Savannah River Site Team’s ‘Extraordinary Work’ Leads to DOE Excellence Award; Moab Project Celebrates Milestone: 13 Million Tons of Tailings Disposed; and much more!

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EM Update | Vol. 14, Issue 44 | Nov. 8, 2022

SRS Team’s ‘Extraordinary Work’ Leads to DOE Excellence Award
Moab Project Celebrates Milestone: 13 Million Tons of Tailings Disposed
In Podcast, Employees Discuss How EM Opens Doors for Veterans
Daffron Uses Engineering to Improve Lives, Assist With Oak Ridge Cleanup
Hanford Site Groundwater Program Continues to Build on Cleanup Progress
Oak Ridge Crews Demolish First Reactor in ORNL’s Central Campus
Student Says EM MSIPP Has ‘Done Wonders’ to His Academic, Professional Life
Idaho Site Contractor Instrumental in Establishing Training Center
Innovative Well Closure at SRS Leads to $900,000 in Taxpayer Savings
Progress Upgrading Hanford Facilities to Support Tank Waste Treatment
PPPO Sites Conclude 2022 Public Tours With Extensive Public Interest

SRS Team’s ‘Extraordinary Work’ Leads to DOE Excellence Award

An EM team at the Savannah River Site has been honored with DOE's Project Management Excellence Award for successfully delivering the Saltstone Disposal Unit 7, pictured here, eight months ahead of schedule and $32 million under budget.

DOE recognized an EM team at the Savannah River Site (SRS) with its prestigious Project Management Excellence Award last week for successfully delivering a repository for radioactive grout eight months ahead of schedule and $32 million under budget, despite a lengthy work pause due to the pandemic.

According to an award citation signed by Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, the Saltstone Disposal Unit (SDU) 7 provides critical support to the liquid waste organization’s vision to manage and safely process radioactive waste. The $159 million project delivered 33 million gallons of long-term storage for grout waste produced in the site’s Saltstone Production Facility (SPF) and allowed the site to meet its timelines for the disposition of decontaminated salt solution processed at the Salt Waste Processing Facility.

EM Senior Advisor William “Ike” White praised the SDU 7 team for its extraordinary work during an award presentation at the EM Project and Contract Management Workshop in Cincinnati, Ohio, last week. Participants in the workshop discussed new policies, initiatives and lessons learned in project and contract management activities.

“By taking a proactive approach to schedule management and working activities in parallel, the SDU 7 team was able to successfully mitigate the impacts of the COVID pandemic,” White said. “Through effective leadership, and risk management the team was able to bring this project in ahead of schedule, under budget — and perhaps even most importantly — without a single recordable safety event or issue.”

An aerial view of the Saltstone Disposal Unit 7 at the Savannah River Site.

Each year, DOE recognizes various projects that have demonstrated excellence in project management. The Secretary's Excellence Award is presented to a project team that achieves “exceptional results” in completing a project within cost and schedule.

The SDU 7 team incorporated lessons learned into planning and execution phases from previously constructed units, including small SDUs and the first mega-volume unit, SDU 6, according to documents on the award nomination for the SDU 7 team. These improvements resulted in an increased capacity of more than 750,000 gallons and reduced the cost of SDU 7 by more than $10 million compared with the cost of SDU 6.

“All of this work paves the way for continued success with the SDU program, which just marked completion of concrete placements on the fourth mega-volume unit,” White said.

The head of EM gave special thanks to former SDU Federal Project Director Shayne Farrell, who participated in the award presentation. Farrell retired from federal service in May.

White also asked all team members attending the workshop to stand for applause.

"Congratulations guys," White added.

SDU 7 is the second mega-volume SDU. The mega-volume units are designed to contain 10 times the amount of waste than the smaller SDUs. The units are expected to generate over $500 million in lifecycle savings due to economies of scale requiring less infrastructure and materials to design and build.

