EM Update | Vol. 15, Issue 17 | May 2, 2023

• Oak Ridge Focuses on Groundwater in End Game of ETTP Cleanup
• New Security Facility Arrives for Mission to Remove Plutonium From SRS
• EM Leaders Meet With Stakeholders From Alliance for Nuclear Accountability
• Open Season: Visitors Set Sights on Hanford B Reactor Tours
• Minority Serving Institution Funding Awards to Foster EM Workforce Pipeline
• Annual Turkey Hunt at Savannah River Site Creates Lifelong Memories
• DOE Launches New Consumer Energy Savings Hub
• Savannah River Site Replaces Crane Motor Essential to Operations
• Outreach, Engagement Help Increase Participation in Hanford Safety Culture
• SRS Liquid Waste Contractor Invests in Leadership Development

Oak Ridge Focuses on Groundwater in End Game of ETTP Cleanup

OAK RIDGE, Tenn. – The Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management (OREM) and contractor UCOR have shifted to soil and groundwater remediation at the East Tennessee Technology Park (ETTP) in the homestretch of a cleanup that took down more than 500 aging, contaminated structures.

With crews set to finish excavating and removing contaminated soil from the site next year, the spotlight is turning to groundwater.

“We’ve made great strides in reducing risks and restoring the environment at ETTP,” said OREM Regulatory Specialist Roger Petrie. “As we near completion on the remaining soil cleanup projects, groundwater remediation is the final effort to achieve our mission at the site.”

ETTP is divided into three sections for groundwater remediation planning. One section is the Main Plant Area, which encompasses most of the operations area at the former enrichment complex. Another section is the area where the large K-31 and K-33 uranium enrichment buildings once stood. The third section is called Zone 1, which is the area immediately surrounding the Main Plant and K-31 and K-33 areas.

An aerial view of the East Tennessee Technology Park after demolition was completed on more than 500 old, contaminated buildings. Soil cleanup is scheduled to be complete next year, and planning is underway to determine how the Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management will remediate groundwater at the site.

Planning took a major step forward recently when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation approved OREM’s proposed plans for addressing groundwater in the Main Plant and K-31 and K-33 areas.

OREM hosted a public meeting last week to discuss the preferred approach for groundwater remediation in the Main Plant Area. The meeting provided an opportunity for attendees to share comments. The public can submit comments on that proposed plan through May 19.

The preferred approach for groundwater remediation in the Main Plant Area is a process called enhanced in situ bioremediation. A widely used technology for treating contaminated waste, it involves injecting microorganisms and a carbon source, such as vegetable oil, into the ground. The microorganisms reduce or detoxify the contaminants.

“Because site conditions differ, no single remediation technology is applicable for all areas at ETTP,” said Kevin Ironside, Environmental Programs and Planning manager with UCOR. “A different approach is being recommended for the K-31 and K-33 area as the most effective means for addressing groundwater remediation.”

For the K-31 and K-33 Area, OREM is proposing a process called monitored natural attenuation along with land use controls. Monitored natural attenuation relies on natural processes that reduce contaminant concentrations in groundwater. Using this process as the remedial action involves monitoring groundwater conditions with land use controls limiting potential exposures.

OREM is hosting a separate public meeting on that topic on May 9, and the public can provide comments on that proposed plan through June 12.

The proposed remedies for Zone 1 and associated public involvement opportunities will be announced later.

Over the past two decades, OREM has transformed the former uranium enrichment complex into a multi-use industrial center, national park and conservation area benefiting the region.

ETTP is home to 25 businesses with more expected in the years ahead. It’s home to an element of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park, and it also has a 3,000-acre conservation area for public use.

-Contributor: Wayne McKinney

New Security Facility Arrives for Mission to Remove Plutonium From SRS

A recently delivered Security Inspectors Operation Area, seen here being moved into the main production area in K Area, will allow remote inspections of employees working on the surplus plutonium disposition mission at the Savannah River Site.

AIKEN, S.C. – The EM program at the Savannah River Site (SRS) has received a critical piece of its expanded mission to downblend additional surplus plutonium for permanent disposal and remove it from the state of South Carolina.

A new modular building, referred to as the Security Inspectors Operation Area, has arrived at the site’s K Area Complex nuclear material management facility. The security building will be part of a new and larger Entry Control Facility used for remote inspection of employees by security officers.

The new additions are part of major ongoing infrastructure upgrades to support the site’s increased plutonium downblending operations.

