T he past year has been one of great challenges and significant 

accomplishments for the Oak Ridge Operations Environmental 

Management Program. Our stakeholder organizations, contractors, federal and 

state regulatory agencies, and interested members of the public have participated 

in and contributed to our successes.

Last year at this time, we were embarking on what we refer to as “accelerated 

cleanup.” Under this approach, approximately $1.4 billion in cost savings will be realized over the 

life of the Oak Ridge program. Today, with the cooperation and teamwork of those entities mentioned 

above, we have hit full stride in those efforts and can see the finish line.

Challenges, both known and unknown, lie ahead, but our focus is on achieving our objectives, and we 

are confident in our ability to address any obstacles that might arise.

One key accomplishment during the past fiscal year was reaching a 5-year contract agreement with 

Bechtel Jacobs Company LLC. That contract is now the road map for safely and effectively cleaning 

up the Oak Ridge Reservation’s high-risk areas by 2008.

Even before the contract was signed, we had made solid progress in our efforts to accelerate cleanup. 

The K-1070-A Burial Ground remediation was completed with the excavation and disposal of more 

than 28.5 tons of contaminated material. The last of five shipments of spent nuclear fuel left the 

Reservation in November, and the dredging, treatment, and disposal of contaminated material from 

four surface impoundments at Oak Ridge National Laboratory were completed.

Last year we were able to report that the Environmental Management Waste Management Facility near 

the Y-12 National Security Complex was open for business. By the end of fiscal year 2003, more than 

174,000 tons of contaminated soil and debris had been disposed of at the facility. Safe and efficient 

disposal contributed heavily to the successful completion of key cleanup projects across the Reservation.

In addition, progress has been made toward the permanent establishment of an industrial/business 

park at the Horizon Center, and a brownfield industrial complex at the neighboring Heritage Center 

(also called the East Tennessee Technology Park). In 2003 we transferred portions of the Horizon 

Center to the Community Reuse Organization of East Tennessee for development purposes. Working 

in concert with Oak Ridge community, we are on our way to establishing self-sustaining industrial 

parks that will benefit the entire region.

Since taking this job last year, I have had the opportunity to meet with many of you in a variety 

of settings. I am continually impressed by your knowledge of our programs and your proactive 

participation—past and present—in helping us achieve our goals.

Let me echo the sentiments of my predecessor, Gerald Boyd, in last year’s edition of Cleanup Progress. 

I want to thank you for your patience during this time of transition and assure you that I look forward 

to continuing a productive relationship with our stakeholders. Feel free at any time to let me know 

how we can do a better job of keeping you informed and involved in our activities.

Steve McCracken

Message from Assistant Manager for 

Environmental Management
ETTP

ETTP Three-Building D&D Project Nearing Completion

ETTP Building Demolition Continues

Remedial Action Completed at K-1070-A Burial Ground

Zone 1 Record of Decision Approved

Zone 2 Pre-Record-of-Decision Documents Developed

K-1070-C/D G-Pit Waste Disposition Completed

K-1085 Old Firehouse Drum Site Disposition Completed

Melton Valley

Remediation Continues in Melton Valley

 Hydrofracture Wells Plugging and Abandonment

 New Hydrofracture Facility D&D

 SWSA 4 Hydrologic Isolation

Spent Nuclear Fuel Shipped Off-Site

Fuel and Flush Salts Removal Project Progressing

Waste Processing Facility to Treat TRU Wastes

Wastes to Be Retrieved from 22-Trench Area

Reservation Cleanup/Waste Management

Various Areas Being Remediated in Bethel Valley

 Bethel Valley Groundwater Engineering Study

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

Surface Impoundment Waste Removed

Boneyard/Burnyard Remediation Completed

UEFPC Remediation Being Conducted in Phases

Building 9201-2 Water Treatment System to Be Constructed

Witherspoon Site Being Prepared for Cleanup

Tons of Wastes Placed in the EMWMF

Millions of Gallons of Wastewater Treated in FY 2003

Waste Stockpile Continues to Diminish

TSCA Incinerator Continues Hazardous Waste Treatment

Improved Technologies Being Used for Cleanup

Public Involvement

Public Involvement Continues to Be Key Aspect of Cleanup

ORSSAB Provides Public Input to Environmental Management Program 

Activities

Contact Information 

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

Affairs Office at (865) 576-0885.

CONTENTS

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This document is approved for public release per review by the ETTP Classification and Information

Control Office.
4

BY/BY Boneyard/Burnyard

CERCLA Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act

CH contact-handled

D&D decontamination and decommissioning

DOE U.S. Department of Energy

DVS dynamic verification strategy

DWI David Witherspoon, Inc.

EE/CA engineering evaluation/cost analysis

EMWMF Environmental Management Waste Management Facility

EPA U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

ETTP East Tennessee Technology Park

FFA Federal Facility Agreement 

FFS focused feasibility study

FY fiscal year

HFIR High Flux Isotope Reactor

INEEL Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory

LUCs land-use control

LUCIP land-use control implementation plan

LLLW liquid low-level waste

LLW low-level waste

MLLW mixed low-level waste

MSRE Molten Salt Reactor Experiment

NTS Nevada Test Site

ORNL Oak Ridge National Laboratory

ORO Oak Ridge Operations

ORR Oak Ridge Reservation

ORSSAB Oak Ridge Site-Specific Advisory Board

PCB polychlorinated biphenyl

PEIS preliminary environmental impact statement

PPT parts per trillion

RFP request for proposal

RH remote-handled

ROD Record of Decision

SADA Spatial Analysis and Decision Assistance

SNF spent nuclear fuel

STP site treatment plan

SWSA solid waste storage area

TDEC Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation

TRU transuranic

TSCA Toxic Substances Control Act

UEFPC Upper East Fork Poplar Creek

UF6 uranium hexafluoride

WPF Waste Processing Facility

WIPP Waste Isolation Pilot Plant

Acronyms and Initialisms

ACRONYMS
K-33 Cell floor before dismantlement

K-33 Cell floor after dismantlement

5

The East Tennessee Technology Park (ETTP) ThreeBuilding D&D Project is nearing completion, with 83 

percent of the work accomplished as of the end of FY 

2003. The contractor, under a fixed-price contract with 

the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) awarded in August 

1997, is dismantling, removing, and dispositioning the 

materials and equipment within the K-33, K-31, and K-29 

gaseous diffusion buildings at ETTP. The three buildings 

cover more than 4.89 million ft2 of floor space and housed 

more than 140,000 tons of contaminated or potentially 

contaminated material.

The purpose of the project is to dismantle, remove, and 

disposition all of the material from the three buildings 

and to decontaminate two of the three buildings to certain 

specifications, making them available for reuse without 

radiological and other safety concerns. 

A total of 128,854 tons of material have been dismantled, 

removed, and disposition as waste or recyclable material 

ETTP Three-Building D&D Project Nearing Completion

for the entire project. During the fiscal year, more than 18 

percent of the overall project was completed, including 

dismantlement, disassembly, removal, and dispositioning of 

all of the process equipment and material from four of the five 

remaining cascade units in Bldg. K-31 and one of the three 

cascade units in Bldg. K-29. More than 43,000 tons of metal 

have also been processed as low-level waste to the Envirocare 

Disposal Facility and NTS Disposal Facility and disposed of 

6,000 yd3 of concrete pedestal material in the EMWMF. 

Completion of the dismantlement, disassembly, and disposal 

of the remaining cascade unit in Bldg. K-31 and the 

remaining two cascade units in Bldg. K-29 is expected in 

FY 2004. Decontamination of the interiors of Bldgs. K-33 

and K-31 is also expected to be completed in FY 2004. The 

interior of Bldg. K-29 will not be decontaminated as part of 

this project. The project is scheduled to be completed by 

August 2004.
Transite removal from cell enclosure in Building K-25

6

K-25/K-27 Facilities D&D

The K-25 building is the largest building on the Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR) and covers 1,637,170 ft2. The U-shaped 

building was built during the Manhattan Project and contains 3,018 stages of gaseous diffusion process equipment and 

associated auxiliary systems, which will be removed 

and disposed of. Each stage consists of a converter, 

two compressors, two compressor motors, and 

associated piping. The K-27 building covers 383,000 

ft2 and contains 540 stages of gaseous diffusion 

equipment and associated auxiliary equipment.