Constructed from over 13,000 cubic yards of concrete, SDU 7 is 375 feet in diameter and 43 feet in height, wrapped with seven layers of wire cable 341 miles long. The tank walls are designed to expand outward as the tanks are filled, and the wire strand ensures the structural integrity of the cell wall is maintained while waste is added. The floor and roof are 12-inch-thick reinforced concrete. The roof is supported by 208 interior columns.

Charles (Chuck) Comeau, the federal project director for the SDU construction program, concluded the award presentation, expressing appreciation to Farrell.

“I just appreciated all the mentoring that Shayne did that helped me get where I am,” Comeau said. “He set us up for success. I look forward to the future and leading these last five SDUs. We’re doing well. Thank you.”

-Contributor: David Sheeley

Moab Project Celebrates Milestone: 13 Million Tons of Tailings Disposed

This sealed steel container of uranium mill tailings brought the Moab Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action Project's cumulative total to 13 million tons of the material removed from the Moab Site for disposal at the Crescent Junction, Utah, disposal cell. Moab Project Laborer Alfredo Tellez is pictured holding a banner marking the achievement.

MOAB, Utah – EM’s Moab Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action (UMTRA) Project recently accomplished an EM 2022 priority by successfully relocating another million tons of uranium mill tailings away from the Colorado River, bringing the cumulative total to 13 million tons permanently disposed.

“Congratulations to the Moab UMTRA team for accomplishing this major milestone and advancing EM’s cleanup and closure efforts. I would like to sincerely thank our dedicated team, the Moab community, agency partners and the Moab Project’s supportive stakeholders. Each played a role in this progress,” said Acting Federal Cleanup Director Matthew Udovitsch. “The cleanup continues to move at an accelerated pace, and we’re already moving towards the next million ton goal and another successful year of safe removal.”

Mechanic Michael Brandenburg is a member of the crew that helped the Moab Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action Project achieve the milestone of relocating 13 million tons of uranium mill tailings to the Crescent Junction, Utah, disposal cell.

The Moab Project, which began in 2009, is charged with moving an estimated 16 million tons of contaminated soil and debris to an engineered disposal cell in Crescent Junction, Utah, 30 miles north of the Moab Site. The material resulted from legacy uranium milling operations.

As the Moab Project nears completion, local, state and federal stakeholders are planning for the site’s future after remediation is complete.

-Contributor: Stephanie Shewmon

In Podcast, Employees Discuss How EM Opens Doors for Veterans

Click here to access the special Veterans Day episode of the “Gone Fission Nuclear Report Podcast.”

Veterans Day is a time of reflection for the many who fought to protect the country. A time to remember the forgotten veterans.

Especially hard hit were Vietnam War veterans, including Michael Butler, host of the “Gone Fission Nuclear Report Podcast” covering EM topics, who described the lack of homecoming and accolades returning from the war in a Veterans Day podcast on Nov. 7.

The transition to civilian life can be full of challenges. But at EM, there are many opportunities for veterans to do meaningful and purposeful work in their new life, according to the podcast’s three special guests from EM. Click here to see EM Update’s salute to EM veterans around the complex.

Veterans make up about a quarter of EM’s federal workforce, and nearly 12% of its contractor workforce, according to the latest figures available.

Dameone Ferguson, EM’s Diversity Program manager.

Dameone Ferguson, EM’s Diversity Program manager, described EM as a great fit, and that military men and women have also become brand ambassadors for the cleanup program.

“No greater place to serve and be of service than the EM organization,” he said. “It allows for us to build community. They [Veterans] already understand the dynamics of community by working to accomplish mutual goals or missions together.”

EM is a safe space to share commonalities and differences, Ferguson said.

“Community is something you’ll continue to hear from me because it is so essential in how we deal with our working environments. Community is the way we allow individuals where they are in their journeys, in terms of equity, diversity and inclusion, to always have a place to continue to advance,” he said.

The other two EM employees who were guests on the episode are veterans: Junita Turner, director of EM’s Office of Workforce Management, and Lee Tucker, an EM Public Affairs officer. Although their paths of service contrast, they shared how lessons learned in military apply to their civilian jobs and bring a sense of belonging and purpose to their work.

