U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Environmental Management (EM) and State of Idaho officials gathered today at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) Site to mark the completion of a high-priority cleanup project that helps protect the Snake River Plain Aquifer and maintains a commitment with the state of Idaho.
Work crews completed the retrieval of buried waste from 5.69 acres at the Radioactive Waste Management Complex. The exhumations were completed more than 18 months ahead of schedule as part of the Accelerated Retrieval Project (ARP).
Idaho Gov. Brad Little, Attorney General Lawrence Wasden, Idaho legislators, county and city representatives and DOE cleanup program management thanked the ARP workforce at the Radioactive Waste Management Complex for its safe work performance and dedication to the mission.
“This project is a great example of what can be accomplished with dedicated employees, engaged management, a supportive state and involved stakeholders,” EM Senior Advisor William “Ike” White said at the event. “Thank you for your dedication, expertise and professionalism. Thank you for being accountable to American taxpayers. And most importantly, thank you for protecting the environment and closing this chapter on the Cold War.”
The buried waste retrievals took place within the Subsurface Disposal Area (SDA), a 97-acre landfill. Eventually, crews will take down the soft-sided buildings constructed over the 5.69-acre footprint where waste retrieval occurred at the SDA and construct an earthen cover over the entire area.
The remediation is a requirement under a 2008 agreement with the state of Idaho and subsequent record of decision (ROD) between DOE, the state of Idaho and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. DOE and its contractor are required to remove, repackage and ship out of state plutonium filters, graphite molds, sludges and roasted uranium fines from the SDA, which received radioactive and hazardous wastes for shallow burial from 1952 to 1970.
“Throughout the history of the INL Site, Idaho has been a leader in stepping up to solve some of the nation’s most challenging energy and environmental cleanup challenges,” said Connie Flohr, manager of the Idaho Cleanup Project. “The federal and contractor team has been unwavering in their dedication to this mission, and they have not only met, but exceeded everyone’s expectations.”
Earlier this month, crews repackaged the final exhumed waste from the SDA required to be removed under the agencies’ 2008 ROD. The removal of more than 10,000 cubic meters of radioactive, hazardous and potentially pyrophoric wastes from nine areas of the SDA will protect the underlying Snake River Plain Aquifer.
DOE is working with the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality to validate the required information resulting in a regulatory declaration that all buried waste exhumation activities required by the 2008 agreement are complete.
“We would not be here today without the dedication of you — the employees — who demonstrated your expertise and commitment to safety every day as you completed your important work,” said Ty Blackford, president and program manager for INL Site cleanup contractor Idaho Environmental Coalition. “This is a monumental milestone that demonstrates what you — as a team — are capable of.”
The ARP project officially began in early 2005. Crews were tasked with removing waste from portions of the SDA. Eight subsequent exhumation sub-projects completed the 5.69-acre requirement outlined in the 2008 agreement and ROD. Crews removed more than 49,500 drums of waste from the SDA.
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