A public information session was held in 2001 to 

solicit comments from the public on the engineering 

evaluation/cost analysis (EE/CA) developed for this 

project. An action memorandum for the D&D of the 

K-25 and K-27 buildings was signed in February 

2002. Phase 1, hazardous materials removal, started 

in spring 2002 and was approximately 50 percent 

complete by the end of fiscal year (FY) 2003. 

Phase 1 activities primarily include the removal 

of asbestos-containing building materials from the 

inside of the K-25 and K-27 facilities. At the close 

of FY 2003, hazardous material abatement had been 

completed in 26 units (260 cells), and more than 

280,000 ft3 of waste from the K-25 building had 

been disposed of at the Environmental Management 

Waste Management Facility (EMWMF) located near the Y-12 National Security Complex.

Phase 2, process equipment removal, activities in FY 2003 included detailed meetings with the D&D core team to 

resolve comments on the process-equipment-removal waste handling and characterization plans. The Phase 2 process 

equipment removal request for proposal (RFP) was issued during FY 2003, and the proposal was under review at yearend. Additionally, the work on removal of excess materials from the K-25 and K-27 buildings was issued for bids. The 

corresponding draft versions of the waste handling plan, waste characterization plan, and removal action work plan were 

also prepared. Excess material removal and the process equipment removal work are planned to begin in FY 2004.

On September 30, 2003, DOE signed an action memorandum for the remaining facilities (approximately 500) to undergo 

D&D under the EE/CA for the K-25 Auxiliary Facilities Demolition Project, Group II. The Remaining Facilities Demolition 

Standard Operating Protocol and Waste Handling Plan – Part I was prepared and submitted to the regulators for approval 

on September 18, 2003.

In 2004 the first subproject under the remaining facilities to begin D&D will be the Balance of Site Laboratories Group, 

which includes 23 facilities. The request for proposal will be issued in early FY 2004. The subproject Waste Handling Plan 

– Part II will be issued to the regulators before the start of demolition, and fieldwork is scheduled to start in late FY 2004. 

Also in FY 2004 limited characterization, utility deactivation planning, and RFP preparation are scheduled for the main plant 

and powerhouse subprojects. Other remaining facilities subprojects are scheduled to begin in FY 2005, with completion 

scheduled for FY 2008.

ETTP Building Demolition Continues

All buildings at the ETTP are scheduled for demolition as part of DOE’s accelerated cleanup plan. However, up to 26 facilities have been targeted for potential transfer of title under the reindustrialization program. Property transfer is a 

key component of the accelerated cleanup plan and will result in savings to DOE throughout avoided building demotion 

costs. Additionally, transfer of these properties will contribute to the reduction of DOE mortgage costs at ETTP, making that 

money available for other cleanup projects.

Buildings and facilities have been divided into two groups: (1) K-25/27 facilities decontamination and decommissioning 

(D&D) and (2) remaining facilities D&D, which is broken into several subprojects. Because these are interim removal 

actions, future Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) decisions will 

determine the final remedy for the contaminated slabs, soils, and below-grade structures.

EAST TENNESSEE TECHNOLOGY PARK
Excavation at K-1070-A

Main Plant (10 building) Demolition Project

7

Organic compounds and radioactively 

contaminated wastes from 62 pits and 

26 trenches at the K-1070-A Burial 

Ground at ETTP were excavated 

and disposed of at the EMWMF. 

The primary waste type disposed of 

was soil; however, there was some 

construction debris commingled with 

the soil. Excavation began in June 

2002 and was completed in March 

2003 with 28,509 tons in 1,586 

shipments excavated and disposed of 

at the EMWMF.

Included in the 21,651 yd3 of waste 

were 344 intact gas cylinders 

and various-size containers that 

were unearthed and underwent 

nondestructive assay analyses to 

The main plant (10 building) Demolition Project involves characterization, sampling, hazardous material abatement, 

radiological decontamination, demolition, and disposal of ten buildings on the ETTP project site. The facilities include

K-1300, K-1301, K-1302, K-1303, K-1404, K-1405, K-1407, K-1408, K-1413, and K-1045A. This project began in FY 2001 

and continued in FY 2003. During FY 2003, the K-1300 uranium hexafluoride (UF6) vent lines were demolished, and all 

remaining waste from the facilities was disposed, with the exception of the low-level classified waste from K-1413. The 

uncontaminated waste went to the ORR Industrial Landfill, while the low-level waste was disposed at the EMWMF. The

K-1300 vent line waste was disposed at the Nevada Test Site (NTS).

Classified waste from K-1413 will be disposed at the NTS in early FY 2004, and the removal action report will be submitted 

to the regulators, completing this project. 

Group II Buildings, Phase II Demolition Project (K-1064 

Area D&D) FY 2003 Actions

DOE signed an action memorandum for the decontamination and demolition of 

18 ETTP facilities and the removal of scrap material on July 31, 2002. These 

facilities and the scrap material are primarily located in the K-1064 peninsula 

area of ETTP. During FY 2003, the removal action work plan and waste handling 

plan were prepared and submitted to the regulators. Demolition of the 18 

facilities is scheduled for FY 2004

Remaining Facilities Demolition Project (Accelerated 

Closure Project) FY 2003 Actions

Remedial Action Completed at K-1070-A Burial Ground

determine uranium-235 enrichment. 

Three hundred thirty-four of these 

cylinders were breached and disposed 

of at the EMWMF; the remaining 

ten cylinders, including two 10-ton 

cylinders that had the potential to 

contain UF6 , were transferred to and 

dispositioned by the UF6 Project. The 

site has been regraded to its original 

contours and restored. More than 

70,600 hours were worked without 

incident or injury. The remedial 

action report for the burial ground was 

submitted to the regulatory agencies in 

September 2003, three months ahead 

of the Federal Facility Agreement 

milestone.

In 2004 the first subproject under 

the remaining facilities to begin 

D&D will be the Balance of Site 

Laboratories Group, which includes 

23 facilities. The request for proposal 

will be issued in early FY 2004. The 

subproject Waste Handling Plan – 

Part II will be issued to the regulators 

before the start of demolition, and 

fieldwork is scheduled to start in late 

FY 2004. Also in FY 2004 limited 

characterization, utility deactivation 

planning, and RFP preparation are 

scheduled for the main plant and 

powerhouse subprojects. Other 

remaining facilities subprojects are 

scheduled to begin in FY 2005, with 

completion scheduled for FY 2008.
The potentially impacted area of ETTP is divided 

into two areas: Zone 1 and Zone 2

8

The focused feasibility study (FFS) is being developed 

for Zone 2 soils for submittal to EPA and TDEC for 

approval. The FFS includes soil remediation levels

The Record of Decision (ROD) for the ETTP Zone 1 remediation was approved by DOE, the U.S. Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA), and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) in November 2003. Zone 1 

encompasses an area of approximately 1400 acres located outside the ETTP main fence and surrounding the former main 

plant production area. The ROD 

specifically addresses known 

areas of contaminated soil, Blair 

Quarry, scrap metal and debris 

in the K-770 Area, and the K710 Sludge Beds and Imhoff 

Tanks. In addition, it establishes 

remediation levels for soil and 

burial areas and a methodology, 

referred to as the dynamic 

verification strategy (DVS), 

for making action/no action 

determinations that will be used 

throughout Zone 1.

The remedial action core team, 

composed of representatives 

from DOE, EPA, TDEC, and 

their contractors, was established. 

The core team finalized its 

team charter in February, and 

through a series of team meetings 

and workshops, has made 

progress reaching agreement 

on a number of issues. A waste 

handling plan, set of standard 

operating protocols, land-use 

control implementation plan (LUCIP), and DVS protocol have been developed by the remedial action core team to guide 

implementation of the remedy outlined in the ROD for Zone 1. Additionally, five site summaries have been developed and 

issued to the regulatory agencies. An RFP for remediation of the K-770 scrap metal has been prepared and issued for bid, 

and a pilot demonstration of DVS implementation has been planned for Blair Quarry in Zone 1. 

