EM Update | Vol. 8, Issue 17 | Sept. 13, 2016

DOE Office of Environmental Management sent this bulletin at 09/13/2016 11:35 AM EDT

Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page.

EM Update Highlights Oak Ridge Cleanup Milestone
Employees, Regulators and Lawmakers Celebrate Oak Ridge Milestone
EM Oak Ridge Manager Reflects on Reaching Vision 2016
Vision 2016: An Accomplishment a Decade in the Making
East Tennessee Technology Park by the Numbers
Oak Ridge Looks Ahead to Vision 2020 After K-27 Demolition
Former Employee Recalls Presidential Visit to Site
Federal Ingenuity Gives Former Uranium Complex New Life
Contributors

EM Update Highlights Oak Ridge Cleanup Milestone

OAK RIDGE, Tenn. – In this issue of EM Update, we mark the Oak Ridge EM program’s world-first accomplishment: completion of decontamination, decommissioning and demolition of its uranium gaseous diffusion enrichment process buildings. On Aug. 30, Oak Ridge achieved its ambitious Vision 2016 when workers demolished the final portion of Building K-27. This in-depth issue takes readers inside the milestone celebration, the decade-long effort to reach Vision 2016 and a look ahead to Vision 2020, Oak Ridge’s goal to complete all cleanup at the East Tennessee Technology Park. EM Oak Ridge Manager Sue Cange reflects on the achievement of cleaning up the five process buildings — 4.5 million square feet in total — a former employee recalls President Jimmy Carter’s visit to the former K-25 site, and the EM Oak Ridge program details its continuing efforts to transform the site into a thriving industrial park, with 720 acres already transferred to the private sector.

Employees, Regulators and Lawmakers Celebrate Oak Ridge Milestone

Workers take down Building K-27.

OAK RIDGE, Tenn. – More than 100 national, state and local officials, and 1,200 federal and contractor employees braved Tennessee’s summer heat on Aug. 30 to witness the culmination of more than a decade of decontamination, decommissioning and demolition work here at the East Tennessee Technology Park (ETTP). Onlookers saw Oak Ridge’s final uranium gaseous diffusion enrichment process building fall, marking the first time in the world this feat was completed.

Among those in attendance were U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-Tenn.), EM Assistant Secretary Monica Regalbuto, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 4 Director Franklin Hill and Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation Commissioner Bob Martineau. The leaders, community members and stakeholders who helped support Oak Ridge’s EM program and its many cleanup projects received recognition at the celebration. Employees later watched the final stage of Building K-27’s demolition and listened to stories from former workers who operated the facilities. Officials and employees gathered for remarks from labor leaders and dignitaries and videos that highlighted the generations of workers and their crucial roles within the Department.

“It’s been very satisfying to look around today’s event and be able to see and meet all of the men and women who made this incredible achievement possible,” Regalbuto said. “Today is not simply about tearing down another big building. This success removes environmental risks, improves safety in the area, and paves the way for economic development. Also, on a larger scale, we are able to take lessons learned in Oak Ridge and apply them across the complex to set the stage for similar successes in places like Portsmouth and Paducah."

U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), left, and U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-Tenn.) at the Building K-27 demolition site.

EM Assistant Secretary Monica Regalbuto speaks at the celebration.

Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management Manager Sue Cange (left) joins Mike Mills of URS|CH2M Oak Ridge as he gives the order to the demolition crew to take down the final wall of Building K-27 at the Aug. 30 event (Photo courtesy of Russell Langley/The Oak Ridger).

The cleanup project was part of Vision 2016, an EM goal to remove all five massive uranium gaseous diffusion enrichment process buildings at the site by the end of 2016.

That goal was achieved when K-27, the fifth of those buildings, was demolished in a project that began in February 2016. With a 383,000-square-foot footprint, the plant produced highly enriched uranium for national defense and commercial energy production. Its removal was a pressing priority due to its high contamination.

Successful demolitions of four other buildings — K-25, K-29, K-31, K-33 — were completed between 2006 and 2015. Along with K-27, the gaseous diffusion process buildings produced highly enriched uranium for national defense and commercial energy production. Watch this video about workers who constructed, operated and transformed the K-25 site.

