,

¢ High pressure washing for sludge removal,

© Transferring waste to a high integrity
container and transporting it to a
preconditioning tank and transferring it into
the tank, .

¢ Transferring the waste from the
preconditioning tank to the Melton Valley
Storage Tanks for final disposition,

© Internal tank inspections to confirm final
tank conditions, and

¢ Grouting tanks in place, following regulatory
approval.

ORNL Surface Impoundments Being Remediated

The third of four Main Plant Surface
Impoundments at ORNL was remediated
during the past year. Sediment from
impoundment A was transferred to
Impoundment B. Impoundment A was then
backfilled.

The Main Plant Surface Impoundments
originally consisted of four surface
impoundments located in the south-central
portion of the ORNL main plant area.
Impoundments C & D were remediated

in 1998,

Demolition of Metal Recovery Facility at ORNL Begins

DOE has begun demolition of the Metal
Recovery Facility (MRF) at ORNL. MRF is a
former small-scale nuclear fuel reprocessing
plant that operated from 1952 to 1960. The
reprocessing that occurred in the building's
seven hot cells recovered isotopes of uranium,
plutonium, neptunium, and americium and
separated out fission product isotopes of
strontium, cesium, and technetium.

To date, the project has completed
characterization, asbestos abatement,

Impoundment A was built in 1943 to serve as
an intermediate storage, collection and mixing
basin for the process waste treatment system

located in Building 3544. Impoundment B was

built in 1944 to serve as a settling basin for
untreated waste water before discharge into
White Oak Creck.

The nest steps include removing the combined

sediments from Impoundment B, treating and
packaging them on site and transporting them
to the Nevada Test Site for dispo
facility equipment installation was
completed in 2000.

also

equipment removal, and partial dismantling,
Currently, decontamination using strippable
coatings is under way. In 2001 the structure
will be demolished, including the highly
contaminated hot cells. The remaining
foundation will be stabilized, and the
demolition waste will be disposed of. Field
work on the project is scheduled to be
completed by the end of September 2001.
With the demolition of this structure, annual
nd maintenance costs will be
reduced significantly.

surveillance :

Treatment


integrated systems to effectively perform tank
and waste characterization, waste removal,
activities.

waste mixing, and waste transfer

Teamwork, said Short, was one of the big keys
to the project's success. “Without the dedicated
cooperation between DOE, the state of
Tennessee, EPA, stakeholders, and contractors,
we would not have been successful.”

The DOE Tanks Focus Area and the Robotics
Crosscutting Program allocated resources and
contributed to the research and development
for the technology development and
integration. Overall, the teamwork, planning,
preparation, and tank remediation process
resulted in a cost avoidance of $120 million and
accelerated the cleanup of these tanks by more
than 10 years.

A total of 28 technologies were integrated
into effective systems for the Gunite Tank
Remediation Project, making it possible to
complete this project at a fraction of the cost

and a decade ahead of original projections.
Technologies that were key to the success of
the project are briefly described below.

¢ The Waste Dislodging and Conveyance
System consists of a confined sluicing
end-effector (CSEE) with rotating water
cutting jets to break up the sludge. A jet
pump removes the waste from the tank
via the transfer hose, which is supported
and moved in the tank by the hose
management arm (HMA).

Technologies Key to Landmark Cleanup

Short said the tank project was one of the top
prio for the Oak Ridge Reservation
Environmental Management Program because,
in the event of a tank leak or collapse, the
active wastes posed a significant risk to
and the environment.

The just-completed project safely removed 99
percent of the waste and 95 percent of the
contamination remaining in the tanks. The
waste was transferred to the Melton Valley
Storage Tanks and will be treated as part of the
ORNL TRU Waste Treatment Project, then
shipped to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in
New Mexico for disposal. The empty tanks will
be filled with grout in 2001-2002.

* The Modified Light Duty Utility Arm
(MLDUA) is a skid-mounted robotic
arm capable of positioning tools and
end effectors in the tank, Ithas a 16.6-f |
reach and 200-lb payload capacity.

¢ The Houdini, a remotely operated
vehicle, folds up to allow deployment
through a 24-inch tank riser, The I
tracked vehicle is equipped with a
manipulator arm, two onboard cameras
and a plow blade, which aid on tool
deployment, retrieving debris, and

plowing sludge.