Zone 1 Record of Decision Approved

Zone 2 Pre-Record-of-Decision Documents Developed

for groundwater protection. Concurrent with 

development of the FFS, the proposed plan for Zone 2 

soils was initiated. 

EAST TENNESSEE TECHNOLOGY PARK

Zone 1
9

Waste disposition of the K-1085 Old Firehouse Burn 

Area Drum Burial Site took place in FY 2003. The site 

is located outside the ETTP perimeter fence near State 

Highway 58. In October 2001 excavation and waste 

containerization activities were completed under the 

action memorandum for the site. This removal action 

included the excavation of six potential drum burial areas 

identified using geophysical survey results after a state 

highway construction contractor accidentally uncovered 

drum fragments. The excavated material from two of 

Portions of the K-1070-C/D Burial Ground were remediated in a two-phase project. Phase I consisted of 

excavation, segregation, characterization, and packaging of buried material in G-Pit, located in the

K-1070-C/D Burial Ground, and covering of the K-1071 concrete pad, also located at the burial ground. Phase 

II of the remedial action consisted of the treatment and disposal of the excavated material from G-Pit. 

During Phase I, the concrete pad was covered with approximately 2 feet of soil, over an existing plastic cover, 

to prevent direct contact with and provide radiation shielding at the K-1071 concrete pad area. This activity 

was completed in April 1999. Approximately 230 yd3 of waste in G-Pit were also excavated and placed in 

interim storage within the K-1070-C/D Burial Ground until they were treated and disposed of in December 

2002 following approval of an authorized-limit request by DOE Headquarters and a special waste request 

from TDEC. During Phase II this waste was disposed of at the ORR Industrial Landfill at the Y-12 Complex. 

Approximately 40 yd3 of secondary construction waste were accepted for disposal and incinerated at the TSCA 

Incinerator in September 2003. The remedial action report was submitted to EPA and TDEC in December 

2002, meeting the FFA milestone, followed by a letter notification of completion of incineration of the 

secondary waste stream in September. 

K-1085 Old Firehouse Drum Site Waste Disposition Completed

K-1070-C/D G-Pit Waste Disposition Completed

the six areas was contaminated. Contaminants included 

volatile organic compounds, polychlorinated biphenyls, and 

radiological material. Fifty-five cubic meters of material 

were placed into waste containers and dispositioned at 

the EMWMF in December 2002. Approximately 22 m3 of 

waste were transported to the Toxic Substances Control Act 

(TSCA) Incinerator at ETTP for incineration and disposal. 

The removal action report for this project was transmitted 

to EPA and TDEC for their approval in December 2002, 

meeting the FFA milestone.
Drill rig and support 

equipment setup; drill rig 

used for well washover

Coil tubing unit used 

for well cleanouts and to 

cement wells after casing 

perforation

10

Continued well plugging and abandonment, D&D of the 

New Hydrofracture Facility, and 

hydraulic isolation at Solid Waste 

Storage Area (SWSA) 4 were among 

the remediation activities in Melton 

Valley in FY 2003.

The FFA parties signed the Melton 

Valley ROD in September 2000. The 

Melton Valley ROD presents the 

selected remedy for environmental 

remediation of various burial 

grounds and other contaminated 

waste units within the Oak Ridge 

National Laboratory (ORNL) Melton 

Valley area. Remediation will be 

accomplished through a combination 

of responses that includes 

Forty-five wells were plugged and abandoned in FY 2003, which is in 

addition to the 33 wells that were plugged in FY 2001 and the 32 in FY 

2002. Plugging and abandoning these wells will prevent migration of 

contaminated fluids to shallower groundwater zones.

Between the 1960s and mid-1980s, the process of deep waste injection 

was used at ORNL to dispose radioactive liquids and sludge in mixtures 

of waste with cement-based grout and various additives. Two 

test injection wells were constructed, along with boreholes 

and wells, to observe the behavior of the injected grout in 

the injection zone bedrock. At these two test sites, small 

quantities of radionuclides were added to the injected grout 

to make the grout sheets detectable using gamma detectors. 

The third and fourth injection wells, located within the Old 

Hydrofracture Facility and New Hydrofracture Facility, 

respectively, were constructed for large-scale waste disposal. 

More than 5 million gallons of liquid waste-grout mix, containing 

approximately 1.4 million curies of activity, were injected into 

artificially induced fractures in a shale formation at depths of 300 to 1000 

ft. All large-scale disposals were at depths greater than 780 feet. Contamination levels in 

hydrofracture monitoring wells have been reported as high as 97 million pCi/L gross beta.

Remediation Continues in Melton Valley

Hydrofracture Wells Plugging and Abandonment

containment, stabilization, removal, 

treatment, monitoring, and interim 

land-use controls (LUCs).

Regulators approved a remedial 

design work plan in May 2001, 

with the approval of the LUCIP still 

outstanding. The LUCIP specifies what 

actions must be taken to implement 

and maintain the required LUCs. 

Remediation work mandated by the 

Melton Valley ROD has been ongoing 

and will continue through FY 2006. 

Individual actions completed before 

FY 2003 included remediation of 

both the Process Waste Sludge Basin 

and the Old Hydrofracture Facility as 

well as demolition of various surface 

structures in Melton Valley. 

Two other projects under the Melton 

Valley ROD completed subcontractor 

procurement and remedial design 

activities in FY 2003 in preparation

for FY 2004 construction. These 

projects are hydrologic isolation for 

the SWSA 5 burial grounds and for 

the Seepage Pits and Trenches Area. 

Design efforts in FY 2004 will be 

performed for hydrologic isolation 

of the SWSA 6 burial grounds, 

in situ vitrification of Seepage 

Trenches 5 and 7, remediation of 

Melton Valley soil and sediment, and 

D&D of ancillary structures at the 

Homogeneous Reactor Experiment 

facility and various other facilities 

throughout Melton Valley.

These surplus wells are potential pathways for the migration of contaminated fluids from the grout sheets and from deep 

groundwater to shallower groundwater zones. To prevent this migration, a remedial action was initiated in 2001 to plug and 

abandon 111 wells consisting of 4 injection and 107 monitoring wells. 

The remaining well (injection well 1968), which is located within the New Hydrofracture Facility, is scheduled for 

completion in early FY 2004.

MELTON VALLEY
Ongoing demolition of the New Hydrofracture Facility

Aerial view of the Intermediate Holding Pond and the 

eastern portion of SWSA 4 after excavation

11

The New Hydrofracture Facility was built at ORNL between 1979 and 1982 and operated from 1982 to 1984. This facility 

replaced the Old Hydrofracture Facility, which operated between the late 1950s to the mid-1970s. The New Hydrofracture 

Facility was designed to facilitate the injection of a mixture of radioactive waste solutions and grout into an impermeable 

shale formation at depths between 700 and 1000 feet below grade. The hydrofracture process is essentially a batch process 

in which the waste/grout mixture is pumped 

down a tubing string in the injection well and 

out into the shale formation. The high injection 

pressure of approximately 3,000 psi fractures 

the subsurface shale and forces the waste/grout 

mixture into the fractures, where it hardens into 

“grout sheets.” 

The objective of the D&D of the New 

Hydrofracture Facility is the removal and 

disposition of the main and ancillary facilities, 

including some subsurface structures. D&D of 

the Old Hydrofracture Facility was completed 

in FY 2002. To date all New Hydrofracture 

Facility ancillary facilities, including dry 

storage tanks, the weighing station, and transfer 

piping, have been removed and dispositioned. 

The remainder of the facility is expected to be 

demolished in January 2004.

Work on the SWSA 4 project includes the hydrologic isolation of the SWSA 

4 burial ground, Liquid Waste Disposal Pit 1, the Pilot Pits Area, and the 

7819 Decontamination Area, as well as the excavation of the Intermediate 

Holding Pond. Hydrologic isolation includes the installation of a multilayer 

cap, upgradient storm-flow diversion trenches, and downgradient collection 

trenches. To facilitate cap installation, this project also includes plugging and 

abandonment of unneeded, shallow, non-hydrofracture wells within the cap 

boundary; developing a borrow area and associated haul roads; and relocating 

Lagoon Road.