Earlier this year, EM collaborated with the National Nuclear Security Administration at SRS to successfully complete the first shipment of downblended surplus plutonium for permanent disposal from the site’s K Area. The shipment from K Area to EM’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in New Mexico marked a momentous milestone culminating from multiple years of effort to prepare for and remove plutonium from South Carolina.

EM is preparing to add three new gloveboxes to the K Area facility. Gloveboxes are structures with ports containing gloves that allow employees to safely work with radioactive material.

The K Area Complex currently has one glovebox for downblending. Plutonium is downblended in the glovebox in a process that mixes plutonium oxide with a multicomponent adulterant to enable DOE to produce a proliferation-resistant form that can never again be readily used in nuclear weapons. The downblended material is packaged in drums and staged on a designated storage pad until it is characterized and ready to be shipped to WIPP.

The new Entry Control Facility will be much larger than the existing Entry Control Facility and includes innovative technology used across the DOE complex. The Security Inspectors Operation Area will have additional space for security officers to remotely process employees working in the existing and new glovebox rooms. The accelerated surplus plutonium disposition mission is estimated to result in three times as many employees entering the facility.

“Entering and exiting through controlled entry is necessary for safety and security, but it is cumbersome and takes some time,” said Leeanna Biery of K Area Complex Program and Project Integration. “The new Entry Control Facility will be much more efficient and greatly increase the throughput of personnel required to perform downblend activities in both the existing glovebox as well as the new glovebox rooms to be installed.”

The new Entry Control Facility is scheduled to be operational summer of 2024.

-Contributor: Lindsey MonBarren

EM Leaders Meet With Stakeholders From Alliance for Nuclear Accountability

WASHINGTON, D.C. – EM leaders met last week with stakeholders representing organizations near cleanup sites during the 35th annual Alliance for Nuclear Accountability (ANA) DC Days. The alliance is a grassroots network of organizations working around sites in the nuclear weapons complex on health, cleanup and weapons issues. Each year, ANA members visit the nation’s capital to meet with a variety of administration officials and members of Congress. Pictured from left are Don Hancock, administrator, Southwest Research and Information Center; Alyssa Petit, management and program analyst, EM Office of Intergovernmental and Stakeholder Programs; Kristen Ellis, EM acting director of regulatory and policy affairs; Miya Burke, program manager, Hanford Challenge; Melissa Bumstead, founder, Parents Against Santa Susana Field Lab; Joceline Nahigian, EM director of intergovernmental and stakeholder programs; Jeff Avery, EM principal deputy assistant secretary; William “Ike” White, EM senior advisor; Rennitta Johnson, community education lead, Georgia Women’s Action for New Directions (GA WAND); and Janie Scott, Burke County deputy director, GA WAND.

Open Season: Visitors Set Sights on Hanford B Reactor Tours

Chris, center, and John Lucas, right, of Lucas Engineering and Management Services, talked with Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, second from left, during a guided tour of the Hanford Site’s historic B Reactor in August 2022.

RICHLAND, Wash. – History buffs, engineering enthusiasts and science aficionados are all taking aim at one of Washington state’s hottest tickets: a tour of the B Reactor National Historic Landmark.

Constructed during World War II, the B Reactor is the world’s first full-scale plutonium production reactor.

The 2023 public tour season began the first week of April, when the EM Richland Operations Office opened free registration. The B Reactor and other Manhattan Project National Historical Park facilities on the Hanford Site will be available for public tours through Nov. 18.

The B Reactor National Historic Landmark is the world's first full-scale plutonium production reactor and part of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park administered by DOE and the National Park Service.

The park also includes historic properties at the DOE sites in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and Los Alamos, New Mexico, where EM also conducts cleanup work. The park preserves and interprets the story of the Manhattan Project and the dawn of the atomic age. Created in 2015 following congressional action, the park is jointly administered by DOE and the National Park Service. DOE’s national park mission is to own and preserve its historic facilities and provide public access to them.

“It is so exciting to be back this year with a full public tour schedule,” said Colleen French, DOE program manager for the Manhattan Project National Historical Park at Hanford. “We have tours six days a week through the summer, including the holiday weekends, and they are already going out completely full. I’m not sure who is more excited — the visitors coming in the door, or the staff and docents!”

Nearly 80 people visited Hanford’s historic B Reactor on the first day of tour season in April. Public tours are offered through Nov. 18, with registration available through the facility website.

