OAK RIDGE, Tenn. - Workers have finished demolition of the East Tennessee Technology Park’s (ETTP) Central Neutralization Facility, which once treated the site’s industrial wastewater.
EM and Oak Ridge Reservation cleanup contractor URS | CH2M Oak Ridge LLC (UCOR) wrapped up the project five weeks ahead of schedule. Crews had started demolition of the structures that comprised the facility in early January.
Constructed in the mid-1980s to treat wastewater from operations at the former uranium enrichment complex, the facility consisted of tanks, trailers, and other treatment systems used to filter and remove radioactive materials, metals, and suspended solids from wastewater at the site.
All operations at the facility ceased in 2013, and a new wastewater treatment facility, the Chromium Waste Treatment System, began operating in its place.
“We are very pleased to complete this demolition project ahead of schedule," said Karen Deacon, acting ETTP portfolio federal project director for DOE’s Oak Ridge Environmental Management Office. “Now, we are excited to be able to move forward with our next demolition project to continue towards our ultimate vision for the site."
The former wastewater treatment plant is the latest building to come down in pursuit of Vision 2020. Oak Ridge’s EM program is working to complete major cleanup and land transfers at ETTP by 2020, providing the community an asset to attract major industry and enable economic development for the region.
The goal for EM and UCOR is to transform the old government-owned uranium enrichment complex into a thriving privately-owned industrial park. To date, EM has torn down more than 400 facilities and transferred more than 1,000 acres.
The next facility slated for demolition there is the Toxic Substances Control Act Incinerator. That work will begin in coming months.
Source: U.S. Dept. of Energy, Office of Environmental Management