From 1951 to 1959, DOE used SWSA 4 for disposing various liquid and solid 

radioactively contaminated wastes in unlined trenches and auger holes.

SWSA 4 contains approximately 20,000 curies of radioactive wastes 

and contributes approximately 27% of the total risk in surface water to a 

hypothetical resident at White Oak Dam.

Pit 1 was constructed in 1951 to test the feasibility of disposing liquid waste in 

pits excavated in the natural clays in Melton Valley. Pit 1 received liquid waste 

from August to October 1951. In 1981 Pit 1 was backfilled and covered with an 

asphalt cap. In 1991 a portion of the wastes disposed in Pit 1 was stabilized as 

part of an in situ vitrification technology demonstration. In situ vitrification is a 

process that uses electrical power to heat and melt contaminated soil, fusing the 

soil and waste into a glass-like solid.

The remedial design report/remedial action work plan for this project 

was approved in May 2002. Bridge and haul road upgrades, borrow area 

development, and the plugging and abandonment of 167 shallow wells have 

New Hydrofracture Facility D&D

SWSA 4 Hydrologic Isolation
First shipment of SNF leaving 

Oak Ridge for INEEL.

Worker installing impact limiter on TN-FSV 

cask for first SNF shipment to INEEL

12

The shipping of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) stored at ORNL 

began in FY 2003. The material is being consolidated with 

other SNF in storage at the Idaho National Engineering and 

Environmental Laboratory (INEEL).

By the end of September 2003, three of the five planned 

shipments to INEEL had been completed. The last two 

shipments of SNF to INEEL are planned to be completed 

early in FY 2004. These five shipments will transfer 62 SNF 

canisters and 9 intact Peach Bottom Reactor fuel assemblies 

with a total of 0.22 metric ton of heavy metal from Oak 

Ridge to INEEL. These shipments will also complete the 

removal of more than 100,000 curies of 

radionuclides from the ORR. 

Research and 

development 

programs 

related to 

nuclear 

reactor 

fuel have 

historically 

been a part 

of ORNL’s 

mission. Many 

of these programs 

involved the postirradiation examination and 

testing of SNF from various types 

of reactors. After these programs were completed, the 

remaining SNF was collected and placed into on-site storage 

facilities, primarily during the 1970s. SNF was stored in 

below-grade storage positions in facilities 7823A, 7827, and 

7829, which are located in SWSA 5 North. In addition, one 

package of SNF was placed in SWSA 6 in Melton Valley. 

With the issuance of the programmatic environmental impact 

statement (PEIS) ROD for SNF in 1995, smaller sites, like 

Oak Ridge, were directed to ship aluminum-clad SNF to 

the Savannah River Site and non-aluminum-clad SNF to 

INEEL. Following the issuance of the ROD for the PEIS, an 

been completed. Approximately 24,300 tons (17,200 yd3) of contaminated soil from the Intermediate Holding Pond were 

excavated and disposed in the EMWMF. A portion of the Intermediate Holding Pond is being used as a holding pond for the 

SWSA 4 cap remediation; the remainder has been backfilled and reseeded. An approximately half-mile section of Lagoon 

Road has been relocated to a position farther to the north of the SWSA 4 cap. A downgradient trench has been constructed 

for collection of leachate from SWSA 4. Contour fill placement for the cap construction is approximately

85 percent complete, and a landfill liner has been installed over approximately a quarter of SWSA 4. A wastewater treatment 

plant, which will treat the collected leachate from SWSA 4, is nearing completion. Hydrologic isolation of SWSA 4 will be 

completed in FY 2004.

Spent Nuclear Fuel Shipped Off Site

environmental assessment was prepared for the Oak Ridge 

SNF activities, and a finding of no significant impact was 

issued.

Aluminum-clad SNF was retrieved, repackaged, and shipped 

to the Savannah River Site in three shipments in October, 

November, and January of FY 1998. These shipments 

consisted of 11 canisters with a total of 0.019 metric ton 

of heavy metal. Retrieval and repackaging of SNF were 

completed in FY 2002. Repackaged SNF was placed in 

temporary storage, pending shipment to INEEL.

DOE approved the safety basis for loading SNF in the 

shipping cask in March 2003, and then 

approved readiness to load SNF in 

the shipping cask in June 2003. 

Immediately following that 

approval, the first shipment 

of SNF was loaded and 

prepared for shipment to 

INEEL. 

MELTON VALLEY
13

Testing of fuel salt removal equipment and a cold trap system was successfully completed at 

the Molten Salt Reactor Experiment (MSRE) facility in FY 2003. Operating procedures were 

developed based on results of the testing. MSRE is currently participating in an operational 

readiness review process in preparation for fuel and flush salt removal, which will occur in 

FYs 2004 and 2005.

The MSRE facility operated from 1965 to 1969 to test the molten salt concept. Unlike most 

current commercial reactors that have fuel confined to fuel rods, MSRE was fueled by molten 

salt that flowed through the reactor chamber, where the nuclear chain reaction produced heat.

The molten salt that circulated in MSRE consisted of a mixture of lithium fluoride, beryllium 

fluoride, zirconium fluoride, and uranium fluoride. A small amount of plutonium fluoride was 

also added to the salt. When the reactor was shut down, the molten salt was drained into two 

fuel salt storage tanks, where it solidified. A flush salt, similar in composition to the fuel salt 

but without the uranium, was recirculated through the reactor and drained into a third storage 

tank and solidified. All three storage tanks are located in an underground, concrete-shielded 

drain tank cell adjacent to the reactor cell.

Surveillance activities in 1987 indicated elevated radiation levels in off-gas lines 

connected to the three drain tanks. Samples of the off-gas taken in March 1994 

revealed the presence of fluorine and uranium fluoride gas, which was caused by 

interaction of radiation and salt. After these gases were detected, various removal 

actions were taken to reduce the risk and safely manage the fuel and flush salts in 

their respective drain tanks. 

In 1998 DOE signed a ROD for interim action to remove fuel and flush salts 

from the MSRE. The selected remedy includes

 • separation of the uranium from the fuel and flush salts, 

• removal of the fuel and flush salts from the drain tanks,

• disposition of the uranium material as a more stable form,

• stabilization/repackaging of the residual salt, and

• placement of the residual salt in interim storage until an 

 end-point location is selected for final disposition.

Design, procurement, fabrication, and installation of fuel salt 

removal equipment were completed in FY 2002. Equipment/

component startup testing and initial operator training were 

also completed in FY 2002.

Fuel and Flush Salts Removal Project Progressing

Reactive gas process 

equipment system for 

fuel salt removal

MSRE process control panels
Waste Processing Facility

LLLW Tank Vault Room

Supernate Dryer

14

The mission 

of the Oak Ridge Transuranic 

(TRU) Program is to provide cost-effective, safe, 

and environmentally compliant treatment and disposal of all 

TRU waste stored at ORNL. In FY 2003, the TRU Program continued the 

construction of the Waste Processing Facility (WPF). The scope of the WPF is to 

treat and dispose 900 m3 of remote-handled (RH) TRU sludge, 550 m3 of RHTRU/alpha low-level waste (LLW) solids, 1600 m3 of RH-LLW supernate, 

and 1000 m3 of contact-handled (CH)-TRU/alpha LLW solids 

currently stored in Melton Valley.

Construction for the Supernate Processing 

System of the WPF is complete, and the 

operational readiness reviews are under 

way. Supernate processing is to begin in FY 

2004. Construction and testing of the CH 

system is scheduled to resume shortly after 

supernate operations begin. CH operations are expected to start in October 2004. The construction and testing of the RH 

solids and sludge systems will resume sometime in 2005, depending on the status of the RH permit for the Waste Isolation 

Pilot Plant (WIPP) that is currently expected to be approved and in place by July 31, 2006.

Waste Processing Facility to Treat TRU Wastes

MELTON VALLEY
Historical photograph of 

TRU waste casks lying in 

a trench before backfilling

Aerial photograph of SWSA 5 North

15

TRU wastes that have been stored in the 22-Trench Area in 

SWSA 5 North, Melton Valley, will be removed soon.