“The completion of Vision 2016 sets a standard for what is possible through a dedicated workforce and strong partnerships,” Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management Manager Sue Cange said. “It also enriches the future for our community by eliminating environmental hazards and making hundreds of acres available for future development.”

As EM cleans properties at ETTP, the program transfers parcels and infrastructure to the City of Oak Ridge and Community Reuse Organization of East Tennessee. Those entities work to transform the site into a private-sector brownfield industrial complex capable of creating hundreds of jobs and millions of dollars in capital investment for the region.

A major contributor to the site’s progress and momentum, URS|CH2M Oak Ridge (UCOR) has served as EM’s ETTP cleanup contractor since 2011, completing demolition on K-25’s north tower and east wing, K-31 and K-27.

Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management Manager Sue Cange speaks at the Building K-27 demolition site.

Hundreds of Oak Ridge federal and contractor employees listen to EM Assistant Secretary Monica Regalbuto speak at lunch.

“Today we have much to celebrate,” UCOR President and Project Manager Ken Rueter said. “We completed Vision 2016 ahead of schedule and under budget, all while reaching almost 7 million hours without a lost workday accident. I want to give a special thanks to the men and women of the workforce who have spent many years in the field performing their craft safely and diligently. It would not have been possible without them.”

Oak Ridge’s EM program will continue ETTP cleanup to achieve its ultimate goal of completing cleanup and transfer of the site by 2020.

Watch congressional, local, state and DOE officials congratulate Oak Ridge’s EM program for achieving Vision 2016 and enabling a new chapter for the region. In another video, Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz recognizes the employees who helped successfully complete Vision 2016.

EM Oak Ridge Manager Reflects on Reaching Vision 2016

EM Update spoke with Sue Cange, manager of the DOE Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management, on recently completing Vision 2016 for the East Tennessee Technology Park (ETTP) cleanup, which entailed decommissioning and demolition of five former gaseous diffusion enrichment plants dating back to World War II, as well as plans for the next stage of the ETTP cleanup.

How does it feel to be at Oak Ridge at this point in time as not only the demolition of Building K-27 is wrapping up, but also EM’s Vision 2016 for the site is coming to a successful end?

I feel so blessed, and I mean that sincerely, that I’m here for this time because it is such a significant milestone, not just for Oak Ridge, but really for the Department and for the country. My mother has always told me, ‘Timing is everything,’ and I have been very fortunate to be back in EM for the past six years and to be here for this event. I really feel fortunate and honored. It’s really exciting.

What’s the feeling among the workforce as they see this accomplishment draw near and see these buildings go away?

We have a wonderful workforce in Oak Ridge. We’ve said for years that we’re blessed to have a highly skilled and motivated workforce. One of the things that DOE and UCOR (contractor URS|CH2M Oak Ridge) have partnered on together is sharing the comprehensive vision and cleanup plans for Oak Ridge to communicate that although this is an important milestone, there’s still a lot more work to do in Oak Ridge.

We have a plan where we intend to transition our workforce from the East Tennessee Technology Park to the Y-12 site without delay or interruption. I think that’s been a really important message to communicate so people understand that although they’re working themselves out of work at the East Tennessee Technology Park, not only is there more work to be done, but there’s a plan for them to continue with this important work. That’s been a critical part of our messaging.

What would you say has been the biggest accomplishment during EM’s work to achieve Vision 2016 at the ETTP?

I think there has been two accomplishments, if I may, instead of just one. I think one of our most impressive accomplishments in recent years has been our ability to pursue a clear and meaningful vision together through the establishment of strong partnerships. I think that DOE and UCOR, together, developed a pretty ambitious yet attainable vision for the East Tennessee Technology Park that benefits both the Department and the greater community.

I think establishing the partnerships and bringing in the support, not just of the federal staff and the contractor employees, but labor and community representatives and our regulators and even our congressional members, we would not be on the brink of celebrating Vision 2016 without pulling all of those important partners to become part of our collective success. So I think that’s one very important accomplishment.