Junita Turner, director of EM’s Office of Workforce Management.

Turner, a retired Navy veteran of 22 years, said she started out as a Navy deck seaman in Connecticut and rose up the ranks to Navy yeoman and eventually direct commission officer. She interacted and learned from Pentagon officials and observed how leaders take charge and make decisions.

Turner was determined to pursue leadership roles. She worked on her master’s degree at night while on active duty during the day. Her leadership training helped her take ownership of decisions and stand in her own truth as an EM leader.

Her work ethics propelled her career forward.

“I started in deck — and the deck was all females. In the 1990s, most of the captains were men. They were all welcoming and most of them wrote my recommendations,” she said. “If you were a hard worker, they were going to stand behind you. It didn’t matter what race you were, what color you were. They were going to stand behind you because of your work ethics.”

Integrity is built into veterans, Turner emphasized. Coming into EM, she saw those same shared values.

Tucker, an Air Force veteran of 16 years, agreed.

“We’re taught a wide range of skills — in addition to our primary jobs — that give us a very full background,” Tucker said. “I think that combined with the integrity and the discipline, a wide range of skills really sets up an individual for success.”

Lee Tucker, EM Public Affairs officer, with his wife, Raquel.

Tucker wanted a career in television but was dissatisfied with the training and schooling at the university level. An article about the Defense Information School and how they trained broadcasting professionals sparked his curiosity.

“I wouldn’t be here today without the training and skillsets provided by my military service,” he said.

Ferguson also learned military lessons while developing employee resource group communities and a framework for the U.S. Coast Guard.

“It allowed for the Coast Guard to utilize its employees as a resource, to not only attract the next generation of talent but to retain that talent through mentorship, through job assignments, through shadowing assignments, and details, and ultimately it allowed for individuals to continue their career progression all the way through the executive ranks,” he said.

He added: “You have to create a supportive unit and an environment that allows individuals to be able to tap and plug into those opportunities.”

The podcast guests said EM is looking to hire veterans for technical and business administration roles.

“Come on over to EM,” Turner said. “We would love to have you.”

Click here to see EM Update’s salute to other EM veterans around the complex.

-Contributor: Kim Kweder

Daffron Uses Engineering to Improve Lives, Assist With Oak Ridge Cleanup

One of Jim Daffron’s top experiences in the military was serving as a senior engineer planner in Baghdad, Iraq to help repair infrastructure, restore essential services and improve living conditions for the citizens there.

Jim Daffron, a 30-year Army veteran, traveled to Central America to help those hit by Hurricane Mitch and helped war-torn Iraq recover critical infrastructure. His passion for mechanical and environmental engineering has translated into a leadership position at EM’s Oak Ridge Site. He values his experiences in teamwork, problem-solving and mission accomplishments both in the military and at EM. Click here to see EM Update’s salute to other EM veterans around the complex.

What do you do at EM?

I am a senior project manager with DOE’s Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management (OREM), currently assigned as the deputy federal project director of the Outfall-200 Mercury Treatment Facility construction project at the Y-12 National Security Complex.

What branch did you serve in? When and what station?

I served in the U.S. Army as an engineer officer for 30 years. Much of that time was spent in the U.S. Army Reserves with assignments in Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi. During my career, I also had the opportunity for temporary duty assignments and deployments in seven countries. I retired in 2020 while assigned to the 412th Engineer Command in Vicksburg, Mississippi.

Most memorable event/moment during your service?

I have many great memories from my time in service. One of the most rewarding opportunities was a deployment to Central America as part of a humanitarian response to Hurricane Mitch. During my time there, I planned and oversaw engineering missions to build clinics and schools and repair roads in hard-hit areas. It was special to be part of the U.S. government’s effort to provide relief that was so greatly needed and appreciated by those impacted by the hurricane.

Another top experience was serving as a senior engineer planner in Baghdad, Iraq to help repair infrastructure and restore essential services, including electricity, water, sewer and waste disposal. I enjoyed working with Iraqi engineers and ministry officials in the newly formed government to assess conditions and develop solutions to complex technical, social and political challenges in order to improve living conditions for the citizens there.