During the 1970s, packages of TRU waste were retrievably 

stored in the 22-Trench. Since the 1980s, packages 

of newly generated TRU waste have been stored in 

constructed facilities. Radionuclides in the TRU waste 

containers represent some of the most toxic and longestlived radioisotopes stored on the ORR. DOE has committed 

to the State of Tennessee in a Consent Agreement, signed 

September 2000, to retrieve the TRU waste from the 22-

Trench Area under DOE’s Atomic Energy Act authority.

The RFP for the 22-Trench Area retrieval project was issued 

for bid early in FY 2003. The proposals were evaluated 

and a subcontract awarded for this work. The scope of 

work consists of retrieving the TRU waste packages, 

placing the waste packages in overpacks, and staging the 

waste in appropriate areas pending transport to the TRU 

WPF when directed by DOE. There the wastes will be 

repackaged to meet the acceptance criteria for off-site 

disposal facilities and then shipped off-site for disposal. 

Soil exceeding remediation levels in the Melton Valley 

ROD and debris waste associated with the excavation 

will be disposed at the EMWMF or other appropriate 

facility. Design and planning have been initiated and 

DOE and the regulators have reviewed preliminary 

design packages. Field activities will begin in FY 2004 

and continue until completion in FY 2006.

Wastes to Be Retrieved from 22-Trench Area
Bethel Valley

16

The Bethel Valley ROD, signed by the FFA parties in May 2002, presents the selected remedy for environmental remediation of various contaminated areas within the ORNL Bethel Valley area. Higher risk sites will be addressed first. 

Remediation work mandated by the Bethel Valley ROD will continue through FY 2014.

The first two projects to be performed under the ROD are the Bethel Valley Groundwater Engineering Study and the 

remediation of the T-1, T-2, and High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) tanks. 

Various Areas Being Remediated in Bethel Valley

The Bethel Valley ROD requires the contents of 

three underground tanks (T-1, T-2, and HFIR) to be 

removed to the extent practical and the tanks to be 

grouted in place. Initially, the project was part of the 

FFA tanks program, but the organic resins present in 

the tanks made it difficult for the contents to meet the 

waste acceptance criteria of the liquid low-level waste 

(LLLW) system. An innovative and cost-effective set 

of technologies was identified that allows removal 

of tank contents and destruction of the organic resin, 

thereby allowing the contents to be accepted by the 

LLLW system.

The current scope of the project allows the contents 

of the HFIR tank to be grouted in place and the 

waste in Tanks T-1 and T-2 to be removed and treated 

for disposition in the LLLW system. The project is 

well under way and scheduled for completion in FY 

2006. Currently, the AEA Technology equipment is being 

installed at the Tanks T-1 and T-2 site, with treatment 

scheduled to begin in early spring 2004.

The Bethel Valley ROD specified that 

a groundwater engineering study be 

conducted to satisfy data needs for 

the design of several remedial actions 

related to groundwater, including 

(1) deep groundwater extraction at 

the Corehole 8 Plume, (2) in situ 

biodegradation at the East Bethel 

Valley volatile organic compound 

Bethel Valley Groundwater Engineering Study

plume, (3) groundwater monitoring 

in West Bethel Valley, and (4) soil 

excavation at known leak sites to 

minimize impacts to groundwater. 

Planning for the groundwater 

engineering study was summarized in 

the Engineering Study Work Plan for 

Groundwater Actions in Bethel Valley,

issued as a final document in 2003. The 

work plan includes an evaluation of 

existing, relevant data from previous 

characterization activities and defines 

the scope of work to be performed to 

design groundwater and soil remedial 

actions under the ROD. Once the 

engineering study data have been 

collected, a report summarizing the 

results will be issued in FY 2005.

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

RESERVATION CLEANUP/WASTE MANAGEMENT
Truck transport of treated waste 

from Impoundment A storage to 

ETTP for rail shipment to Utah.

Impoundment 3524 

being backfilled

Solidified sediment awaiting final 

transport to a disposal facility

17

The remediation of the Boneyard/

Burnyard (BY/BY), a 20-acre disposal 

area in Bear Creek, was completed in 

2003. A total of 80,422 yd3 of waste 

was excavated, of which 63,676 yd3

were disposed of at the EMWMF 

and 16,746 yd3 of lower levels of 

contaminated waste were consolidated 

and capped on-site. The excavation of 

waste will permanently remove and/or 

isolate uranium-contaminated material 

Waste from four surface impoundments at ORNL was disposed in 

FY 2003.

The four impoundments (3513, 3524, 3539, and 3540), known 

as the Main Plant Surface Impoundments, were located in the 

south-central portion of the ORNL main plant in Bethel Valley. 

They served as intermediate collection, storage, and mixing basins 

for liquid process wastes. EPA, DOE, and the state of Tennessee 

signed a ROD in August 1997 specifying that the impoundment 

sediment to be removed, stabilized, and disposed.

Sediment was transferred from Impoundments 3539 and 3540 to 

3513 in 1998. Sediment was transferred from impoundment 3524 

to 3513 in 2000. Following sediment transfer, Impoundments 

3524, 3539, and 3540 

were backfilled with rock, 

and grout was added to 

the rock to fill empty 

spaces. Gravel pads 

were installed over the 

backfilled impoundments 

to provide space for 

the construction and 

operation of a sediment 

treatment system and to 

create a staging area for 

treated waste forms before 

shipment for disposal. 

The treatment system 

became operational in late 

2001. Since then all the sediment (approximately 

6350 yd3) has been removed, treated, and 

converted to 981 concrete final waste forms. 

As of the end of FY 2003, the treated waste had 

been disposed, and the treatment plant was being 

demolished, with completion planned for early

FY 2004.

from surface water and groundwater, 

thereby reducing the migration of 

contamination to Bear Creek.

Some of the first wastes disposed of in 

Oak Ridge were placed in the BY/BY 

beginning in 1943. Both radiological 

and nonradiological wastes were 

disposed of at this site, which continued 

receiving wastes until 1970.

Three release sites are associated with 

the BY/BY remediation project: (1) 

the Oil Landfarm Soils Containment 

Pad; (2) the Hazardous Chemical 

Disposal Area; and (3) the BY/BY, 

including Bear Creek Tributary 3 

Floodplain Soils. The Oil Landfarm 

Soils Containment Pad structure 

was a below-grade storage pad that 

contained approximately 570 yd3

of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)-

contaminated soils excavated during 

Surface Impoundment Waste Removed

Boneyard/Burnyard Remediation Completed
18

To mitigate the mercury being released 

into UEFPC, the Bldg. 9201-2 Water 

Treatment System was designed and 

will be constructed as the first action of 

the approved ROD for Phase 1 Interim 

Source Control Actions in the UEFPC 

Characterization Area.

The design of the Bldg. 9201-2 Water 

Treatment System was completed in 

September 2003. Results of a predesign study completed in the spring 

and summer of 2002 to evaluate 

closure of the Oil Landfarm. The Hazardous Chemical 

Disposal Area was historically used to dispose of 

chemicals that were deemed to be hazardous to plant 

workers, including acids, bases, and miscellaneous 

liquids. The area was covered in the late 1980s with an 

engineered cap, similar to the type required under the 

Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. The

BY/BY was used for the disposal of combustible 

wastes, including uranium turnings, which were placed 

either on the surface or in unlined trenches and set 

on fire. The area was also used for storing abandoned 

equipment, which resulted in surface contamination. 

These wastes were leaching from the BY/BY to 

shallow groundwater, which then discharged to surface 

water. 

Remedial actions were divided into three phases.

Phase I consisted of the remedial design. Phase II 

included the hydraulic isolation at the BY/BY to 

reduce the contaminant flux entering Bear Creek and to dry the site in preparation for the Phase III work, as well as the 

removal of the Oil Landfarm Soils Containment Pad structure and disposal of the soils at an off-site facility. Phase III 

consisted of excavation and disposal of BY/BY wastes.