On the technical side, I think our most significant accomplishment to date out at ETTP has been successfully and safely completing the demolition of the K-25 Building. That’s because we all know that at the time of its construction, the K-25 Building was the largest building in the world. It spanned 44 acres under roof, and was between four and five stories tall and ran a mile in length. Unfortunately, because the facility was not properly shut down, there were a number of unique technical challenges that we had to overcome to safely deconstruct the facility, which is essentially what we did. So I think that was our most significant technical accomplishment.

I’m really pleased with the lessons we’ve learned and how we’ve been able to apply those lessons to the successful and safe demolition of the other gaseous diffusion plant facilities here at Oak Ridge. I’m even more excited with the idea that those lessons will now be transitioned and deployed to both Portsmouth and Paducah.

Can you give some examples of those lessons learned that can be utilized at the Portsmouth and Paducah gaseous diffusion plants?

There have been some really important lessons as to how facilities need to be maintained as they await going through what we call the ‘4D’ process — decommissioning, deactivation, decontamination and demolition — to ensure the safety of our workers, as well as to ensure that we can deconstruct these facilities as efficiently as possible. So that’s one area where there have been some important lessons learned.

There have also been important lessons learned in our nuclear safety practices and approaches, as well as how to best address criticality issues and concerns. There’s been a host of lessons in that particular arena. There have also been some important lessons that have to do with waste management and disposal. I think that what we call here ‘the waste factory’ is a very important component to our success and the role that it plays and the opportunities for us to maximize our ability to efficiently and effectively dispose of waste as it is generated.

The graphic above shows all of the buildings that EM has removed at the East Tennessee Park, and the facilities the EM program will remove by 2020 when the site is scheduled to be transferred to the private sector.

One of the factors that has been cited in the successful work at ETTP is the cleanup contract EM has with UCOR. The DOE Office of Enterprise Assessments has noted that the contract could serve as a model for others in the EM program. From your perspective, how has that contract shaped and allowed the successful work to be performed at ETTP? How can that be translated to other sites?

That’s a great question. I agree that the ETTP contract has been an excellent model contract for the Department to utilize. I think first and foremost, I want to applaud the team that worked on its development and the team of people here in Oak Ridge, as well as at the EM Consolidated Business Center and at EM headquarters that work each and every day to administer it. I think that’s an important component to effective contracting that we don’t focus on. We talk a lot about the structure of a contract but we don’t necessarily focus a lot on the administration and management of that contract. I think that is one of the reasons why that contract continues to be held up as a model.

I do think, from a structural perspective, the contract was built in a way to maximize contractor performance. Work is divided into what we call contract line item numbers (CLINs) and it’s structured in a way that we can authorize additional work in different CLINs only if, or after, DOE is satisfied with the contractor’s performance on the previous work. So I think that that is structurally a good concept that can be modelled and applied elsewhere.

This is a cost-plus contract, and we have both an award fee and a performance-based incentive fee approach. One of the things we do a little differently in Oak Ridge is we’ve decided to maintain a semi-annual award fee process. Most of the other sites follow an annual process. Even though it’s more work for us to manage and administer a semi-annual award fee process, we find it to be very effective because we can modify and incentivize certain activities or even behaviors that are important to us during a six-month performance period. I think that that’s been a good tool that has at least worked for us here in Oak Ridge.

There’s been a lot of discussion over the last couple of years on structuring contracts that have an appropriate base period and option periods that are of a reasonable duration to accomplish the work, and I think that’s another feature of this contract that we have. And finally, I really think one of the reasons for our collective success in administering this contract really goes back to establishing a partnering approach that’s based on building trust and improving communications and resolving issues in a timely manner. I think that summarizes all of the various components that help to make this contract a good example for others to follow.

One of the things that sets ETTP and Oak Ridge apart, somewhat, is the focus on reindustrialization. How successful has that effort been to date, and with the completion of the demolition of Building K-27, how will that further support such reindustrialization efforts?

