Oak Ridge Kicks Off Landfill Expansion Project

OAK RIDGE, Tenn. – Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management’s (OREM) lead cleanup contractor, UCOR, has started constructing the final permitted cell in Landfill V.

Landfill V is part of the Oak Ridge Reservation Landfills, which accept sanitary, industrial and construction waste generated from cleanup across the site.

With an expansion of five acres of land, Landfill V will provide almost half a million cubic yards of disposal space to support ongoing cleanup at the Y-12 National Security Complex and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. That equates to approximately 50,000 dump truck loads of added capacity.

“This landfill plays a vital role in supporting our ongoing operations, and this effort is helping extend our ability to use it for another 15 to 20 years,” says OREM Project Manager Dennis Mayton. “It provides nearby disposal services for our projects that are significantly more cost effective and lower risk compared to off-site disposal.”

The Oak Ridge Reservation Landfills have seen a 170% increase in waste receipts over the last five years. That rise is due in large part to the amount of soil being received from OREM remediation projects at East Tennessee Technology Park, which are all slated for completion next year.

The new landfill cell being constructed ensures on-site disposal availability. Expanding Landfill V’s disposal capacity also will extend the life of the Environmental Management Waste Management Facility (EMWMF), an important on-site disposal facility for low-level waste.

OREM disposes of sanitary, industrial and construction waste in Landfill V, while sending low-level contaminated waste to EMWMF. These complimentary efforts ensure space at EMWMF is used efficiently.

The expansion effort underway is being implemented under a UCOR-issued small business subcontract using a Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC)-approved design.

UCOR, TDEC and an independent quality assurance company are providing oversight, reviews and independent testing.

“This expansion is a critical step toward ensuring UCOR’s ability to support the current and future cleanup needs for years to come,” says UCOR Landfill Operations Project Manager Josh Pemberton. “A combined staff of 30 UCOR and CTI employees has proactively been planning and working to achieve this milestone for the past year and a half.”

CTI and Associates, Inc. is a small business supporting the effort.

The landfill expansion is on schedule to be completed by the end of the year.

OREM is also nearing the start of early site preparations for its Environmental Management Disposal Facility. That facility, which is slated to begin operations in the late 2020s, will provide an additional 2.2 million cubic yards of waste disposal capacity for low-level contaminated waste.