BYBY wastes have been excavated and the site backfilled

UEFPC Remediation Being Conducted in Phases

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

phased approach. Phase 1 addresses interim actions for remediation of mercury-contaminated soil, sediment, 

and groundwater discharges that contribute contamination to surface water. The focus of the second phase is 

remediation of the balance of contaminated soil, scrap, and buried materials within the Y-12 Complex, the major 

contaminated area in the UEFPC Watershed. Decisions regarding final land use and final goals for surface water, 

groundwater, and soils will be addressed in future decision documents.

During FY 2003, an FFS for remediation of UEFPC contaminated soils, scrap, and buried materials was conducted. 

Alternatives were developed and evaluated to protect workers in the industrial plant area and minimize further 

contamination of groundwater and surface water by remediating accessible soil, buried waste, or subsurface 

structures that contribute significantly to contamination above acceptable risk levels. Once regulatory comments are 

received and incorporated, a proposed plan and ROD will be developed and public input incorporated. 

Building 9201-2 Water Treatment System to Be Constructed

potential methods for removing 

mercury to the ambient water quality 

criterion of 51 parts per trillion (ppt) 

and to determine design and operational 

parameters for the water treatment 

system were incorporated into the 

design.

A 300-gallon/min water treatment 

system will be constructed near Bldg. 

9201-2. The system will use a series 

of granular activated carbon beds to 

reduce the mercury concentration in the 

system effluent to levels of 200 ppt or 

less. The system influent will include 

Outfall 51 discharge and 9201-2 sump 

water. The existing East End Mercury 

Treatment System will be removed. 

Construction of the new water 

treatment system and demolition of the 

old plant are scheduled to be completed 

in FY 2004.

RESERVATION CLEANUP/WASTE MANAGEMENT
19

Despite record rainfalls in FY 2003, the EMWMF, located near the Y-12 Complex, was able to provide almost 

uninterrupted disposal services for ongoing cleanup work. 

EMWMF operations collected, analyzed, and dispositioned more than 8.5 million gallons of leachate and contact water. 

The operations also effectively controlled site erosion and sediments, resulting in an 80% reduction in total suspended 

solids measured in surface waters during the year. 

By the end of FY 2003, 174,300 tons of soil and debris waste had been disposed of at the facility. Projects that have used 

the EMWMF include the 

• BY/BY Remedial Action Project near the Y-12 Complex,

• Intermediate Holding Pond Remedial Action 

 Project at ORNL,

• K-1070-A Remedial Action Project at ETTP,

• ETTP Main Plant Facilities, 

• Melton Valley Old Hydrofracture Facility D&D 

 Project at ORNL, and

• Surface Impoundment Operable Unit Project at 

 ORNL.

The EMWMF, located in East Bear Creek Valley near 

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

is being used to contain the waste generated during 

cleanup of ORR and associated sites in Tennessee. The 

EMWMF accepted its first waste shipment in May 2002. 

Synergistic to the activities at the EMWMF, DOE 

also operates solid waste disposal facilities at the Y-12 

Complex, called the ORR Landfills. In FY 2003 more 

than 108,000 yd3 of industrial, construction/demolition, 

The David Witherspoon, Inc. (DWI) 901 Site, located on Maryville Pike in Knoxville, Tennessee, consists of a 9.5-acre 

parcel formerly owned and operated as the DWI Recycling Center and a 0.5-acre parcel owned by CSX Transportation, 

Inc. A 1993 court order forced cessation of DWI 

operations at the site, and the property was seized by 

the Tennessee Division of Superfund.

The objective of this off-site project is to perform 

interim actions and complete the supporting 

documentation resulting in a ROD at the DWI 901 

Site.

The scope of this project is to decontaminate and 

demolish the main building, metal office building, 

incinerator, magnet house, compactor house, control 

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

house. Contaminated soils will be excavated and 

disposed of as radioactive PCB mixed waste in the 

EMWMF. The contaminated soils will be excavated 

and treated to meet land disposal restrictions.

In FY 2003 site brush and vegetation removal, 

sampling activities, and radiation scoping surveys 

were completed. The D&D debris removal interim 

action work plan was completed and issued for 

regulator review. An interim action work plan will also be prepared for soil removal. The interim action will begin in FY 

2004, and the soil removal interim action is scheduled to be completed in FY 2007. 

Witherspoon Site Being Prepared for Cleanup

Tons of Wastes Placed in the EMWMF

SIOU waste being disposed of at the EMWMF

Aerial of Witherspoon site
More than 35 million gallons of waste were treated at the 

Central Neutralization Facility in FY 2003

20

During FY 2003, the Environmental Management Program treated 26.0 million gallons of liquid waste at the Groundwater 

Treatment Facility, East End Mercury Treatment System, Central Mercury Treatment System, and East End Volatile 

Organic Compound System.

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

837,000 gallons of wastewater, primarily in support of National Nuclear Security Administration operation activities. 

This wastewater included hazardous materials such as PCBs, cyanide, mercury, cadmium, chromium, and uranium. The 

hazardous materials end up in the sludge that results from wastewater treatment. A total of 900,000 kg of sludge was 

treated and shipped for off-site disposal in compliance with site treatment plan (STP) milestones. The total quantity of 

mixed-waste sludge disposed of since the project began in 1997 is 8,300,000 kg (about 9,200 tons). The remaining sludge 

inventory will be treated and disposed of by the end of FY 2004.

At ETTP, the Central Neutralization Facility treated more than 35 million gallons of wastewater in FY 2003. The facility is 

ETTP’s primary wastewater treatment facility and processes both hazardous and nonhazardous waste streams arising from 

multiple waste treatment facilities and remediation projects. The facility removes heavy metals and suspended solids from 

the wastewater, adjusts pH, and discharges the treated effluent into the Clinch River. Sludge from the treatment facility 

is treated, packaged, and 

disposed of off-site. 

At ORNL approximately 

245,000,000 gallons of 

wastewater were treated 

and released at the Process 

Waste Treatment Complex. 

In addition, the LLLW 

evaporator at ORNL treated 

216,000 gallons of such 

waste. Finally, 2.3 billion 

m3 of gaseous waste were 

treated at the ORNL 3039 

Stack Facility. These 

important waste treatment 

activities supported both 

Environmental Management 

and Office of Science mission 

activities in a safe and 

compliant manner. 

classified, and spoil material waste were disposed of 

— 40% above the forecast as the result of acceleration of 

cleanup activities across the ORR. 

The EMWMF and ORR Landfills are serving the disposal 

needs of the ORR cleanup program as well as the active 

missions of the Y-12 Complex and ORNL

A major challenge to operations in fiscal year 2003 

was the unusually high rainfall in East Tennessee. This 

resulted in the generation of exceedingly large volumes 

of contact water that necessitated collection and transport 

for treatment. This was accomplished while appropriately 

Millions of Gallons of Wastewater Treated in FY 2003

containing all water resulting from the heavy rain events. 

Another effect of the high rainfall is the unexpected increase 

in shallow groundwater levels beneath the facility. DOE 

is actively engaged with the regulators to implement a 

remedial action to lower the site-wide shallow groundwater 

table. An underground rock-core drain is being constructed 

25 feet below the liner of the EMWMF to permanently 

suppress and drain groundwater. The successful 

implementation of this action will result in continued 

preparations for expanding the EMWMF starting in late

FY 2004. 

RESERVATION CLEANUP/WASTE MANAGEMENT
TRU waste processing facility

A monolith being prepared for shipment off-site

21

Operations at the ORR produce wastes that frequently contain radionuclides. Such wastes are characterized as either LLW 

or TRU wastes. Mixed low-level wastes (MLLWs) are those that contain materials deemed hazardous and are regulated 

under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.

TRU wastes from throughout the DOE complex are to 

be disposed of at the WIPP near Carlsbad, New Mexico. 

Before shipping TRU wastes to the WIPP, however, they 

must be treated, packaged, and certified to meet the waste 

acceptance criteria of the WIPP. 

DOE awarded a contract to Foster Wheeler 

Environmental Corporation in 1998 to build and operate 

a TRU waste treatment facility on the ORR. In FY 2001, 

an approximately 1000-ft extension to the access road 

from White Wing Road (State Route 95) and fencing of 

the approximately 20-acre site were completed. Waste 

processing at the TRU waste treatment facility is poised 

to begin in early FY 2004.

