The Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management and its contractors recorded another successful year by completing all of their 2024 priorities and reaching an ambitious milestone decades in the making.
Office of Environmental Management
December 17, 2024
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Crews excavated more than 50,000 dump truck loads of soil during remediation projects at East Tennessee Technology Park. Completion of that work in 2024 allows the Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management to transfer the remaining federally owned parcels at the site to the community for beneficial reuse.
OAK RIDGE, Tenn. – The Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management (OREM) and its contractors recorded another successful year by completing all of their U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Environmental Management (EM) priorities and reaching an ambitious milestone decades in the making.
Crews with contractor UCOR finished soil remediation at the East Tennessee Technology Park (ETTP) after workers excavated and disposed of nearly 50,000 dump truck loads of soil. Finishing this phase of cleanup marks the conclusion of nearly 20 years of major field work that transformed a former enrichment complex into a multi-use industrial park.
Completing soil remediation at ETTP eliminates risks and allows OREM to transfer the remaining federally owned parcels at the site to the community to help attract businesses and promote new economic development.
Regulators signed two records of decisions that provide the approval and guidance necessary to address groundwater at ETTP. These decisions, along with two others under development, will guide future remediation for OREM to complete the cleanup mission at ETTP.
Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management Manager Jay Mullis speaks at the Vision 2024 event, celebrating the completion of soil remediation and major fieldwork at East Tennessee Technology Park. He is joined on stage, from left, by U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management Senior Advisor Candice Trummell Robertson; U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann of Tennessee; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Superfund Federal Sites National Program Manager Greg Gervais; EPA Region 4 Division Director Caroline Freeman; Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation Commissioner David Salyers; Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch; Roane County Executive Wade Creswell; Kairos Power Chief Technology Officer Ed Blandford; and UCOR President and CEO Ken Rueter.
Deactivation activities are in full swing at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). Crews are preparing 13 buildings for demolition and paving the way for more transformation in the heart of ORNL’s central campus.
At Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) this past year, teams were busy preparing more than a dozen excess contaminated facilities for demolition. Some of the biggest moments in 2024 involved shipping the Low Intensity Test Reactor vessel for disposal and removing and shipping the reactor vessel from the Oak Ridge Research Reactor for disposal.
OREM contractor Isotek significantly advanced processing and disposal of the inventory of uranium-233 stored at ORNL. Employees processed more than 90 canisters of high-dose material this year, exceeding the goal of 35.
As part of an innovative public-private partnership, employees with that project are also extracting medical isotopes from the uranium-233 material that are supporting next-generation cancer treatment research. The company receiving the isotopes announced it is now producing at a commercial scale to supply clinical trials across the globe.
Another public-private partnership enabled OREM to transfer one of the largest single sources of legacy radioactive material from storage at ORNL. That material — strontium-90 — will be recycled into a source of clean energy for new power systems employed by other federal agencies.
Demolition is now underway on the massive 325,000-square-foot Manhattan Project-era Alpha-2 building at the Y-12 National Security Complex. This marks the largest demolition yet at Y-12 and the first teardown of a former enrichment facility at the site.
At the Y-12 National Security Complex, OREM and UCOR began demolishing Alpha-2, marking the largest demolition to date at Y-12, and the first teardown of a former enrichment building at that site.
The massive 2.5-acre Manhattan Project-era structure stands three stories tall and measures 325,000 square feet. Alpha-2 is categorized as a high-risk excess contaminated facility, and its removal eliminates hazards and opens land for national security missions moving forward.
Employees also advanced work on the Environmental Management Disposal Facility (EMDF) project. When complete, this crucial piece of infrastructure will provide OREM the waste disposal capacity needed to complete cleanup at Y-12 and ORNL.
In 2024, team members completed EMDF’s early site preparation five months ahead of schedule and more than $12 million under budget. Crews also finished field work on the second phase of the project, known as the groundwater field demonstration.
Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation Commissioner David Salyers, right, and Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management Manager Jay Mullis, left, sign a $42 million agreement to fund local natural resources and recreation projects.
OREM also signed a $42 million agreement with the state of Tennessee to address impacts from DOE’s historic operations on the Oak Ridge Reservation.
The funds from the agreement will support grants for a wide range of local projects that enhance the area’s natural resources and provide nature and recreational opportunities. Local residents and organizations can apply for the first round of these grants through Feb. 6.
-Contributor: Ben Williams
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