During 1993, more than 20,000 pounds of chlorinated organic solvents were removed from soil and ground water using new horizontal well technologies. In addition, Savannah River Site demonstrated the injection of nutrients into the ground to stimulate microorganisms that break down volatile organic compounds and demonstrated real-time characterization technologies, that were jointly developed with the Department of Defense. These technologies greatly reduce the number of wells needed to clean up an area, reduce worker exposure, and improve performance over former methods by a factor of five to one. This technology increases the efficiency of removal, greatly reduces exposure to workers, and saves energy. In 1994, Savannah River Site will continue ground-water remediation and site characterization activities at contaminated sites.
Construction is essentially complete for saltstone and vitrification facilities.
The saltstone facility is operating intermittently to immobilize slightly contaminated liquid effluents. The vitrification facility is undergoing start-up testings and will start radioactive operation in December 1995. A Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement on waste management activities at the site is currently being prepared. The impact statement will provide a site-wide approach to managing all waste generated from ongoing operations, environmental restoration, and decontamination and decommissioning. Future activities at the Savannah River Site include focusing on the startup of the Defense Waste Processing Facility, which is scheduled to begin operation in December 1995.