AIKEN, S.C. - EM’s Savannah River Site (SRS) liquid waste contractor recently earned an “excellent" rating and just over $12 million - or 96 percent of the available award fee - for its performance from July 2017 through December 2017.
Savannah River Remediation’s (SRR) noteworthy achievements for the period include:
* Completion of repairs of known leak sites on the 3H Evaporator vessel, post-maintenance leak testing, and restarting of the 3H Evaporator. The technology and techniques used in this successful effort can be applied to projects throughout the EM complex. The evaporator reduces tank waste volume.
* Resolution of issues with the tank closure cesium removal effort. This work will remove cesium, a radioactive chemical element, from the Cold War legacy salt waste at SRS, accelerating waste removal and tank closure.
* Salt Waste Processing Facility tie-in effort at 511-S and the replacement of the melter.
* Achieving the Tank 15H Bulk Waste Removal Efforts Federal Facility Agreement milestone a month ahead of the Oct. 31, 2017 commitment date.
* Addressing DOE concerns regarding technical safety requirements and operation issues through corrective actions.
“SRR management demonstrated a significantly high level of involvement in achieving key milestones toward resumption of operational activities," said DOE-Savannah River (SR) Deputy Manager Thomas Johnson, the fee determining official.
Johnson said SRR management provided timely prioritization of work scope, clear focus on safe operations, and a demonstrated effort to minimize worker dose during key system evolutions.
DOE-SR identified few notable weaknesses during the period. However, DOE-SR issued a letter of concern regarding deficiencies in the critical lift program. Although no actual events resulted from these deficiencies, DOE-SR recommended the contractor consider an enhanced review of longstanding programs and practices.
This performance period is for a six-month extension of SRR’s contract to accommodate DOE’s competitive procurement process for the award of a new SRS liquid waste services contract.
Source: U.S. Dept. of Energy, Office of Environmental Management