Il


RQ

The Oak Ridge National Laboratory
(ORNL) watershed encompasses two
distinct geographic regions: Melton Valley
and Bethel Valley. Past ORNL operations
have resulted in contamination 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, transuranics, metals, and
polychlorinated biphenyls.

Bethel Valley Remediation Plans Unveiled

The first Department of Energy (DOE)
Proposed Plan for cleaning up environmental
contamination throughout Bethel Valley, which
includes the grounds of Oak Ridge National
Laboratory (ORNL), was unveiled this
summer,

‘The purposes of the Proposed Plan for Interim
Actions in Bethel Valley are to identify the
preferred alternatives for remediation of the
watershed, explain why these alternatives are
preferred, and describe other options that were
considered. DOE solicited public review and
comment on all the alternatives, via a 90-day
comment period and a public meeting held in
late July. At that meeting, DOE officials, along
with representatives of the Environmental
Protection Agency Region 4 and the Tennessee
Department of Environment and Conservation
were on hand to discuss the plan and answer
questions. Following the informal “poster
session” was a brief presentation by project
leaders and additional questions and comments
from the public.

The term “interim actions” in the document's
title refers to the fact that there will be a final
Record of Decision (ROD) to address issues
not included in this ROD. Those issues include
active facilities, a final groundwater decision,
and long-term stewardship.

The Proposed Plan was based on the preceding
Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study
(RI/FS). For the purposes of the RI/FS, the
Valley was divided into four areas: Fast Bethel
Valley, Central Bethel Valley, West Bethel
Valley and Raccoon Creek. The area includes
the ORNL main plant area, which consists of
inactive buildings, former burial grounds,
underground liquid low-level (radioactive)
waste tanks, underground pipelines, and
associated underground and above-ground
utilities. The documents evaluate separate sets
of remediation alternatives for Central/East
Bethel Valley and West Bethel Valley/Raccoon
Creek.

The preferred alternatives include:

* removal of contaminated soils and

sediments,

¢ shallow groundwater collection,

* extraction and treatment of groundwater
in central Bethel Valley,

¢ decontamination and decommissioning of
some facilities,

* capping or covering of buried waste, and

* stabilization of tanks and pipelines.

A ROD based on the Proposed Plan and the
comments received from the public is now
being developed.


Waste Management Facility Construction On Course

Following a series of public meetings in 1999,
the signing of the Record of Decision, and
completion of the planning and design phase,
construction has begun on the Environmental
Management Waste Management Facility
(EMWMP), an above-grade waste disposal
facility located in East Bear Creek Valley.

The facility will dispose of waste generated

during cleanup of the Oak Ridge Reservation

(ORR) and nearby sites in accordance with the

Comprehensive Environmental Response,

Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA).

Cell design includes:

* perimeter dike,

© 10-foot-thick geologic buffer,

¢ 5-foot multi-layer base liner system
consisting of man-made and natural
materials,

¢ double leachate collection and leak
detection systems,

* protective soil layer, and

¢ 13-foot multi-layer cell cover.

In addition to the disposal facility, the
EMWME will contain a leachate collection and
transfer facility, support facilities, access roads,
storm-water detention basins, and monitoring
systems. The facility will occupy 22 to 44 acres
and will initially hold up to 400,000 cubie yards
of waste. Future expansion and final size will
be based on the quantity of waste generated
during the cleanup of the ORR.

‘The EMWMF will be constructed with natural
and man-made materials to isolate waste from
the environment. Natural materials such as
clay, sand, and rock are essential for long-term
performance and to keep estimated future risk
within acceptable ranges.

The facility will dispose of low-level
radioactive waste, Resource
Conservation and Recovery Act
waste, Toxic Substances Control Act
waste, and mixed waste from
cleanup of the ORR and certain
ORR-related off-site properties.
Waste types include soil, sludge,
sediments, solidified waste forms.
stabilized waste, building debris,
personal protection equipment, and
scrap equipment.

Criteria are being established to
ensure that only those wastes that
could be safely managed in the

facility will be accepted for disposal. Wastes
determined not to meet the waste acceptance
criteria would either require off-site disposal or
additional treatment.

