Diligent and collaborative partnering efforts between EM and contractor Savannah River Mission Completion (SRMC) have enabled significant progress in the liquid waste mission at Savannah River Site (SRS).
Office of Environmental Management
December 5, 2023
minute read time
AIKEN, S.C. — Diligent and collaborative partnering efforts between EM and contractor Savannah River Mission Completion (SRMC) have enabled significant progress in the liquid waste mission at Savannah River Site (SRS).
SRMC was awarded the end-state Savannah River Integrated Mission Completion Contract just over two years ago.
Following the contract transition and implementation periods, a one-year task order was awarded for continued liquid waste operations, along with additional task orders for Saltstone Disposal Unit (SDU) construction and other work. SDUs are mega-size disposal units that receive decontaminated material for disposal. A task order defines a project's scope, cost and schedule.
In April 2022, the DOE-Savannah River and SRMC leadership teams established the SRS Liquid Waste Program Partnering Agreement that builds upon the collaborative working relationship between the two entities.
The partnering agreement includes the mission and objectives for the SRS liquid waste team to work together to treat and dispose of radioactive waste and operationally close both liquid waste tank farms at SRS by 2037 in a manner that safely, efficiently, and effectively protects workers, the public, and the environment. A tank farm is a grouping of underground waste tanks.
The successful and concerted efforts during the initial one-year task order for liquid waste operations, along with the Salt Waste Processing Facility operations and other work, set the stage for the award in September 2023 of two long-term, eight-year task orders.
One of the task orders, valued at $7.3 billion, is for potentially processing more than 60 million gallons of salt waste. The other task order, valued at $1 billion, is for tank and ancillary facilities closure, including the operational closure of up to 12 tanks.
The task order awards will enable SRMC to continue making substantive progress toward the ultimate goal of completing the SRS liquid waste mission under the end-state contract by 2037.
To receive the latest news and updates about the Office of Environment Management, submit your e-mail address.