AIKEN, S.C. - The EM program and Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) are consolidating the F/H Analytical Laboratory into SRNL space, a cost-savings move that realigns resources at the Savannah River Site (SRS) for future missions.
SRNL’s F/H Analytical Laboratory is located several miles away from most SRNL operations at the 310-square-mile site. The laboratory serves EM by evaluating radiological and non-radiological samples for process, product, accountability, and criticality safety analyses.
“As the site’s missions have changed, the analytical capabilities needed have also changed," SRNL Deputy Director Sharon Marra said. “This move will allow SRNL to still fulfill all needs for analytical capabilities but will allow us to reduce the lab footprint, modernize our equipment, and realize life-cycle cost savings."
Marra noted the consolidation also will give SRNL personnel a chance to grow in their careers while providing them more cohesion as colleagues.
Removing F/H Laboratory operations from the F Area facility allows SRS to place that building in a low-cost surveillance and maintenance mode similar to the F Canyon chemical separations facility, which was deactivated in 2005. This mode allows for a minimal number of employees in the area to perform periodic activities to ensure the facility is safe and poses no risk to the environment.
“The plan is to eventually move all F Area facilities to a cold, dark, and dry state," F Area Closure Program Manager Michael Gilles said. “This will allow us to lower our environmental footprint, and lower risk and cost by moving F Area employees to other areas onsite where they are needed."
During the move, SRNL employees will remove and replace obsolete equipment and eliminate out-of-date procedures to increase efficiency.
“It is important to us that those who rely on us for analytical needs notice no difference in the quality, quantity, or efficiency of our work," said Marra.
Source: U.S. Dept. of Energy, Office of Environmental Management