“On-site disposal offered the best balance of
CERT.GA disposal criteria as developed by the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,” said
DOE project manager Bill Cahill. “It offers
comparable protection to off-site disposal at a
lower cost and with fewer transportation risks.”

On-site disposal was selected as the preferred
alternative over two others: (1) no action,
which would leave the ORR without a sitewide
strategy for the disposal of waste from future
CERCLA cleanup, and (2) off-site disposal of
waste at commercial and/or DOE facilities in
other states. Depending on the nature of the
waste actually shipped, more than one off-site
facility could be required. Most of the waste
would be shipped by rail and some by truck.

A Record of Decision for the EMWMF was
signed in November 1999. The subcontractor
for the design, construction, operation, and
closure of the first 400,000 cubic yards of
capacity is Waste Management Federal
Services, whose team includes CH2M Hill,
Golder & Associates, and ATT.

After the facility is closed, regular inspections
will be conducted to verify the condition and
performance of the cell. Maintenance will
include such activities as clearing plant growth
from the cover and side slopes, repairing and
clearing surface water drainages, and
maintaining fences and signs. Groundwater,
surface water, and air would be routinely
monitored for the presence of contaminants.

Artist's
rendering of
Environmental
Management
Waste
Management
Facility in
Bear Creck
Valley



Fence lines are
changing
throughout ETTP,
including those at
Portal 11

ETTP WATERSHED

ETTP Fences are Moving

Visitors to East Tennessee Technology Park
(ETTP) are noticing changes to the site’s
appearance. Fences in certain areas are coming
down, and new fencing is being erected to limit
access to the few remaining secure areas. This
is part of a continuing effort for ETTPs
eventual transition to a more traditional
industrial park. These areas within the fence
are called Property Protection Areas and will
provide security protection control for five
major areas once the site is opened to public

The East Tennessee Technology Park (ETTP)
Watershed encompasses 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
1,500-acre tract of land, began operations in
World War IT as part of the Manhattan
Project. Its original mission was to produce
uranium enriched for use in atomic weapons.
The plant produced enriched uranium for the
commercial nuclear power industry from
1945 to 1985 and was permanently shut down
in 1987. Restoration of the environment,
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 facilities, began
in 1996, and the site was renamed ETTP

in 1997.

access. Those areas where protection must
be maintained are the K-25 Building Vault
area, Bldgs. K-1423 and K-1004L,
K-1066B Burial Ground, and K-1070-C/D
Burial Ground. Access to these areas must
be controlled bas
environmental concerns. This work is
expected to continue through FY 2001, with
work planned next year for Bldgs. K-1420
and K-1423 and the K-1200 complex.

don security and/or



[continued from page 13]

“The selected alternative leaves most
contaminants in place, but isolates these
materials to prevent any additional leaching
into groundwater,” said David Adler, DOE
Oak Ridge Operations team leader for
remediation of ORNL watersheds. “Once
completed, the environmental cleanup actions
will be evaluated to determine if additional
actions are needed.”

Melton Valley is the location of Solid Waste
Storage Areas (SWSAs) 4 and 5, which, during
the 1950s and 1960s, were used as a regional
burial ground for radioactive wastes from more
than 50 other facilities, including other national
laboratories operated by the Atomic Energy
Commission-a DOE predecessor agency. In
addition to burial trenches located in SWSAs 4

and 5, the area contains landfills, underground
tanks, impoundments, liquid waste seepage pits
and trenches, wells, pipelines, and surface
structures.

‘The primary radioactive contaminants in
Melton Valley are strontium-90, cesium-137,
tritium, and transuranics, which are elements
with a higher atomic weight than uranium.
Wastes at some locations in this area are
leaching into groundwater, which flows toward
White Oak Creek, which in turn flows into the
Clinch River. Soils and sediments are also
contaminated from past leaks and spills.

The next step in the process will be a remedial
design work plan, which will describe in detail
how the ROD is to be carried out.