The park includes the B Reactor, which produced the plutonium used in the Trinity test in July 1945 and one of the atomic bombs used to help bring an end to the war in the Pacific. Park facilities also include the remains of a turn-of-the-century high school, bank, pump house and fruit warehouse that were part of the agricultural towns taken over by the government in 1943. EM contractor Central Plateau Cleanup Company and local subcontractor Lucas Engineering and Management Services work together to maintain the park facilities and keep them accessible to the public.

The National Historical Park at Hanford gets up to 15,000 visitors each year. Since tours began in 2009, visitors have come from all 50 states and more than 90 countries. The tours also have a positive economic effect on the surrounding communities, bringing several million dollars each year in hotel bookings, restaurant visits and purchases.

The free tours last about four hours and offer a guided experience and an opportunity to self-explore interpretations and reflect on the global effect of the Manhattan Project. The tours are wheelchair accessible and offer assistance to hearing-impaired and sight-impaired visitors. To register or for more information, visit the tour website.

-Contributor: Rob Roxburgh

Minority Serving Institution Funding Awards to Foster EM Workforce Pipeline

Funding for Financial Assistance Awards Totals $24.5 Million

WASHINGTON, D.C. – DOE announced funding opportunities last week totaling $24.5 million for minority serving institutions (MSI).

The EM Minority Serving Institutions Partnership Program (EM MSIPP) financial assistance awards will focus on enhancing MSI programs to help foster a sustainable and diverse EM science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce pipeline.

The awards will also aid in promoting the development of a nationally engaged scientific and engineering workforce that will lead to future career pathways in the EM complex for underrepresented groups.

Established in 2014, the EM MSIPP is designed to help maintain a well-trained, technically skilled and diverse workforce by partnering with MSIs to develop highly qualified STEM students.

Click here for more information on this funding opportunity.

ONE-STOP JOB SHOP: A new EM webpage titled EM Jobs, Internships & Fellowships offers a variety of resources on EM employment positions, internships and other programs as well as guidance on applying for jobs with EM. The site features useful links to EM and the broader DOE positions available on USAJobs, DOE veterans recruitment, graduate fellowship and postdoctoral research programs, and internships. In addition, the website houses past EM Update articles highlighting EM recruitment efforts, internships and more across the DOE complex.

In an occasional series, the EM Update newsletter is exploring EM hiring efforts and recruitment struggles amid a looming surge of retirements in over half of EM’s workforce in the next three to five years.

Check out EM External Affairs Office team member Carly Howard's reports on EM's work to build an inclusive STEM workforce of the future here and here. 

Howard's EM Update reporting drew the attention of Michael Butler, host of the “Gone Fission Nuclear Report Podcast” covering EM topics. As a result, Butler will focus on EM's recruitment efforts and challenges in one of his weekly podcasts due out this month.

Click here to visit the website for the “Gone Fission Nuclear Report Podcast” with host Michael Butler. 

Butler is ready with several topics to discuss during the upcoming podcast. 

"Our entire focus is the EM program," he said. "EM is obviously in a hiring mode and looking for new employees for the EM workforce."

Butler plans to look into what's driving the need for employees and discuss how critical that need is. He also plans to talk about the disciplines needed for employees working in the cleanup.

"Why should someone choose a career in EM, and who is your competition?" Butler said. "What's driving the need for EM workers? That's the focus of it."

Last fall, EM Update highlighted one of Butler's podcasts in honor of Veterans Day. Butler, a Vietnam War veteran, hosted three special guests from EM, who shared opportunities for veterans to do meaningful and purposeful work in their new life. They noted that EM is looking to hire veterans for technical and business administration roles. Click here to see EM Update’s salute to EM veterans around the complex.

-Contributor: David Sheeley

Annual Turkey Hunt at Savannah River Site Creates Lifelong Memories

Hunters gather at the end of the first day's hunt on the Savannah River Site for a group photo.  - U.S. Department of Agriculture image.

AIKEN, S.C. – Clear skies at daybreak contributed to a successful hunt start for nine of the 15 hunters selected by the National Wild Turkey Federation to take part in the 18th Annual Wheelin’ Sportsman Ultimate Turkey Hunt at the Savannah River Site (SRS) recently.

Clouds on the morning of the second day did not dampen any spirits as a record total of 19 turkeys were harvested over the two-day event.

