Since beginning operations in the early 1950s, uranium and plutonium recovery processes at the Savannah River Site have generated liquid radioactive waste, which is currently stored in underground waste tanks in the F and H-Areas at the site. The site has a total of 51 tanks in these two tank farm areas. A total of six (6) tanks have been operationally closed at SRS to date, but none at the H tank farm.

A remote camera inside a cleaned Tank 5 shows no residual waste on the tank floor and some of the four miles of cooling coils inside the tank.

Each Tank Farm General Closure Plan (GCP) establishes the protocol by which DOE intends to close the waste tank systems at SRS and receive approval from DHEC following a public comment period. DOE has determined that all GCP requirements have been met to proceed with removing Tank 16H from service and is ready to complete the process by stabilizing the waste tank with grout. The H-Area Tank Farm is managed under a DHEC approved Industrial Wastewater Construction Permit.

A Closure Module for Tank 16H is available for public review and comment. It describes the processes by which DOE removed waste from Tank 16H, sampled residual contaminants, characterized remaining residual inventory, and isolated the tank from the HTF facilities that remain operable. Based on the information provided in this CM and supporting documents, it may be concluded that (1) there is reasonable assurance that, at the time of final corrective/remedial actions, groundwater concentrations derived from residual contamination in the tank and ancillary structures will meet the GCP performance objectives and (2) further waste removal is not technically practicable from an engineering perspective.

A 30-day public comment period for review of the subject Tank 16H Closure Module begins March 10, 2015 and will conclude April 09, 2015. To provide public comment, do so in writing by April 09, 2015. Comments will be considered in SCDHEC's final decision. Please send your comments to Bridget Clarke, SCDHEC/Water, 2600 Bull Street, Columbia, South Carolina 29201-1708 or by e-mail at clarkebm@dhec.sc.gov.

 

Forty girls from Richmond County Technical Career Magnet (TCM) School joined local female engineers and college students on February 26 in celebration of Girl Day. The event was held as part of national E-Week (Engineers Week), which helps bring engineering career awareness to students. At TCM, the conversation was about real-life engineering career experiences and ways that local engineers are making the world better through their work.

Ten women, from all walks of life, explained their motivations for becoming engineers. An SRSCRO representative participated in the luncheon and told TCM students about the local education and career opportunities available to engineers and engineering technology students at places like Plant Vogtle and Savannah River Site. Krystle Haskin, a student at Augusta Technical College, talked about her transition from a medical field into the Nuclear Engineering Technology program and the work she has already enjoyed as an intern.
 
Most of the high school students that participated in Girl Day are enrolled in the Energy Career Cluster. TCM is the first high school in Georgia to offer the Energy Cluster, which prepares individuals for multiple career pathways related to the energy industry. Georgia Power is a partner in the TCM program and organized the event to help show students the relevance of their classroom studies to career opportunities.

 

 

The Savannah River Site was the "star" or featured DOE site at this year's Waste Management Symposium held in Phoenix, AZ on March 16-19, 2015. The session provided an update on progress and perspectives of SRS as a long-term national asset. DOE-SR senior management and SRS's primary contractors highlighted progress and discussed technologies that are assisting with nuclear material processing and the cleanup and waste management activities at the site.

The panel discussion also highlighted future contributions of SRS as it serves as the gateway for nationwide and international nuclear materials consolidation and ultimate disposition. They also demonstrated how interdependent the different program activities are to the ultimate success of the overall DOE-SR mission. The panel included discussions from DOE-SR Manager Dave Moody, Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS) President Carol Johnson, Savannah River Remediation (SRR) President Stuart MacVean, Parsons' Salt Waste Processing Facility Project (SWPF) Manager Frank Sheppard, and Dr. Terry Michalske, Director of the Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL), among other SRS officials.