Efforts Continue in Remediating MSRE Tanks

Three drain tanks beneath the Molten Salt
Reactor Experiment (MSRE) contain solidified
salts that in turn contain various radioactive
fluorides, including uranium and plutonium.
The material in the tanks was drained from the
Molten Salt Reactor when it was shut down in
1969, In 1987, elevated radiation levels were
detected in off-gas lines connected to the three
drain tanks. Then in 1994, samples revealed
the presence of fluorine and uranium
hexafluoride gases.

The selected remedy for cleaning the tanks
includes melting and chemically treating the
salt in the drain tank cell, ating the
uranium and converting it to a stable oxide, and
storing it at ORNL. The selected remedy also
calls for packaging the residual salt and storing
it at ORNL until arrangements are made for
final disposition,

During the past year, over 250 grams of
uranium were extracted from one of the drain
tanks. Also, contracts were awarded for
fabrication of various equipment to be used in
the remediation process.

Another activity involving the MSRE is the
recovery of uranium 233 from the Ausiliary
Charcoal Bed. When it was discovered that the
charcoal was not granular and could not be
removed by vacuuming, a new removal method
was required.

Deposit removal equipment was fabricitted,
installed, and tested in 2000, with the plan to
complete the removal of the uranium deposits
during 2001.



Y-12 WATERSHED

‘Tivo main geographic areas comprise the
Y-12 Watershed: Bear Creek Valley and
Upper East Fork Poplar Greek (UEFPC).
The 4,500-acre Bear Creek Valley contains
burial grounds, oil landfarms and settling
ponds, where waste from the plant was
disposed of. 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 ground water, surface
water and sediments.

East End VOC Plume Treatment System Begins

The East End Volatile Organic Compound
(VOC) Plume (EEVP) Treatment System
began operation on October 1, 2000, The
EEVP is a deep plume of contaminated
groundwater traveling through fractured and
locally karstified (eroded limestone) rock.
This plume is currently migrating across the
eastern portion of the Y-12 complex as well as
off-site into areas to the east of the Y-12
complex and Scarboro Road.

The EEVP Treatment System was installed as a
CERCLA non-time-critical removal action with
the goal of mitigating additional off-site
migration of the plume. Installation of the
system was completed in July 2000, System
testing was performed during August and
September, and the system was transitioned to
Y-12 Waste Operations on October 1. The
system consists of a duplex air stripping system
capable of extracting groundwater at flow rates
ranging from 25 to 75 gallons per minute. After

five years of operation, an evaluation will be
conducted to determine the effectiveness of
the system in containing the plume.

Additionally, bioremediation has been
identified as a technologically plausible
enhancement to and/or replacement for the
current EEVP groundwater pump and treat
system. Implementation of bioremediation
throughout the source area and contamination
plume represents a more proactive shift to
remediation and source removal. Oak Ridge
has teamed with other company
bioremediation programs to pursue
deployment of bioremediation at Y-12. Bench-
scale tests were successfully performed in
2000, and characterization, modeling, and
bioremediation conceptual design activities are
currently ongoing to support the next proposed
phase, a pilot-scale deployment of
bioremediation.



elcome to the inaugural edition of

Cleanup Progress, an Environmental
Management (I'M) status report to the
community. Cleanup Progress is designed to
give you an overview of the past year’s

challenges and accomplishments, as well as
preview the coming years.

Your first impression will probably be how the
pace of transition from paperwork to cleanup is
accelerating. After many years of time-
consuming, yet necessary, research,
documentation, and decision-making, we are
now seeing dividends in the form of extensive
cleanup activity across the Reservation, Major
milestones reached over the past year include:
* demolition of Group T Buildings at Kast
Tennessee Technology Park (ETTP) and
sign-off on the Action Memorandum for
Group I,
¢ completion of the gunite tanks project,
¢ first shipments of Oak Ridge low-level
wastes to the Nevada Test Site,
* sign-off on the Record of Decision
(ROD) for the EM Waste Management
Facility (EMWMF),
* sign-off on the ROD for transuranic
(TRU) waste treatment and disposal,
* sign-off on the watershed RODs for Bear
Creek Valley and Melton Valley, and
¢ issuance of a Proposed Plan for
Bethel Valley.

