EM Update | Vol. 10, Issue 44 | Nov. 6, 2018

• Crews Complete SRS Ash Basin Cleanup Ahead of Schedule, Saving $9 Million
• EM, UCOR Keep Oak Ridge’s Growing Cleanup Workforce Safe
• SRS Makes Progress on 32-Million-Gallon Waste Disposal Unit
• Workers Complete Renovations at Hanford Lab
• West Valley Advances Cleanup With Removal of Pump-and-Treat System
• Employees Participate in Confined Space Training at West Valley

Crews Complete SRS Ash Basin Cleanup Ahead of Schedule, Saving $9 Million

AIKEN, S.C. – EM and the Savannah River Site (SRS) management and operations contractor saved nearly $9 million after consolidating more than 430,000 cubic yards of coal ash and associated soil that workers had excavated from 90 acres of land.

   Crews completed the work more than a year ahead of schedule, resulting in two huge mounds of ash and soil, each with a water-shielding, protective cover in place.

   The majority of the cost savings resulted from use of a low-cost, highly effective geosynthetic material for the mound covers. The same subcontractor was used for both project phases, which meant lower costs to mobilize and demobilize the work sites. The project's early finish also greatly reduced the project cost.

   "Without visiting the remediated site, it's hard to grasp just how big of a project this was," DOE-Savannah River Federal Project Director Karen Adams said. "Working closely with DOE and their primary subcontractor, Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS) has taken what originally appeared to be several large ponds connected by marsh-like areas, and converted it all into grass-covered fields, eliminating environmental hazards from the ash. The contrast between the before-and-after photos is impressive."

   Crews cleaned up basins used to manage ashes from the D-Area Powerhouse, which provided steam and electricity for SRS missions for more than 59 years. SRS shut down the powerhouse in 2012 and launched an innovative technology that burns forest debris, agricultural waste, and scrap lumber to generate steam and power.

   Workers met the goal to safely and cost effectively protect the environment, including the nearby Savannah River, according to SRNS Project Manager Susan Bell.

   "We were pursuing performance excellence and timely completion with this multi-year project, and those goals were not just met, but exceeded," Bell said.

Before-and-after photos of the Savannah River Site ash basin cleanup project. Crews remediated nearly 90 acres of federal property.

   In the five-year project’s first phase, crews consolidated over 130,000 cubic yards of ash and impacted soil into an existing 21-acre ash landfill adjacent to the excavation site, forming the first of two protected areas. SRNS received an award from the Project Management Institute for its work in this phase.

   In the second phase, workers combined almost 300,000 cubic yards of ash, coal fines, and associated soil from two basins and adjacent wetlands into a second protected area. Like the landfill, it was capped with the geosynthetic material and a thick earthen cover consisting of fill dirt and grass-covered topsoil.

   “The geosynthetic, polyethylene-based system used ensures rainwater runs off, eliminating erosion and the possible migration of contaminants to the groundwater,” said Bell.

   Approximately 1.8 million square feet of geosynthetic material, covering approximately 20 acres, was installed over the second area.

   “The key is layers of protection,” Bell added. “Each layer has its own purpose, all working together.”

   The work was challenging from the start due to the removal of about 80 million gallons of water from the original basins before excavation could begin, Bell noted.

   The project resulted from a closure strategy approved by federal and state environmental regulatory agencies, DOE-Savannah River, and SRNS.

-Contributor: DT Townsend

Back to Top

EM, UCOR Keep Oak Ridge’s Growing Cleanup Workforce Safe

A new worker learns about asbestos abatement in a mock-up, which serves as a training ground before beginning work inside the Biology Complex.

OAK RIDGE, Tenn. – As crews near completion of the East Tennessee Technology Park cleanup, the Oak Ridge Office of EM (OREM) is preparing to begin major work at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and Y-12 National Security Complex (Y-12).

   Increased funding has allowed for accelerated cleanup across the site and the creation of 350 new jobs so far this year at Oak Ridge.

   Providing a boost to the local economy, the new workers join teams already removing risk and stabilizing some of the 220 excess contaminated facilities at these research and national security sites.