How has your military service helped prepare you for the job you do in EM?

The military provided many opportunities to work with and lead diverse organizations tasked with solving complex problems, often in high-risk, stressful environments. The commitment to teamwork, problem-solving and completing missions — expected in the military — is an equally important part of the OREM culture. My previous experience helped prepare me to contribute with OREM as part of diverse teams as we work to successfully address unique, complex challenges associated with environmental remediation projects and addressing aging, contaminated Manhattan Project and Cold War era facilities.

When did you begin working for EM and what got you interested in the cleanup mission?

I joined OREM in 2015. Growing up in east Tennessee, I’ve long appreciated the importance of DOE’s missions in the area and to national security. EM allows me to pair my background in mechanical and environmental engineering with my experience in the energy management and environmental cleanup. The environmental cleanup happening in Oak Ridge is unique because it’s not only helping protect the community, it’s also helping advance DOE’s important research and national security missions and create new economic development opportunities. I’m proud to be part of an organization making such a meaningful impact to the community and the nation.

Click here to see EM Update’s salute to other EM veterans around the complex.

Hanford Site Groundwater Program Continues to Build on Cleanup Progress

EM Richland Operations Office contractor Central Plateau Cleanup Company recently received groundwater treatment units for installation at the 200 West Pump and Treat Facility on the Hanford Site. The units are part of an upgraded system that will expand capacity for the largest of Hanford’s six groundwater treatment plants.

RICHLAND, Wash. – Another year, another 2 billion gallons of contaminated groundwater treated. It’s a repeat of last-year’s statistics, but a new chapter that illustrates continuous, consistent cleanup progress at the Hanford Site year after year.

The fiscal year that ended Sept. 30 marked eight consecutive years of topping the 2 billion-gallon mark, as the site continues to reduce risk to the Columbia River. The year’s treatment reached 2.34 billion gallons, bringing the site’s total to over 30 billion gallons treated, with nearly 700 tons of radiological and chemical contaminants removed since the groundwater treatment program began in the 1990s.

“Hanford’s groundwater program is one of the biggest success stories in our ongoing cleanup mission,” said Mike Cline, EM Richland Operations Office (RL) project director for soil and groundwater cleanup at Hanford. “But the job is not finished. We are continually seeking more efficient and cost-effective solutions to improve our systems. Protecting the Columbia River continues to drive our treatment efforts today just as it did when groundwater cleanup operations began more than 25 years ago.”

Malcom Chunn with EM Richland Operations Office contractor Central Plateau Cleanup Company’s field sampling group collects and packages a sample for testing at the 200 West Pump and Treat Facility on the Hanford Site.

RL contractor Central Plateau Cleanup Company (CPCCo) operates five pump-and-treat systems along the Columbia River and one near the center of the Hanford Site. These systems remove radioactive and chemical contaminants from groundwater in areas where contaminated liquids were disposed in open pits near facilities that separated plutonium from fission products from the 1940s through the 1980s.

These advanced treatment facilities are just part of Hanford’s comprehensive program to target and shrink plumes — or areas of groundwater contamination — across the 580-square-mile site.

Near Hanford’s former K East Reactor, an innovative soil flushing system installed earlier this year on a half-acre area is accelerating the removal of hexavalent chromium, a hazardous chemical once used to inhibit corrosion in Hanford’s reactors. During operations, some of the chromium was spilled or leaked to the soil. Nearby groundwater treatment facilities have reduced the area of chromium contamination by more than 75% since 2010, but some contamination remains in the soil above the water table, making it difficult to remove.

An innovative new treatment system called soil flushing is speeding up the removal of contamination near the Columbia River.

The new system works by pushing up to 225 gallons per minute of clean water through the soil to force — or flush — chromium contamination in the soil to the groundwater, where it can be more easily moved through a network of existing wells to a nearby treatment facility, accelerating the cleanup process.