The ORR has the largest inventory of legacy LLW in the 

DOE complex. In addition, active DOE missions at the 

Y-12 Complex and ORNL produce newly generated LLW 

that must be managed and disposed safely and efficiently. In FY 2003, DOE shipped 112 legacy LLW monoliths (2161 

yd3) to the Nevada Test Site for disposal, leaving fewer than 40 of these large legacy LLW containers. Characterization and 

planning activities are nearly complete for ensuring that the entire inventory of legacy LLW will be disposed by the end of 

FY 2005. Almost 9,000 yd3 of newly generated LLW was also shipped for disposal in FY 2003. 

The ORR also has a large inventory of 

MLLW, but most mixed waste has been 

dispositioned since the site treatment plan 

(STP) agreement was signed in 1995. In 

FY 2003, 323,069 kg of STP waste were 

dispositioned. Only 600,000 kg of such 

waste remain from an original inventory of 

more than 4,200,000 kg. In addition, DOE 

also shipped and disposed of 900,000 kg 

of sludge in FY 2003, bringing the total 

quantity of mixed waste sludge disposed 

of since the project began in 1997 to 8.3 

million kg. Approximately 440,000 kg of 

sludge remain. By the end of FY 2005, the 

entire inventory of STP-regulated mixed 

waste will be safely disposed, closing an 

important chapter in the cleanup of the 

ORR.

Also in FY 2003, DOE and its contractors 

completed a 2-year effort to identify and safely disposition more than 1,000 potentially shock-sensitive chemical items. 

Rigorous planning and careful execution brought about a successful outcome to ridding the ORR of these items in a safe 

and compliant manner.

Waste Stockpile Continues to Diminish
TSCA Incinerator

22

The Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Incinerator, 

located at ETTP, treated 567,289 pounds of liquid waste 

and 162,664 pounds of solid waste in FY 2003. Plans are in 

place to increase the throughput at the incinerator to ensure 

cost-effective operations in support of the DOE complex’s 

cleanup mission. In FY 2004, approximately 900,000 

pounds of combined liquid and solid waste are planned for 

treatment at the incinerator.

TSCA Incinerator Continues Hazardous Waste Treatment

The TSCA Incinerator plays a key role in treatment of radioactive PCB and hazardous wastes (mixed wastes) from the 

ORR and other DOE facilities. It burns wastes generated by 

Oak Ridge cleanup projects as well as those from numerous out-of-state DOE sites. The incinerator is expected to be 

closed at the end of FY 2006.

• Since full operation began in 1991, the TSCA Incinerator has treated more than 28 million 

pounds of waste.

• The Incinerator operated under rules and regulations issued by DOE, the Environmental 

Protection Agency, and the State of Tennessee.

• A comprehensive performance test will be performed in 2004 to demonstrate compliance with 

new emission standards.

• The incinerator operates with temperatures of more than 1,500 degrees to 2,200 degrees 

Fahrenheit. 

• Some 99.99 percent of the hazardous organics and 99.9999 percent of the PCBs are destroyed during incineration.

Quick Facts About the TSCA Incinerator

RESERVATION CLEANUP/WASTE MANAGEMENT
23

Improved Technologies Being Used for Cleanup

The mission of the Environmental 

Technology Program is to provide 

the scientific foundation, new 

approaches, and new technologies 

to bring about significant reductions 

in risk, cost, and schedule for 

completion of the environmental 

management accelerated cleanup 

mission. The need for real-time 

technology solutions has been made 

even more urgent with the renewed 

emphasis on site closure. In FY 2003 

the DOE Oak Ridge Operations 

(ORO) Environmental Technology 

Program focused on several key 

problem areas at DOE-ORO sites. 

The Y-12 Complex has had historical 

releases of mercury from four 

main process buildings. The loss of 

an estimated 2 million pounds of 

mercury to soil and surface waters 

has created a mercury-management 

problem involving contamination 

of numerous sumps and outfalls. 

The Environmental Technology 

Program is working with academia 

and the private sector to investigate 

phytoremediation for the stabilization 

and transpiration of mercury.

Additionally in FY 2003 development 

and field testing of a microcantilever 

sensor for the detection of mercury in 

water at the parts-per-trillion level were 

advanced.

Several projects were initiated in 

FY 2003 to address ecological risk 

assessment. At ETTP a demonstration 

of the Spatial Analysis and Decision 

Assistance (SADA) software was 

conducted to determine the ecological 

risk assessment capability of SADA as 

applied to a large, complex site. SADA 

documents all models and parameters 

used in an assessment in a form that 

can be accessed by all members of the 

decision-making team. Use of SADA 

facilitates agreement because of its 

documented quality assurance/quality 

control process and the fact that the 

ecological risk assessment modules 

were developed under guidance from 

EPA’s Ecological Risk Assessment 

Forum and have been reviewed by EPA. 

Additionally, the Biological Monitoring 

and Abatement Program was used 

to assess environmental impacts and 

trends and to track compliance and 

environmental health updates.

The ORO complex has numerous scrap 

yards covering a total of 50 acres and 

containing more than 90,000 tons of 

scrap metal and debris. Most of the 

waste is radiologically contaminated. In 

addition to the existing scrap inventory, 

a large volume of scrap metal will 

be generated by D&D activities at 

ORO and around the DOE complex. 

A more cost-effective, nondestructive 

characterization technology was needed 

to characterize waste in a wide variety 

of configurations and containers. The 

technology also had to be capable of 

isotopic discrimination and sensitive 

enough to certify that the waste meets 

the waste acceptance criteria of the 

receiving disposal facility. In FY 

2003 in situ gamma spectrometry 

was successfully demonstrated to 

characterize the scrap metal piles at

K-770. The process proved to be 

efficient, cost-effective, and accurate 

in characterizing the scrap metal for 

disposition. 
24

The reliability and maintainability of reactive barrier systems are important considerations in the long-term treatment of 

contaminated groundwater. In FY 2003 the Environmental Technology Program funded the study of a number of operating 

barriers, including those at the Y-12 Complex S-3 ponds. The purpose of the study was to understand how the barriers 

function over time. Additionally, new reactive media were developed and tested in FY 2003, including biogenic apatite 

(Apatite IITM) sorbent for removal of metals from Y-12 Complex groundwater. 

Bioremediation continued to be evaluated as a viable treatment process for groundwater contaminated with volatile organic 

compounds. Bioremediation studies continued for the Y-12 Complex UEFPC carbon tetrachloride plume with a treatability 

study planned for FY 2004. 

ORNL has a mixture of TRU organic ion-exchange resin and sludge stored in two inactive underground storage tanks (the 

T-1 and T-2 tanks) and radioactive sludge and resin with TRU constituents in the High Flux Isotope Reactor tank. This waste 

must be retrieved and treated before disposal to meet the FFA and achieve accelerated closure of the site by 2006; however, 

the waste does not meet the waste acceptance criteria for any existing treatment/storage facility. The waste must be pretreated 

to destroy the organic resins before solidification at the Oak Ridge TRU Waste Treatment Facility and disposal at the WIPP. 

In FY 2003, the Environmental Technology Program focused its efforts on finalizing a process to chemically destroy the ionexchange resin using Fenton’s Reagent (hydrogen peroxide and a ferrous iron catalyst), which oxidizes the resin to carbon 

dioxide and ammonium sulfate. A specialized treatment tank and mixing system were designed and tested, and the process 

was successfully tested using both simulated and actual waste. After completion of final safety reviews, the system should be 

ready for full implementation in FY 2004.

RESERVATION CLEANUP/WASTE MANAGEMENT
25

Although many cleanup projects have moved from the decision-making phase to actual field work, public involvement remained a key component of the FY 2003 Environmental Management efforts in Oak Ridge.

DOE sought public input on a number of key documents and decisions, including the

A 

unique type of 

public involvement took place 

on September 15, 2003, as more than 

700 current and former Oak Ridge K-25 

Site workers, as well as members of the public, 

attended the 60th anniversary celebration for the 

K-25 Site. Participants not only heard about exciting 

plans for accelerated cleanup of the site, but also saw 

firsthand the changing landscape of open spaces where 

buildings once stood.