   OREM and cleanup contractor UCOR are ensuring the new employees are integrated into Oak Ridge’s safety culture.

   “Failure to do so not only jeopardizes the new employee’s safety but can also adversely affect their coworkers,” said Daniel Beckworth, Y-12 cleanup enterprise program manager. “When it comes to environmental cleanup, safety is the number one job requirement.”

EM has completed characterization inside the Biology Complex, preparing it for deactivation.

After asbestos removal and deactivation, EM will demolish the five remaining Biology Complex facilities at the Y-12 National Security Complex.

   UCOR provides new hires safety briefings and training at mock-ups of work sites, and pairs them with experienced employees. At the ORNL operations and cleanup group, experienced leaders talk with new hires about processes and procedures in day-long mentoring sessions. That group recently surpassed 2 million hours without injury resulting in a missed day of work.

   The mock-ups are critical to training employees responsible for deactivating the Biology Complex prior to demolition — Y-12’s biggest cleanup project to date.

   Shut down for nearly 20 years, the deteriorated Biology Complex buildings contain asbestos. New workers are trained in the proper handling and disposition of the substance in a mock-up of an asbestos-laden environment.

   More than 50 new laborers are receiving training at this mock-up, which features vertical and horizontal pipe runs including valves and elbows to simulate field conditions. Foam insulation installed around the pipes simulates asbestos, and workers practice tasks while wearing required personal protective equipment, including respirators.

   After mock-up training is completed using glove bags, experienced asbestos workers will work with the trainees in asbestos abatement.

   The Biology Complex deactivation work is scheduled for completion by summer 2020.

-Contributor: Mike Butler

Back to Top

SRS Makes Progress on 32-Million-Gallon Waste Disposal Unit

AIKEN, S.C. – Construction of a second large-scale saltstone disposal unit (SDU) at the Savannah River Site (SRS) is progressing safely and on schedule.

   SDU 7 will be the second of seven mega-volume SDUs to be built at SRS and is designed to hold 32 million gallons of waste.

   DOE-Savannah River SDU 7 Federal Project Director Shayne Farrell said the structures are key to the SRS cleanup.

   “SDUs provide safe, permanent storage for low-activity waste and underscore the Department of Energy's commitment to closing the high-level waste tanks at SRS,” said Farrell.

   The units are designed to contain low-activity waste produced from solidification of decontaminated non-hazardous salt waste, known as decontaminated salt solution. The solution solidifies inside the unit for safe, permanent disposal. SDU 7 will accommodate the larger stream of solution from the Salt Waste Processing Facility, currently undergoing testing and commissioning.

   In late October, crews finished installing the leakage detection system. It’s comprised of a clay liner and high-density plastic liner sandwiched between two concrete layers called mud mats. Those mats provide a solid surface for the SDU concrete floor. Both the lower and upper mud mats are complete.

   An automated operation — called a screed machine — was used to place the cement mud mats, saving time and money. The machine screeds, or levels, the poured concrete with laser precision. From a safety perspective, using the machine means fewer people interfacing with heavy equipment in the area.

   The screed machine requires a crew of eight, including the machine operator, rather than a 24-person crew to complete the labor-intensive task. Machine-screeding can complete up to 10,000 square feet per hour versus about 1,500 square feet per hour by traditional hand-screeding.

   Excavation was completed this summer for SDU 7’s foundational footprint. More than 170,000 cubic yards of soil was relocated in about two months using eight off-road dump trucks in 6,700 round trips to a nearby stockpile. A locally owned, small-business subcontractor — BK All American Company — completed the excavation with more than 20,000 hours of safe work.

   Savannah River Remediation (SRR) President and Project Manager Tom Foster said SDU 7, like its sister unit SDU 6, will be integral to the site’s liquid waste mission. SRR is the site's liquid waste contractor.

   “The SDU 7 work completed so far has been significant in preparing the liquid waste program for the arrival of Salt Waste Processing Facility operations,” Foster said. “I am proud the team has put safety first during this process because when we put safety first, operational excellence follows.”