The reindustrialization program is something I’m very passionate about and I believe very strongly in it. I was one of the charter members of a reindustrialization task force that was established 20 years ago here in Oak Ridge with the expressed purpose of transitioning the former K-25 gaseous diffusion plant into a private-sector industrial park while we were cleaning the site up. I’m very proud of my role in being a part of that initial task force and really helping to get this concept off the ground.

With that said, I think one of our biggest challenges in the past was helping private industry look beyond the current conditions of the site and envision it as a private-sector industrial park. Every day now, we’re making progress in erasing the image and the legacy associated with the former mission at the site. So that’s been an important milestone. In fact, Vision 2016 is a very important milestone to demonstrate to private industry that we have successfully reduced the largest and most contaminated structures at the site.

We’re sequencing our projects in a way now that allows us to complete cleanup quickly, in relative terms, and you can see visible changes to the site each and every month you come out there. So I think that’s been an important accomplishment that’s helped us to overcome that initial challenge we encountered.

I think that we still have challenges that we need to face helping private industry address issues and concerns associated with the stigma of locating at a former uranium enrichment facility that’s on the Superfund list. That often results in challenges with obtaining financing from banks and other financial institutions, so that’s a challenge we continue to work on.

Also, we have a challenge at the site where we continue to look forward to sufficient land parcels that do not have encumbrances tied to them that prevent future development. Obviously when we were constructing and operating the K-25 site, nobody thought that that site would be reused 60 or 70 years later for private development, and so it wasn’t constructed in a way that necessarily supported or allowed future reuse. So that’s been a challenge that we had working with our community reuse organization.

I will say we have a long list of what we consider to be successes out at the site. Today we have about 20 private companies that are operating at the site. They generate about 200 private-sector jobs. We also have a number of sustainable energy projects that have been constructed through private investment and are operational. As an example, we have three solar arrays that generate about 1.7 kilowatt hours of energy each year. That’s a lot of energy that would operate almost 200 private residences. We’ve transferred about 700 acres of land and 13 buildings, and we’ve transferred a lot of our critical infrastructure, like water and rail and roads and even emergency services, to the city of Oak Ridge, who will be the municipal provider of those services for the park.

So we really have a number of successes under our belt. Probably the most exciting one is the recent availability of about a 200-acre parcel of flat land that is the former site of the K-31 and K-33 buildings. Having that mega-parcel, if you will, really will help us attract a new level of industry to the site. We like to joke that it’s rare to find flat land in East Tennessee, and anywhere you can find 200 acres of developable land that is ready for development is really something special in the hills of East Tennessee.

Another unique thing about the site is it’s not just going to be a private-sector industrial park. There’s a very strong historical preservation component that’s being built and will be part of the Manhattan Project national park at the East Tennessee Technology Park. And there’s a very strong conservation piece that has already been established and is being added to as part of the complete package. So it’s very exciting to be able to provide an asset that’s able to be utilized for some many different and important future functions.

With Vision 2016 now coming to an end, what will be some of the hallmarks of Vision 2020 for the ETTP site that you’ll now be focusing on?

I’ll start off by saying that I believe we have most of what we need already in place to be successful in achieving Vision 2020. We have a good contract with a high-performing contractor. We have an amazing labor force. We have other important resources in place to allow us to complete the job.

Like most EM sites, we need consistent funding at the level we’re currently at to be able to continue making progress and meet Vision 2020. In Oak Ridge, we’ve been very fortunate to have the support of the cleanup program, both by Senator Lamar Alexander and Congressman Chuck Fleischmann, as well as the whole greater community. Our hope is that support will continue so we can finish the job in the time we’ve identified.

What is going to be the challenge to completing Vision 2020, and how do you see that challenge being overcome?

We still face some challenges. We still have some challenging projects ahead of us. As an example, one of the most challenging projects to come is the demolition of the plant that was utilized to produce the barrier material for the gaseous diffusion process. There’s a large amount of legacy material and process equipment in that building, and a lot of the technology is still classified, which presents a challenge to us to successfully complete that project.