CPCCo’s field sampling group also plays a critical role in the success of the groundwater cleanup effort. Each year field crews log thousands of miles collecting more than 20,000 samples of soil and groundwater from hundreds of strategically placed monitoring wells. The samples are shipped to an offsite laboratory for analysis.

Detailed data gleaned from analyzing the samples helps gauge the performance of ongoing remediation efforts and supports decision-making to drive efficient, cost-effective cleanup approaches.

Work is also underway to expand capacity of the 200 West Pump and Treat Facility, Hanford’s largest groundwater treatment plant, by 50%. The expansion will increase the amount of water treated in the central part of the Hanford Site from 2,500 to 3,750 gallons a minute, potentially shortening the time required to meet cleanup goals and saving money.

“Hanford groundwater cleanup is more of a marathon than a sprint,” said Mark Cherry, CPCCo soil and groundwater program director. “While our experienced and innovative team is proud of the progress we’ve made, we’re also committed to building on that success.”

-Contributor: Dieter Bohrmann

Oak Ridge Crews Demolish First Reactor in ORNL’s Central Campus

The beginning, middle and end: An aerial look at the progress of the teardown of the Bulk Shielding Reactor in the central campus of Oak Ridge National Laboratory from start to finish. EM Oak Ridge crews have safely completed the demolition ahead of schedule, reducing risks at the laboratory and opening land for reuse at the site.

OAK RIDGE, Tenn. – EM recently completed the first-ever demolition of a reactor in the central campus area at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL).

Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management (OREM) cleanup contractor UCOR has safely taken down the Bulk Shielding Reactor, also known as Building 3010.

“I’m proud of the pace of progress our crews achieved since demolition began in September,” said Nathan Felosi, ORNL portfolio federal project director for OREM. “Removing Building 3010 is a significant accomplishment for our program because it kicks off our efforts to start eliminating aging reactor facilities located in the heart of ORNL.”

The Bulk Shielding Reactor complex was built in the 1950s for radiation shielding studies as part of the federal Aircraft Nuclear Propulsion Program. It included a 27-foot-deep reactor pool filled with water to shield the radioactive components contained in the pool. Its mission changed to a general-purpose research reactor in 1963 and was shut down permanently in 1991.

“This major milestone in UCOR’s cleanup history took place because of the skill and dedication of our craft workforce and our dedicated support groups who ensure our craft have the programs, procedures and tools in place to safely accomplish their mission,” said Dan Macias, UCOR’s site integration and cleanup manager.

Work continues at the reactor site to finish reducing the size of debris from the teardown and haul debris to a disposal facility. Workers will complete packaging and disposal of the 250 truckloads of waste and debris generated by this project by the end of November.

One of the most important pre-demolition activities involved removing and disposing irradiated components from the reactor pool. After those tasks, workers drained the 130,000 gallons of the water from the pool and sent it to an onsite treatment facility. Then the pool area was decontaminated and filled with a concrete mixture to close it.

In addition to stabilizing the reactor pool, workers removed asbestos and other waste from the facility.

The Bulk Shielding Reactor was one of more than a dozen research reactors constructed at ORNL over multiple decades. Each contributed to ORNL’s reputation as a world leader in cutting-edge nuclear research and development. The facility was one of 16 inactive research reactors and isotope facilities EM is addressing at ORNL.

Crews are continuing deactivation and demolition preparations at the adjacent Low Intensity Test Reactor and Oak Ridge Research Reactor. Both are slated for near-term demolition, further transforming ORNL, reducing risks and clearing land for expanding research missions at the site.

-Contributor: Carol Hendrycks

Student Says EM MSIPP Has ‘Done Wonders’ to His Academic, Professional Life

Suraj Venkat Pochampally is a doctoral student and graduate research assistant in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. In March 2019, Pochampally joined the EM Minority Serving Institutions Partnership Program (MSIPP), where he worked on technologies to detect and inspect nuclear environments, as well as another project on water remediation. In this Q&A with EM Update, Pochampally reflects on how the EM MSIPP has shaped his career goals to work on solutions to wastewater and groundwater contamination problems.