Last year also saw refinements to the EM
watershed approach initiated in 1997. We
consolidated Upper and Lower East Fork
Poplar Creek, Bear Creek, and off-site
programs under the administration of a Y-12
Watersheds group. An Oak Ridge National
Laboratory watersheds team now manages the
area, which includes Bethel Valley and
Melton Valley.

We worked diligently with regulators to address
concems over the site-wide ROD approach to
cleanup at ETTP. As a result, rather than

FROM THE ASSISTANT

MANAGER

FOR ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT

pursue a single ROD for
the entire watershed, we
have divided the site into
zones, based on distinct
environmental
characteri
‘The decontamination and
demolition of site
structures, meanwhile,
continues apace on a
separate regulatory track.

nd impacts.

Approval to proceed with
the EMWME, along with
the opening of the Nevada
Test Site, was critical in our
efforts to avoid the so-called
“train wreck” scenario in
which cleanup schedules
run into a lack of disposal options for the
wastes being generated.

The much anticipated Life Cycle Baseline
came on-line in 2000. This baseline, which will
be updated annually, is a comprehensive
management tool that documents
management's vision for the cleanup program.
It details the major program assumptions and
the scope, schedule, and budget needed to
achieve the vision.

Finally, public involvement continues to be a
vital component of EM decision-making. Waste
management, environmental restoration, and
long-term stewardship are all areas that have
benefited from stakeholder input, and we will
continue to seek opportunities for meaningful
dialogue with the public.

A great deal of hard work remains to be done,
but the future indeed looks bright for EM on
the Oak Ridge Reservation.

Tf 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:/hwww.oakridge.doe.gov.



INFORMATION RESOURCES

Locations
DOE Information Resource Center (IRC)
Avenue

: ‘ax: (865) 574-1405
Open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday

DOE Public Reading Room
230 Warehouse Road

Building 191 yeas 300
Oak Ridge)
Phone:

Open 9 a.m. ib noon, | to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday

Telephone Numbers
DOE Public Affairs Office

DOE-ORO Public Info Line
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 4 1-800-241-1754

Agency for Toxic Substances &
ie Registry
Ridge Office)

U.S. Department of Energy
Environmental Management Program
c/o Bechtel Jacobs Company, LLC
P.0. Box 4699, MS-7298

Oak Ridge, TN 37831

Internet Sites
DOE Main Web Site
www.energy.gov

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

DOE-ORO Environmental Management Program
wwioakridge.doe.gov/em

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

Accelerating Cleanup: Paths to Closure
\wwwwiem.doe.gov/closure/

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
wwwatsdrcde.gov

Environmental Protection Agency
www.epa.gov/regiond/

Temessee Department of Environment and Conservation
www.state.tn.us/environment/doeo

DOF Public Reading Room
http:/Avww.oakridge.doe.gov/foia/
DOE_Public_Reading_Room.htm

BULK RATE
U.S. POSTAGE

PAID

OAK RIDGE, TN
PERMIT NO. 16



CONTENTS

FROM THE ASSISTANT MANAGER FOR
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT

ETTP WATERSHED

ETTP Fences are Moving

ETTP Zone 1 Proposed Plan Being Developed
Demolition Projects at ETTP Under Way
K-1070-A Burial Ground Subcontract Awarded
Three-Building D&D Project Progressing
K-1001 Demolished

Treatment Method for

CERCLA Waste Identified for G Pit

ORNL WATERSHED

Bethel Valley Remediation Plans Unveiled

Work on Core Hole 8 Plume Under Way

Radioactive Sludge Removed from Storage Tanks
Technologies Key to Landmark Cleanup

FFA Tank Remediation Continuing

ORNL Surface Impoundments Being Remediated
Demolition of Metal Recovery Facility at ORNL Begins
Cleanup Plan for Melton Valley Signed

Efforts Continue in Remediating MSRE Tanks

Work Continues on Remediating OHF Pond and Tanks

Y-12 WATERSHED

East End VOC Plume Treatment System Begins

Phase I of Bear Creek Valley Remediation Progressing
Proposed Plan for Poplar Creek Released

WASTE MANAGEMENT

Sites Identified for Mixed and Low-Level Waste Disposal
TRU Waste Record of Decision Issued

Changes Take Place at TSCA Incinerator

Waste Management Facility Construction On Course

PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT
Stakeholder Voices Heard Throughout 2000

DOE Oak Ridge Operations Policy Statement on
Public Involvement

Oak Ridge SSAB Posts Numerous Accomplishments

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

18
18
19
20

21
21
21

23

24
24

25
26

Cover photo

by Dan Lipe

(Design integration
Group, Inc.) at the
intersection of
Highway 58 and
Highway 95, just east
of ETTP.