Another challenge is making sure that we take a thorough and comprehensive look at everything that needs to be done to leave the site in a condition where it is attractive to private industry to consider locating there. We’re currently working on a closure plan that helps to identify all of the consideration that needs to be made to take the site from completion of cleanup, in accordance with the terms of our regulatory agreements and our contract, to actually a closure site, or a site where DOE really has minimal stewardship responsibilities. I see that as a huge challenge because it actually goes beyond just completing the cleanup of the site.

Back to Top

Vision 2016: An Accomplishment a Decade in the Making

Workers enter Building K-27 to prepare the facility for demolition.

OAK RIDGE, Tenn. – On Aug 30, 2016, longtime EM employees stood attentively near the demolition site watching the final portion of Building K-27 crash to the ground.

Their faces showed the recognition of this historically significant moment. Each played a role in the effort to achieve the ambitious vision to remove all of the site’s uranium enrichment gaseous diffusion plants (GDP) by the end of 2016.

“It is difficult to accurately convey just how much planning, preparation and execution was involved to get our program to this very special moment,” said Sue Cange, Oak Ridge’s EM program manager. “Today is a testament to what is possible when you create strong partnerships with employees, regulators, and the community, and pursue a meaningful vision together.”

Through four contracts and a decade of demolition, Oak Ridge was able to successfully remove all of its GDPs — K-25, K-27, K-29, K-31, and K-33 — a world first. K-25 was constructed in 1943, K-27 in 1945, K-29 and K-31 in 1951, and K-33 in 1954. Together they produced highly enriched uranium for national defense and energy production.

The road to Vision 2016 began many years before the Aug. 30 events celebrating the demolition of all Oak Ridge GDPs.

The East Tennessee Technology Park before demolition and cleanup of its gaseous diffusion plants.

Demolition of Building K-25 was a massive undertaking. When constructed, it was the world’s largest building.

In 1997, Oak Ridge’s EM program awarded its first contract to BNG America to decontaminate and decommission K-29, K-31 and K-33, which amassed nearly 2.5 million of the GDPs’ 4.5 million total footprint. During the multi-year project, workers dismantled, removed and dispositioned more than 159,000 tons of materials and equipment, paving the way for their future demolition.

In 2006, Oak Ridge demolished its first gaseous diffusion building, K-29. Bechtel Jacobs was on contract to tear down the 290,000-square-foot facility.

In 2008, the contractor began work on K-25, an unprecedented task that presented an entirely new size and scope. The facility stood four stories tall with a base footprint of 1.6 million square feet. Crews began taking down what was once the world’s largest building when it was constructed in 1943.

As demolition continued on K-25, Oak Ridge received an infusion of funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The additional funds allowed EM to advance its demolition schedule by contracting LATA Sharp Remediation Services to remove the second largest building at the site — K-33.

Demolished in 2006, Building K-29 was the first of the five gaseous diffusion buildings to be removed.

Building K-31 was the fourth gaseous diffusion building removed.

LATA Sharp completed K-33’s demolition in 2011. Demolition of the sprawling 1.4-million-square-foot facility was completed five months ahead of schedule, and debris removal was completed three months ahead of schedule. During the nine-month project, workers moved 164,000 tons of steel and concrete, accounting for 13,000 shipments. The contractor also removed the building’s concrete slab, resulting in more than 3,600 shipments totaling 61,300 tons and 125 cubic yards of disposed contaminated soil.

In 2011, Oak Ridge’s EM program awarded a contract to URS|CH2M Oak Ridge (UCOR) to complete the remaining cleanup scope at the East Tennessee Technology Park — K-31, K-27 and a portion of K-25. The ongoing K-25 project presented challenges due to the building’s increasingly contaminated units as demolition progressed along the mile-long facility. By 2013, the demolition was complete.

In 2015, UCOR achieved success again with completion of K-31. The 750,000-square-foot facility, emptied years earlier by BNG, was demolished almost four months ahead of schedule. Focus then shifted to the last building required to accomplish Vision 2016 — K-27.

Building K-33 was the second largest building at East Tennessee Technology Park, with a footprint spanning 1.4 million square feet.

Land once covered by Building K-31 and K-33 has been cleaned and cleared, opening more than 200 acres for private-sector redevelopment.