Hosted by DOE-SRS, U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service-Savannah River and the federation, this year’s event was even more special because of a new partner — the Outdoor Dream Foundation. The foundation sponsored three youth hunters with chronic or life-threatening medical conditions to take part in what is possibly the premier wild turkey hunt on the East Coast.

“We grant world class hunting and fishing adventures to children and young adults ages 21 and younger who face life’s toughest challenges,” said Outdoor Dream Foundation President Brad Jones. “Joining the other partners on this awesome hunt allows us to make dreams come true for these special young people and their families in need."

Hunt participant Carissa Laidlaw harvested her first turkey and took honors for the hunt’s heaviest bird at just over 22 pounds. - U.S. Department of Agriculture image.

Sponsors of the event include the University of Georgia Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, Savannah River Mission Completion, Centerra, Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS) and the Aiken Sertoma Club.

Safety is paramount during the event. Each hunter was paired with an escort familiar with the site and everyone attended the daily group safety brief. Prior to leaving for their assigned hunt areas, teams were issued a radio to coordinate their movements with event staff. The radios also enabled hunt organizers to quickly coordinate a response in the event of an emergency.

Wildlife biologists from the Forest Service and employees from SRNS were on hand to measure and record harvested turkeys’ weight, beard and spur length, and other data. When combined with past wildlife surveys and hunt results, the information collected will help direct future species management practices on the site.

“Pulling back on the curtain and allowing the public to see and experience the successful land management practices employed on Savannah River Site is just one of the benefits this hunt provides,” said Forest Service Wildlife Biologist Thomas Mims. “We want each and every participant to leave the Savannah River Site with newfound friendships and fond memories that will last a lifetime.”

-Contributor: Josef Orosz

DOE Launches New Consumer Energy Savings Hub

WASHINGTON, D.C. – DOE recently launched the Energy Savings Hub — an online one-stop shop for American families and consumers to access the savings tools that President Biden’s Investing in America agenda has made available to drastically cut energy costs. The new website — Energy.gov/Save — puts President Biden’s clean energy tax credits and forthcoming rebates right at Americans’ fingertips, helping people take control of their energy costs and have cleaner and more efficient options as a consumer —whether they are looking to purchase an electric vehicle, update an appliance, or make their home safer and more comfortable. Full implementation of the President’s Investing in America agenda will put the U.S. on track to achieve the nation’s goal of 2030 economy wide greenhouse gas emissions to 40% below 2005 levels. "From coast-to-coast, President Biden’s Investing in America agenda will help keep money in your pocket — whether you’re a driver, homeowner or renter," said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. "DOE's new energy savings hub is an easy-to-use resource to guide any consumer looking to access the enormous economic and health benefits from the President’s clean energy incentives." There's something for everyone at Energy.gov/Save, with features geared towards homeowners, renters and drivers. Click here to read more.

Savannah River Site Replaces Crane Motor Essential to Operations

Crews recently replaced a motor in a crane in H Canyon at Savannah River Site for the first time in the facility’s 70-year history.

AIKEN, S.C. – EM crews at the Savannah River Site’s (SRS) 70-year-old H Canyon Chemical Separations Facility safely replaced a motor on a crane for the first time recently, ensuring its viability in this one-of-a-kind facility for years to come.

Cranes are essential to H Canyon operations. They are controlled remotely for use in the facility’s radioactive areas to perform work where personnel cannot go. Because of the importance of the cranes, they regularly go through preventive maintenance; however, this is the first time a part replacement of this magnitude has been performed on the crane used for the most radioactive operations.

“This work was more involved than a lot of maintenance work we do because mechanics had to deal with lifts, asbestos, tight spaces and numerous other hazards, all while being performed in Hot Crane Maintenance Area,” said Jeff Bickley, H Canyon Maintenance manager for Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, the SRS managing and operating contractor.

A closeup of a crane motor recently replaced in H Canyon.

H Canyon is divided into three sections: the hot side, where there are higher levels of radiation; the warm side, with lower levels of radiation; and the middle section, where there is no radiation. Both the hot and warm sides are where operations are performed using cranes. No personnel have entered the hot or warm canyon since material was first introduced to the facility in the 1950s.

Mechanics working on the crane motor replacement project wore fall protection due to the crane’s height, in addition to two pairs of coveralls under breathing air suits to protect them from contamination.

“We worked very deliberately and carefully to make sure no one tripped over any of the hoses and that everyone was safe during all aspects of the job,” Bickley said.