How did you learn about the EM MSIPP?

I first started working on the EM MSIPP project in March 2019, when my advisor, Dr. Jaeyun Moon, asked me to work on a collaboration project with another materials lab supervised by Dr. Kwang Kim. I was excited when I read the description of the project that focused on fabricating a flexible robotic platform for detection and inspection in nuclear environments. Working on that project, I gained knowledge about nuclear environments and the wide range of problems associated with them.

In January 2020, I started working on another EM MSIPP project: a water remediation project supervised by Dr. Moon and Dr. Erica Marti titled “Green and Cost-effective Remediation of Organic Contaminants in Subsurface Environments; Production and Modification of Biochar from Local Feedstocks, Pilot-scale testing with Enhanced and Massively-produced biochar.” This project dealt with the treatment of trichloroethylene (TCE) and tetrachloroethylene (PCE) from groundwater in collaboration with the Savannah River National Laboratory. Soon, I was the lead Ph.D. student for this project, working with a diverse group of students, and that gave me a lot of exposure to develop myself into a skilled researcher.

How is EM MSIPP helping you work on your career goals?

Working in the EM MSIPP has done wonders for my professional and academic life. By working on this project, I have had the opportunity to interact and mentor various researchers and students, improve my research and engineering skills, attend various conferences to learn about groundbreaking research that is being conducted by various skilled researchers around the world and network with several academic and industry professionals.

By working on the EM MSIPP-funded project on organic contaminant remediation, I have gained a lot of knowledge and experience on carbon adsorbents and water treatment, and I would like to use this knowledge to work on the wastewater and groundwater contamination problems in the environment after I finish my Ph.D. By working on this project, I have also had the opportunity to work on authoring two manuscripts that I plan to publish in high-impact factor journals. I am working on the final review for the first manuscript and I am on track to submit it to a journal this month. My colleagues and I are almost finished with the second manuscript and should publish it by the end of this year.

Suraj Venkat Pochampally, a doctoral student and graduate research assistant in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

What do you enjoy most about EM MSIPP?

I loved working with a diverse group of students as part of the research group. I have had the opportunity to mentor 10 students over the three years that I have been a part of the EM MSIPP research project. That experience has not only improved my mentorship abilities but also improved my ability to understand students and their problems. I also loved being a part of the EM MSIPP first annual Competitive Research Award Workshop held in Augusta, Georgia in August 2022, and had the opportunity to meet the people who made this program possible.

What goals have you set for yourself after graduation? What do you hope to do?

I plan to graduate with my Ph.D. in mechanical engineering soon and I would like to continue being associated with DOE and its programs. That would only be possible if I work as a post-doctoral scholar at one of the national labs. There are many DOE research labs in the U.S., like Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Savannah River National Laboratory, that are equipped to conduct groundbreaking research in material sciences, and I would absolutely love to work in one of those labs as a postdoctoral scholar.

I am putting all my efforts into becoming a skilled researcher and I believe that I have a suitable educational background, gained from my research experience working in the EM MSIPP for the past three years, to accomplish my goals. I hope that the connections I made in the past three years while working on the EM MSIPP project will help me greatly in achieving this.

Anything you’d like to add about EM MSIPP? Final thoughts?

I would like to thank everyone related to the EM MSIPP that made it possible, and I hope to be a part of the program even after I graduate. I would like to add that it would be an even greater help if EM MSIPP could start offering internship or fellowship opportunities to international graduate students in the program, where the students can visit and work in one of the national labs and learn about the research going on there and the work culture. This will make it easier for them to continue in the EM MSIPP project even after they graduate, in the form of post-doctorates and full-time jobs.

Idaho Site Contractor Instrumental in Establishing Training Center

Community leaders and many others turned out for a ribbon-cutting ceremony recently for the workforce training center in Idaho Falls, Idaho. EM contractor Idaho Environmental Coalition helped to spearhead the effort to provide a workforce training center to train workers for a variety of job skills needed by regional employers. Photo courtesy of East Idaho News.