Crews began tearing down K-27 in February 2016. Demolition of the four-story, 383,000-square-foot building was completed Aug. 30, 2016, signifying the successful completion of Vision 2016. Crews finished demolition four months ahead of schedule, removing one of EM’s highest cleanup priorities due to its contamination levels and deteriorated condition.

“I’m very proud of what our employees were able to accomplish after more than a decade of commitment to this milestone,” said Cange. “The men and women who built and operated these facilities certainly have their place in history with what they accomplished, and today, I think we were able to add another chapter with what our employees achieved.”

East Tennessee Technology Park by the Numbers

Statistics associated with decontaminating, decommissioning and demolishing the five gaseous diffusion buildings at the East Tennessee Technology Park.

Notable figures from the EM program’s cleanup at the East Tennessee Technology Park.

Oak Ridge Looks Ahead to Vision 2020 After K-27 Demolition

A 3-D rendering of the ETTP end-state goal by 2020.

OAK RIDGE, Tenn. – The final pieces of brick and steel crashed to the ground from Building K-27, marking one of the most significant accomplishments in the Oak Ridge EM program’s history. After a decade of demolition, the site became the world’s first to remove all of its uranium enrichment processing buildings.

Despite this monumental achievement, the celebration lasted only moments before workers started taking down another structure to bring them closer to the next big goal — Vision 2020. It’s the Oak Ridge EM program’s goal to complete all cleanup at the East Tennessee Technology Park (ETTP) and transfer the site to the private sector by 2020 for industrial development.

“We are extremely proud of the work, commitment, and dedication our employees exemplified to remove these massive structures and achieve Vision 2016,” said Sue Cange, manager for DOE’s Oak Ridge Office of EM. “But, that is not our ultimate goal, and our employees remain focused on the work ahead so we can successfully accomplish Vision 2020.”

While Vision 2016 opened 300 acres of real estate for redevelopment, Vision 2020 is larger in scale and includes the planned transfer of the entire 2,200-acre ETTP for use as an industrial park to benefit the regional economy.

The Toxic Substances Control Act Incinerator is scheduled for demolition before EM transfers the site in 2020. During its years of operations, it incinerated 35 million pounds of waste.

The Poplar Creek Facilities located at ETTP are among the site’s highest remaining cleanup priorities.

EM has several large cleanup projects to complete before that can happen. Next is the demolition of the Poplar Creek Facilities. These 10 buildings — a major priority as they are ETTP’s most contaminated remaining facilities — were constructed in the 1940s and 1950s to support the site’s nuclear program and operations. EM is currently characterizing and deactivating these buildings to prepare for demolition.

The other major remaining projects involve removing Building K-1037, the former centrifuge research facilities, and Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Incinerator, and addressing the site’s remaining soil and groundwater contamination.

Crews are currently characterizing and deactivating the 380,000-square-foot Building K-1037, which produced the barrier components essential to the gaseous diffusion process. While the building does not contain significant radiological contaminants, a large amount of legacy material and process equipment requires disposal. The barrier technology contained inside is still classified, which presents the largest challenge in cleaning and removing the building.

The TSCA Incinerator played a key role in the treatment of radioactive PCB and hazardous mixed wastes from the Oak Ridge Reservation and more than 20 other sites in DOE’s enterprise. EM safely shut down the facility in 2013 after it incinerated more than 35 million pounds of waste.

Workers are currently decontaminating and decommissioning the facilities that once supported the gaseous diffusion plants at ETTP.

EM’s Oak Ridge program committed to construct a history center and equipment replica building to share the history and accomplishments of the site’s former workers and technology.

EM plans to demolish the former centrifuge research facilities by 2020. Some of the facilities are leased through 2018.

As EM works to clean the ETTP land for reuse by 2020, it will complete historic preservation projects to commemorate the contributions of the men and women who built and operated the Manhattan Project- and Cold War-era complex.

The local EM program signed a memorandum of agreement in August 2012 committing the agency to constructing a history center and recreating a unit of the K-25 Building to teach visitors about the technology and accomplishments that took place there during a pivotal time in the nation’s history. These facilities will be located beside the footprint of the K-25 Building, which is part of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park.