Replacing the approximately 850-pound motor took weeks of planning and preparation, as well as integration between many different departments at SRS including rigging, radiation protection and operations.

“We found old videos of the original motor assembly from the manufacturer and watched them as a group to aid in the planning of the work,” said Bickley. “Because of the planning and communication between departments, the job went off flawlessly.”

-Contributor: Lindsey MonBarren

Outreach, Engagement Help Increase Participation in Hanford Safety Culture

Washington River Protection Solutions President and Project Manager Wes Bryan welcomed approximately 40 new employees to a class specifically tailored to introduce employees to the Hanford Site’s safety culture and encourage participation in safety committees.

RICHLAND, Wash. – A sustained team effort on the Hanford Site is driving employee engagement in safety to a new level.

In 2022, EM Office of River Protection (ORP) tank operations contractor Washington River Protection Solutions (WRPS) developed a strategy to ensure new employees become engaged in Hanford’s safety culture. This approach also introduces the new hires to the WRPS Employee Accident Prevention Councils (EAPCs). The councils provide a partnership between workers and management to improve safety performance through the Voluntary Protection Program and Integrated Safety Management System structure within WRPS.

“Safety is our overriding priority to protect the workers, public and environment,” said Delmar Noyes, ORP assistant manager for Tank Farms Project. “Letting employees know they are crucial to maintaining that safety culture is key.”

Hanford Site contractor Washington River Protection Solutions' Employee Accident Prevention Councils meet regularly to increase employee engagement in the site’s safety culture.

Key to increasing engagement in EAPCs is the Stepping Stones for Safety Excellence class. The class, developed by WRPS’ Industrial Safety team, is for employees who have been at WRPS for 90 to 120 days. It provides a comprehensive overview of WRPS safety programs and encourages participation in safety committees, councils and other programs.

EAPC co-chairs visit the safety classes and tell new employees what the EAPCs do and how the employees can get involved, ensuring new hires leave the class knowing which EAPCs they belong to.

Senior leadership also encourages active engagement.

“You are part of our safety culture; your active participation ensures we keep each other safe,” Wes Bryan, WRPS president and project manager, said at a recent class with employees. “This requires a commitment from all of us in this room, including me.”

In the class, employees learn about safety programs and how they serve employees. They can also ask questions of program leaders and experts. From 2021 to 2022 the EAPCs increased employee participation by nearly 41%, with more than 2,000 individuals attending meetings in person or virtually. Program organizers are expecting that trend to continue in 2023.

-Contributor: Steve Beehler

SRS Liquid Waste Contractor Invests in Leadership Development

AIKEN, S.C. – EM’s liquid waste contractor at the Savannah River Site (SRS) is investing in its supervisors through intensive leadership development workshops.

Savannah River Mission Completion (SRMC) has graduated its first class of 23 supervisors from the inaugural SRMC First Line Manager (FLM) Workshop. All of SRMC’s approximately 170 first line managers will participate in this workshop in the months ahead.

The three-day workshop, facilitated by a leadership development company and sponsored by the SRMC executive team, seeks to further develop the soft skills, such as problem-solving and interpersonal skills, needed to be an effective first line manager.

Optimizing team performance, using delegation and mastering crucial conversations are just some of the competencies taught in the workshop. Teams also solve a practical exercise and provide a briefing to the SRMC executive team.

First line managers are responsible for critical day-to-day operations; worker safety and productivity; and support of company objectives, goals and plans.

Click here to watch a highlight reel from Savannah River Mission Completion’s inaugural First Line Manager Workshop.

SRMC President and Program Manager Dave Olson said that these supervisors lead SRMC’s frontline workers, and they represent the first level of management. He considers this position the “managerial glue” within the company.

“I am personally grateful and thankful to our SRMC first line managers who do the heavy lifting in management of the critical work our company is doing to retrieve, treat and dispose of high-level waste,” Olson said. “Having been a first line manager in the past, I understand how difficult this job can be and how reliant the company is on this role. The goal of our FLM Workshop is to set our supervisors up for success, because SRMC will be successful only if our first line managers are successful.”

Tranious Anderson, a first line manager at the Saltstone Production Facility, said the workshop has strengthened his management toolbox.

“SRMC’s First Line Manager Workshop has broadened my view of leadership,” Anderson said. “I now view and value the behavioral and psychological aspects of managing instead of just a production-based style.”

-Contributor: Colleen Hart

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