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho – An EM contractor at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) Site recently carried out a plan to create a pipeline of skilled employees to help meet the needs of the cleanup program but also benefit private industries in the area.

Contractor Idaho Environmental Coalition (IEC) was instrumental in establishing a workforce training center to cater to the health care, agriculture, manufacturing, construction and public safety industries in Bonneville County and surrounding areas. Through the center, prospective employers will sponsor students as they learn skills needed by the employers. In exchange for the sponsorship, students will commit to work for their sponsors for a prescribed time.

IEC Strategic Initiatives Director Dana Kirkham said the center, which celebrated its opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony in September, will provide specific skills to students, making them marketable in certain industries upon program completion.

“This will bridge the gap for students who graduate from high school and want a quick, viable career path,” she said.

Kirkham said both school districts in Idaho Falls expressed interest in the center because it benefits vocational-technical students who don’t want to attend a college or university after graduation. In addition, the center will be used by industry to provide upskill training to their existing employees. Between new employee training and enhancing the skills of the existing workforce, the center is anticipated to be well utilized.

Idaho is currently one of the fastest-growing states in the country. An influx of new residents has put additional strains on industries in eastern Idaho struggling to fill hundreds of available positions.

IEC partnered with an eastern Idaho community college to train radiological control technicians for INL Site jobs. That ongoing program has been extremely beneficial to both the company and graduating students.

“Our partnership with the local community college has proven that as an employer, you get the greatest benefit when you invest in the training of your future employees,” Kirkham said. “The workforce training center will operate with the same mindset.”

She said the workforce training center will benefit not just IEC but many employers in eastern Idaho who need, for example, building framers, trained hospital staff and skilled farm employees.

Bonneville County donated an existing building for the workforce training center. Complete with a board of directors and partners, the center is in business and looking forward to its first wave of graduates next year.

-Contributor: Erik Simpson

Innovative Well Closure at SRS Leads to $900,000 in Taxpayer Savings

Using an innovative metal piercing device and cement-like grout, Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS) saved about $900,000 in a project that safely closed a 70-year-old well at the Savannah River Site. Karen Adams, third from right, DOE-Savannah River federal project director, discusses progress on the project with Allen Henderson, far right, SRNS subcontract technical representative and Joao Cardoso-Neto, SRNS project manager, Area Completion Projects.

AIKEN, S.C. – EM crews employed a unique solution to safely close a 70-year-old well at the Savannah River Site (SRS), saving about $900,000.

Employees with EM contractor Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS) conducted research to find an alternative approach for the closure of the 600-foot-deep, large-diameter well. The solution they found costs much less than the traditional approach, which risks harm to the environment.

“Conventional methods would have involved drilling out the well and grouting the entire borehole, which would have been extremely expensive and could have potentially contaminated an aquifer that the well tapped deep beneath SRS,” said Joao Cardoso-Neto, project manager, SRNS Area Completion Projects. “Instead, research revealed that a special tool could perforate the well’s carbon-steel casing, allowing cement-like grout to be forced through multiple openings under pressure.”

The tool punches vertical slots through the casing wall at a targeted depth. This is accomplished when 3,000 to 4,000 pounds of force pulls up a metal rod, driving a thick steel blade on the rod through the pipe.

The production well was installed during construction of the Savannah River Plant, now called Savannah River Site. Eventually, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) started using the well to collect data related to groundwater levels in the site’s M Area. It was one of several unusually deep wells drilled across the 310-square-mile nuclear reservation in the early 1950s.

The USGS is the nation's largest civilian mapping and water, earth and biological science agency. It collects, monitors and analyzes natural resource conditions, issues and problems, and provides scientific understanding of them.

Proposals were solicited from multiple firms on the best way to close the large, deep well, whose design does not comply with current environmental protection standards. SRNS protégé small business CTI and Associates and its subcontractor developed an innovative closure plan involving the special tool. The team provided the equipment needed to perforate the well and grout it using a pressurized system to ensure a contiguous column of grout through the entire well. Approximately 4,500 gallons of grout were required to complete the task.

