AIKEN, S.C. - EM’s Savannah River Site (SRS) liquid waste contractor recently earned an “excellent" rating and more than $23.2 million - or 94 percent of an available award fee - for its fiscal year 2016 performance.
Noteworthy accomplishments by Savannah River Remediation (SRR) in this period include:
* Maintaining salt and sludge processing by effectively operating the liquid waste system without storage volume reduction capability from the 25H evaporator due to unanticipated pot failure;
* Operational closure of Tank 12 ahead of the commitment date in the Federal Facilities Agreement, which was established to remove 24 old-style tanks without full secondary containment from operational service and address cleanup decisions for soil and groundwater;
* Successfully completing a demonstration project that safely increased the salt waste processing rate;
* Supporting startup and integration of the Salt Waste Processing Facility into the site’s liquid waste program; and
* Initiating and awarding a contract for the tank closure cesium removal demonstration project to supplement current salt processing throughput rates.
Contractor award fee evaluations determine what will be paid based on performance against stated objectives in accordance with annual award fee plans. EM releases information relating to contractor fee payments to further transparency.
DOE Savannah River Operations Office (DOE-SR) Manager Jack Craig recognized SRR management in the evaluation for doing the “right thing" in addressing uncertain and emergent issues.
“Management remains actively engaged in maintaining operational excellence and is quick to address issues as they emerge," Craig said. “These philosophies to stop, evaluate and proceed when appropriate are clearly evident of a management team dedicated to safe operations of SRS liquid waste facilities."
Craig noted that although some performance objectives, such as the storage reduction target, were not achieved due to emergent technical issues, such as the 25H evaporator pot failure, the award fee recognizes and reinforces SRR management’s performance regarding these issues.
SRR President and Project Manager Tom Foster credits his employees with the accomplishments.
“Our success is the result of our employees, who not only work safely but take pride in their work. They also understand that innovation continues to play a key role in how we disposition waste and operationally close waste tanks to meet the expectations of DOE, regulators, stakeholders, and the public," said Foster.
DOE-SR noted that improvements are needed in conduct of operations in the liquid waste facilities and management of corrective actions.
Source: U.S. Dept. of Energy, Office of Environmental Management