The event, held outside the fenced area of ETTP, 

featured displays, music, presentations, and a 

lot of reminiscing. DOE and local government 

leaders also participated in the event. 

Commemorative lapel pins, anniversary 

publications, and other items were 

given to attendees.

• Accelerated Cleanup Lifecycle Baseline,

• proposed FY 2005 budget request for Oak Ridge’s Environmental 

Management Program,

• public health assessment for Y-12 Complex uranium releases,

• action memorandum for demolition of remaining facilities at ETTP,

• Spallation Neutron Source discharge permit, and

• disposal of outdoor LLW at ETTP.

Public Involvement Continues to Be Key Aspect of Cleanup

K-25 Site’s 60th anniversary provided the public a chance 

to honor and find out more about the site’s history
 Oak Ridge Site Specific Advisory Board members

26

Other notable FY 2003 public involvement initiatives included the following:

• A new DOE Information Center Web site was established to make information more accessible to the public. It provides 

a centralized electronic source of new documents produced by DOE and an overview of the services offered to the 

public at the Information Center.

• A readership survey for Public Involvement News, the monthly stakeholder newsletter, was conducted to allow DOE 

to better mold its content to the type of information the public is seeking. A mailing list update card was also sent to all 

newsletter recipients to ensure that only those wishing to receive the newsletter would remain on its mailing list.

• The TSCA Incinerator Burn Plan for FYs 2004 to 2006 was made available. The incinerator is tentatively scheduled to 

be closed in 2006. 

• An information session was held to discuss the title transfer of facilities and land at ETTP. This transfer supports the 

accelerated environmental cleanup of the site.

• The Oak Ridge Public Tour Program, featuring visits to all three DOE facilities in Oak Ridge, resumed in FY 2003.

The Oak Ridge Site Specific Advisory Board (ORSSAB) posted several accomplishments this year. ORSSAB is an 

independent, volunteer, federally appointed citizens’ panel formed in 1995. Its mission is to provide informed advice 

and recommendations to DOE on its Oak Ridge Environmental Management Program and to involve the public in 

environmental decision making. 

The board generated 17 recommendations this year on a variety of environmental management topics, including

• “Recommendation to Accelerate Removal of Remote-Handled Transuranic (TRU) Waste from the

 Oak Ridge Reservation,”

• “Recommendation Concerning the Depleted Uranium Hexafluoride Disposition Program,”

• “Recommendation Concerning the DOE Action Memorandum for the Corehole 8 Plume Source,”

• “Comments on the Environmental Assessment for Proposed Changes to the Sanitary Biosolids 

 Land Application Program,” and 

• “Recommendation Concerning the RCRA Part B Permit Renewal for the TSCA Incinerator.”

Other significant FY 2003 accomplishments are described in the following sections.

ORSSAB Provides Public Input to Environmental 

Management Program Activities

PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT
Educational Resource Guide

27

A rising groundwater problem was identified beneath the EMWMF in spring 

2003. To remedy the problem DOE proposed several alternatives to the facility 

design, which were presented to EPA and the state of Tennessee. Because 

building of the CERCLA waste facility had significant public support, the 

regulators insisted on getting the public’s input on the alternatives before 

making a decision. ORSSAB provided this forum. Presentations were made to 

the board, and public notices were placed before the board’s meetings on this 

topic, resulting in excellent public attendance. 

In July 2003, ORSSAB endorsed DOE’s preferred method for placement of 

an underdrain to address the high groundwater. Without a quick decision on 

the design issue, the scheduled build-out of additional waste cells would have 

significantly impacted waste disposition in 2005, forcing off-site disposition, 

cost increases, and/or slowed remediation activities.

Long-Term Stewardship

In June 2003, ORSSAB issued the Oak Ridge Reservation 

Educational Resource Guide, to introduce the concepts of 

radiological and chemical contamination, environmental 

management, and stewardship to middle and high school 

students. The guide is the first part of a planned series of 

educational efforts by ORSSAB. The guide was initially 

distributed to area educators but is also being provided 

to the community at large through the ORSSAB Web site 

(www.oakridge.doe.gov/em/ssab/pubs), the DOE Information Center, and various ORSSAB public outreach events.

In FY 2003, ORSSAB provided six 

recommendations and comments 

to DOE on various aspects of longterm stewardship. The ORSSAB 

Stewardship Committee established 

an Education Subcommittee, 

which prepared the Oak Ridge 

Reservation Educational Resource 

Guide (see next section) and began 

work on a Stewardship Resource 

Kit to help educators develop 

curricula on stewardship and 

environmental issues. As in past 

years, these recommendations, 

comments, and educational efforts 

reflected ORSSAB’s commitment 

to providing DOE with informed 

stakeholder involvement on longterm stewardship issues—not just 

at the ORR, but also at the national 

level. 

The ORR is home to the largest quality of RH-TRU waste in the DOE 

complex. This year ORSSAB worked on several fronts to help break the 

logjam that has prevented the movement of this waste stream to more secure 

storage, where the risk to workers, the public, and the environment can 

be reduced. In October 2002 ORSSAB wrote to the state of New Mexico 

to endorse DOE’s RH-TRU waste permit modification request to allow 

shipment of this waste to the WIPP as part of DOE’s effort to accelerate the 

disposition of legacy waste. In January 2003, ORSSAB members attended 

the Site-Specific Advisory Board Workshop on TRU Waste Management 

at the WIPP and subsequently endorsed the workshop’s recommendations. 

ORSSAB followed up on these recommendations with a set of site-specific 

recommendations, transmitted to DOE Assistant Secretary Jessie Roberson in 

July 2003. 

TRU Waste Issues

Environmental Management Waste Management Facility
In July 2003, ORSSAB launched its video lending library at the DOE Information 

Center, providing the community with a valuable educational resource regarding 

environmental management program issues. The library contains more than 30 titles related 

to waste management, radiation, risk, environmental justice, environmental laws and regulations, 

history, and environmental management. The library also includes ORSSAB monthly meeting 

videotapes from January 1999 through the present. The videos are available at no charge to 

educators, students, ORSSAB members, and the public.

Video Lending Library

All ORSSAB meetings are open to the public and are announced in newspaper advertisements, in the 

Federal Register, through the board’s 24-hour information line [(865) 576-4750], and on the board’s Web 

site (www.oakridge.doe.gov/em/ssab). Information is also available by calling the ORSSAB support office 

at (865) 576-1590 or (800) 382-6938.

Jessie Roberson, Assistant Secretary for Environmental Management (center), is pictured during a visit to 

Oak Ridge with (from left) Norman Mulvenon, ORSSAB vice chair; Dave Mosby; ORSSAB chair; Gerald 

Boyd, DOE Oak Ridge Operations Manager; and Donna Campbell, ORSSAB member.

28

PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT
29

DOE Public Affairs Office

(865) 576-0885

DOE-ORO Public Information Line

1-800-382-6938

Oak Ridge Site Specific Advisory Board

(865) 576-1590

1-800-382-6938

Local Oversight Committee

(865) 483-1333

Tennessee Department of Environment

and Conservation

(865) 481-0995

Environmental Protection Agency;

Region IV

1-800-241-1754

Agency for Toxic Substances and

Disease Registry

1-888-422-8737

Oak Ridge Office:

(865) 220-0295

Information Resources

DOE Information Center

475 Oak Ridge Turnpike

Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830

Phone: (865) 241-4780

Fax: (865) 574-3521

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

Internet Sites

DOE Main Web Site

DOE-ORO Home Page

DOE-ORO Environmental Management Program

Oak Ridge Site Specific Advisory Board

Oak Ridge Accelerated Cleanup

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry

Environmental Protection Agency

Tennessee Department of Environment

and Conservation

DOE Information Center

www.energy.gov

www.oakridge.doe.gov

www.oakridge.doe.gov/em

wwwww.oakridge.doe.gov/em/ssab

www.bechteljacobs.com/doeclean/

www.atsdr.cdc.gov

www.epa.gov/region4/

www.state.tn.us/environment/doe

www.oakridge.doe.gov/info_cntr

Telephone Numbers