Cleanup Plan for Melton Valley Signed

State and federal regulators approved in
September a $165 million DOE plan for
cleanup of contaminated sites in the Melton
Valley area of the Oak Ridge Reservation,

The Record of Decision (ROD) is a 14-year
plan to isolate and prevent future leaching of
contaminants into groundwater in Melton
Valley. The 1,000-acre area is located between
Haw Ridge and Copper Ridge south of the
main Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNT)
complex. Melton Valley is contaminated with
radioactive and chemical wastes resulting from
more than 50 years of production and research
activities at ORNL.

“This decision represents a major step forward
in cleanup of the Oak Ridge Reservation,” said
Rod Nelson, DOE Assistant Manager for
Environmental Management. “This
achievement would not have been possible
without years of hard work on the part of many
individuals and organizations. DOE, the EPA,
the Tennessee Department of Environment
and Conservation, the Oak Ridge Site Specific
Advisory Board, the Local Oversight
Committee, and stakeholders have actively

7
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participated in this process to choose the best
remediation alternative.”

Melton Valley is the second of two major

cleanup RODs completed this year. The Bear

Creek Valley ROD was signed earlier. Specific

remediation measures in the Melton Valley

ROD are based mainly on isolating wastes, with

some waste removal. These measures include:

¢ plugging and capping all wells that have no
future use,

¢ hydraulic isolation for major contaminant
source areas,

© in situ vitrification (the melting of
contaminated soils into a more stable,
glass-like form) of two liquid disposal
trenches,

¢ removal and backfilling of impoundments,

grouting of the Homogenous Reactor

Experiment facility fuel wells,

* excavation of various contaminated soil
areas and pipeline leak sites,

* removal of contaminated floodplain
sediments, and

¢ establishment of institutional controls
(signs, fences, or other appropriate barriers).

feontinued on page 16]

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Signing the Melton Valley ROD were Rod Nelson. DOE Assistant Manager for Environmental Management.
Dick Green, Director of the Waste Management Division, EPA, Region 1: and Earl Leming, former director of
the DOL Oversiaht Office. Tennessee Department of Environment aud Conservation. Joinine the sienine

coremony were representatives of area stakeholder zroups and DOE and contractor staff.



Work Continues on Remediating OHF Pond and Tanks

The Old Hydrofracture Facility (OMF) is
located in the Melton Valley area of

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and
consists of a pond, five underground steel
tanks, and support structures used during
injection of liquid low-level radioactive waste
(LLW) grout mixture at depths of up to 1,000
fect. The OHF Pond and T-Y Waste Pit were
used for emergency storage of LL\\ for
operational failures that occurred during the
injection process. The five OHF Tanks were
used to store the LLW prior to mixing it with
grout for injection.

The Process Waste Sludge Basin (PWSB) is

located to the north of Solid Waste Storage
Area (SWSA) 5, just one-half mile north of the
OHF Pond. The PWSB, which was used as a
settling basin, received liquid waste from the
ORNL Process Waste Treatment Plant. This
lined basin contained radioactively
contaminated sludge.

The OHF Tanks were 98 percent emptied in a
successful remediation action in the summer of
1999. During the summer of 2000, remediation
activities involved stabilization, removal,
transport and consolidation of the PWSB
sediments into the OHF Pond and
homogenizing the OHF Pond sediments with
the stabilized PWSB sediments to form a
monolith. The OHF Pond monolith was
covered with clean soil, and the PWSB was
backfilled with clean soil. The OHF Tanks and
the T-Y Waste Pit were filled with concrete to
stabilize them.

Future work in the OTF area will include the
demolition of all the OHF structures to grade
level and the plugging and abandonment of
111 OTF associated injection and monitoring
wells. The OHF area is scheduled to be
covered with a cap extending down from
SWSA 5.

OME Pouds