“While we work to complete cleanup, it is not the end of the story for the East Tennessee Technology Park,” said Cange. “Instead our work is enabling a new chapter so the site can once again benefit the community as it did many years ago.”

Former Employee Recalls Presidential Visit to Site

President Jimmy Carter and James Schlesinger, the first U.S. Secretary of Energy, at a meeting in Oak Ridge in 1978.

OAK RIDGE, Tenn. – Jimmy Carter was coming, and there was work to be done.

It was May 18, 1978. In just four days, the 39th U.S. president would arrive at the K-25 site in Oak Ridge, becoming the first — and only — president ever to visit the historic government facility that played a vital role in America’s World War II victory.

Dwight Potter, then a 28-year-old instrument mechanic, and his co-workers were assembled for an urgent task. The president was scheduled to stop at a display cell in Building K-33 that showed how the uranium enrichment process worked.

Unfortunately, the building’s temperature could easily reach 100 degrees due to heat generated by the plant’s gaseous diffusion equipment.

It was just too hot for a presidential visit, but there was a solution.

“In four days, our team built an air conditioned enclosure for the display cell,” Potter said. “A lot of craftsmen worked together to get the job done quickly. I was running wiring for the audio system. As soon as a stretch or wiring was installed, the carpenters would come behind us nailing boards, and the painters were right behind them.”

For extra security, all the entrance doors were welded shut, leaving only one roll-up door open where the President’s limousine could drive into the building.

They finished the job on time, and the problem was solved.

Did Potter see the president?

“I saw him come flying through there in his presidential limousine,” he said. “They were moving fast when they pulled up to Portal 2. (Former U.S. Sen.) Jim Sasser was in the car with him, and they were both waving.”

The president was in the building less than 30 minutes before moving on to the next stop.

“It was a lot of work for a 30-minute visit,” Potter says. “But after that, the display cell was air conditioned and continued to be used for dignitary visits. Later visitors had President Carter to thank for the cool air.”

Two years later, Potter was again involved in a key initiative, this time as K-25 technical and operational specialists devised a $1.5 billion program to increase the productivity of the government’s gaseous diffusion plants. The upgrades involved not only barrier efficiency improvements, but also improvements in converters, compressors and coolers.

Known formally as the Cascade Improvement and Cascade Up-Rating (CIP/CUP) Programs — pronounced by those around the plant as “Sip/Cup” — these efforts successfully increased production and decreased costs at plants in Oak Ridge and Paducah, Ky., finishing ahead of schedule in 1980 and under authorized budget limits.

President Jimmy Carter, center, with Al Gore, at left, who later became vice president, at the K-25 site.

President Jimmy Carter, center, waves, as Al Gore, background, looks on.

Potter, who worked at the Coca Cola Bottling plant in Rockwood and at Roane State Community College before his Oak Ridge career, received instrument mechanic training while working on the job at K-25.

“I went through the K-25 training program onsite,” he recalls. “It was a three-year program. I worked 40 hours a week, and every Wednesday I spent a half day in class. I worked side by side with a senior instrument mechanic who taught me what he knew. Every six months, they moved me to a different building so I would be well-rounded.”

Potter worked in the older enrichment buildings with more primitive pneumatic instruments that operated on air pressure. They were later replaced with state-of-the-art electronic instruments requiring updated training.

“The enrichment process had to be dependable, so we spent a lot of time on routine maintenance,” Potter remembers. “They would take an entire cell off line, and we would have to calibrate every instrument in that cell. It kept us busy.”

In 1985, DOE announced that Oak Ridge gaseous diffusion operations would shut down and be placed in standby after 40 years of operations. Research and development work on the advanced gas centrifuge program would be terminated. Atomic vapor laser isotope separation would become the enrichment process of the future.

“It was a sad day, but we still had work to do,” Potter recalls. “After the shutdown, the company picked guys familiar with the enrichment process to find instrumentation to take to the other gaseous diffusion plants at Portsmouth (Ohio) and Paducah.”

Reflecting on his 35 years at K-25, Potter was quick to say, “It was the best job I ever had.”