“Wells of this type can be found across the Department of Energy complex at multiple sites,” said Karen Adams, DOE-Savannah River federal project director. “Our desire is to pioneer and share this technology and highly efficient approach to closing archaic wells that are not environmentally sound. Working closely with SRNS Area Completion Projects personnel, CTI has helped ensure the environmental protection of this portion of the site per South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control requirements.”

-Contributor: DT Townsend

Progress Upgrading Hanford Facilities to Support Tank Waste Treatment

A tanker unloads at a backup load-in station at the Effluent Treatment Facility on the Hanford Site. Driver Nick Bass delivers 6,200 gallons of leachate collected from a mixed-waste burial trench.

RICHLAND, Wash. – EM Office of River Protection (ORP) tank operations contractor Washington River Protection Solutions (WRPS) recently completed construction of a backup load-in station at the Effluent Treatment Facility (ETF) — another step in preparing for tank waste treatment on the Hanford Site.

Watch a time-lapse video of the backup load-in station construction here.

“We broke ground on the backup facility about a year ago,” said Rob Wood, WRPS project manager. “I am proud of the team for completing this portion of the load-in expansion project and doing it safely. In phase two, expansion of the main load-in station will prepare us for 24/7 operations on the Hanford Site.”

The backup facility is handling waste transfers from across the site while crews work to expand the main wastewater load-in station at the ETF. Last month, the first tanker unloaded 6,200 gallons of low-level leachate at the backup facility. Leachate is water from rain, snowmelt and dust suppression activities.

Click here to watch a time-lapse video of the first tanker truck at the new backup facility unloading low-level leachate collected from a mixed-waste burial trench.

The backup load-in station at the Effluent Treatment Facility will handle liquid waste transfers from across the Hanford Site while the main load-in station undergoes major renovations and expansion to support tank waste treatment operations.

With the backup facility in operation, demolition has begun on the main load-in station interior. The building will also be extended 30 feet to allow tanker trucks to fit completely inside, and a new unloading platform will be constructed, allowing the drivers to better communicate with the facility operators. Modifications will also enable an additional tanker to prepare for unloading while another tanker is being emptied, which will nearly double the building’s capacity.

“Expanding the load-in station is a key part of our Direct-Feed Low-Activity Waste Program for treating tank waste,” said Bibek Tamang, ORP’s ETF program manager. “This backup facility is phase one of construction and will carry us through the next six months of construction on the new facility.”

During tank waste treatment operations, additional leachate will be processed at the ETF. The leachate will be collected and sent from the site’s Integrated Disposal Facility. Approximately 1.2 million gallons of leachate per year is expected to be sent to the ETF during the operations.

-Contributor: Joan Lucas

PPPO Sites Conclude 2022 Public Tours With Extensive Public Interest

X-326 Process Building Demolition Project Director Mike Furner, right, talks to a tour group in July about progress being made on cleanup efforts at the former Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – EM’s Portsmouth/Paducah Project Office (PPPO) sites in Portsmouth, Ohio and Paducah, Kentucky recently wrapped up their 2022 public tour campaigns, which garnered high interest from the public.

The Portsmouth Site offered four tours with a total of 82 visitors while the Paducah Site hosted just over 100 people during a total of three separate tours.

The tours were relaunched on July 16 for the Portsmouth Site and Aug. 27 for the Paducah Site after coronavirus restrictions paused the 2020 and 2021 tour schedule.

With nearly a two-year pause on public tours, the PPPO sites are pleased the public continues to remain interested in the sites’ history and cleanup efforts.

“The public site tours offer a unique opportunity for participants to experience the cleanup progress at close proximity,” PPPO Site Manager Joel Bradburne said. “It also allows tour goers to take a step back in time and understand the history as well as what the sites were like prior to cleanup.”

Both sites expect tours to pick back up in the spring next year.

Click here for information about Portsmouth Site tours and here for information on Paducah Site tours.

-Contributor: Zachary Boyarski

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