   The same subcontractor that constructed the SDU 6 cell will build the SDU 7 cell, beginning later this year.

   SDU 6, the first mega-volume SDU at SRS, was completed last year and received its first transfer of decontaminated salt solution in August 2018. SDU 6 earned EM Project of the Year and the 2018 DOE Project Management Excellence Award.

-Contributor: Colleen Hart

Back to Top

Workers Complete Renovations at Hanford Lab

RICHLAND, Wash. – EM’s Office of River Protection (ORP) and tank farms contractor Washington River Protection Solutions (WRPS) recently renovated portions of the Hanford Site’s 222-S Laboratory, installing a more energy efficient heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system, and upgrading a lab room and equipment.

   The 70,000-square-foot full-service analytical facility handles radioactive samples in support of the Hanford cleanup.

   “The 222-S Lab provides critical support for the Hanford tank waste retrieval and treatment mission,” said Jeff Cheadle, ORP’s 222-S program manager. “The recent renovations will help ensure that this facility continues to operate safely and efficiently in the years ahead.”

Before-and-after photos of the remodel of a 222-S Laboratory room, which included installation of new walls and floors, vent hoods, gas piping, and other equipment.

Workers installed new motors to increase the efficiency of the facility’s heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system.

   Crews installed the HVAC system with simplified ductwork and improved flow control. They added new motors and upgraded fans to support the supply and exhaust sides of the system and for increased efficiency.

   In the laboratory room overhaul, workers put in new walls and floors, vent hoods, gas piping, and other equipment. The project was part of an effort to renovate individual lab rooms as funding is available.

   Planning is underway for other 222-S Laboratory improvements, such as fire system upgrades and a new cold laboratory for non-radioactive samples and analytical methods development.

-Contributor: Hal McCune

Back to Top

West Valley Advances Cleanup With Removal of Pump-and-Treat System

Crews pour grout into the well pump casing to stabilize it before pulling out the well pump.

WEST VALLEY, N.Y. – Workers recently removed a former pump-and-treat system at EM’s West Valley Demonstration Project (WVDP) site, allowing for continued cleanup progress.

   “The WVDP team continues to make steady and meaningful progress on reducing the environmental legacy risks and footprint of the site in a safe and compliant manner,” EM WVDP Director Bryan Bower said. “Our crews did an excellent job in their planning and safe execution of this demolition work.”

   Joe Ebert, a manager with CH2M HILL BWXT West Valley, EM’s WVDP cleanup contractor, commended the work crews.

   “Our team continues to use their expertise, knowledge, and lessons learned to safely perform onsite demolition in an environmentally conscious manner,” Ebert said.

Workers prepare to remove a well pump from a former pump-and-treat system at EM’s West Valley Demonstration Project site.

A backhoe is used to pull the well pump and casing from the ground after workers stabilized the casing with grout.

   Workers began the pump-and-treat system demolition last month. They used a backhoe to pull the well pump from the ground. Crews filled the pump’s well casing with grout to stabilize it. Using the backhoe, they lifted the well pump and its casing from the ground, allowing the grout to fill the void left by the entire pump assembly.

   The treatment system was installed to mitigate the groundwater plume that originated from historical releases at the site’s Main Plant Process Building. A permeable treatment wall has since replaced that system. The wall is an approximately 850-foot-long trench that contains nearly 2,000 metric tons of zeolite, a naturally occurring mineral formed from volcanic ash. The zeolite strips the contaminant strontium-90 from the groundwater passing through the wall.

-Contributor: Joseph Pillittere

Back to Top

Employees Participate in Confined Space Training at West Valley

WEST VALLEY, N.Y. – Emergency response personnel at EM’s West Valley Demonstration Project site trained employees on confined space rescue last week. The training was developed to prepare for an upcoming internal inspection of the site’s fire water tank. Divers will conduct underwater ultrasonic inspections of the tank’s wall and bottom to check for degradation. Employees practiced rescues using a 185-pound mannequin and a platform comparable in height to the tank. While the divers have their own rescue plan, they trained WVDP employees as an added level of safety.

Back to Top

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