It wasn’t the end of the story for the Potter family at the former K-25 site. Potter’s niece is employed by URS | CH2M Oak Ridge (UCOR), the contractor working to clean and transfer the site to enable a new chapter of development and economic opportunity in the region.

Federal Ingenuity Gives Former Uranium Complex New Life

Decades ago, steam billowed from the Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant.

OAK RIDGE, Tenn. – On a summer day in 1990, parking lots sit empty amid a sea of vacant buildings at the Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant. By contrast, the same complex would have bustled years earlier with thousands of workers and humming machinery as steam billowed from the massive structures, a constant reminder of the site’s operations.

The site had helped the U.S. end World War II, win the Cold War and power commercial nuclear reactors. Engineers at the plant also developed technology that enhanced the effectiveness of vaccines through centrifuge research — removing the threat of diseases like polio.

By 1987, what was once one of the nation’s most important assets was shut down, becoming a vacant government complex with no determined future.

For years, Oak Ridge federal officials drove past the signature site and remembered when it was filled with employees and important missions. In 1996, they developed a creative solution — a plan that would be a first in DOE, ushering in a new chapter and returning jobs to the community. DOE’s reindustrialization program was born.

One of the first actions was rebranding the former uranium enrichment complex with a new name — the East Tennessee Technology Park (ETTP). In the next two decades, EM and the reindustrialization programs worked together to remove hundreds of contaminated facilities, clean the land, and transfer infrastructure and acreage to the private sector for redevelopment.

Sue Cange, manager of Oak Ridge’s EM program, holds a unique perspective after working in both programs.

“Our cleanup progress at ETTP is crucial because it has a direct correlation to new growth opportunities for the region,” said Cange. “The two programs advance each other. EM makes land and facilities available for reuse, while the reindustrialization program highlights our successes by reutilizing unneeded assets.”

The East Tennessee Technology Park is home to new renewable energy projects, such as three solar arrays providing nearly 1.8 megawatts of power to the grid.

Newer, renovated facilities that house private-sector companies line the front of the site.

Signage at the entrance of the East Tennessee Technology Park, which will soon be a privately owned and operated industrial park.

The former uranium enrichment site is being transformed to attract private businesses.

Through the reindustrialization program, 13 facilities at the East Tennessee Technology Park are being leased by the private sector.

Through EM’s progress at ETTP, Oak Ridge’s reindustrialization program has been able to transfer roadways, electrical and water systems, fire response, and more than 700 acres to the City of Oak Ridge and Community Reuse Organization of East Tennessee. It has also helped 20 companies locate onsite and welcomed multiple sustainable energy projects. There’s an array of businesses that conduct uranium enrichment research, repair locomotives, manufacture industrial ovens, develop solar energy and sell wood chips, among other things. The newest business addition was a one-megawatt solar array that opened in 2015.

These transfers not only save the government millions of dollars in oversight and maintenance costs annually, but they also provide new opportunities for economic development and job growth in the region. The companies currently located at the site employ about 200 people.

Achieving Vision 2016 — EM’s goal to remove the five massive uranium enrichment facilities at ETTP by 2016 — opens 300 acres of flat, valuable real estate and positions Oak Ridge to attract new levels of industry to the site.

“While we still have numerous cleanup projects remaining at ETTP, reaching this very significant milestone gives us an occasion to pause and reflect about how far we’ve come,” said Cange. “What began as an unconventional idea 20 years ago is coming into fruition, and it is very satisfying to see how EM is helping make that a reality and benefiting the community.”

With Vision 2016 in the books, Oak Ridge’s EM program moves toward Vision 2020. This time, the goal is to complete all cleanup and transfer the entire site to the private sector by 2020 for industrial development.

In years to come, EM hopes that as employees drive past the site, they will once again see a hint of steam on the horizon amid a sea of cars in the parking lot.

Contributors

Mike Butler, Oak Ridge Site

Ginny Manning, Oak Ridge Site

Michael Nartker, EM Headquarters

David Sheeley, EM Headquarters

Ben Williams, Oak Ridge Site

Like EM on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DOEEnvironmentalManagement