Now that more than 500 aging and contaminated structures have been removed at the East Tennessee Technology Park (ETTP), focus is turning to soil and groundwater remediation, according to the Department of Energy (DOE).
The Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management (OREM) and contractor UCOR are in the "homestretch" of the cleanup of the former uranium-enrichment site that operated from World War II until 1985. Excavation and removal of contaminated soil at the site is expected to be completed next year, the DOE reports in a May 2 news release. Once that is completed, remediation of contaminated groundwater will commence.
“We’ve made great strides in reducing risks and restoring the environment at ETTP,” Roger Petrie, a regulatory specialist with OREM, said in the news release. “As we near completion on the remaining soil cleanup projects, groundwater remediation is the final effort to achieve our mission at the site.”
Approval of OREM’s proposals for addressing groundwater in the Main Plant and K-31 and K-33 was given by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation areas, allowing planning to take "a major step forward," release reported.
“Because site conditions differ, no single remediation technology is applicable for all areas at ETTP,” Kevin Ironside, Environmental Programs and Planning manager with UCOR, said in the news release. “A different approach is being recommended for the K-31 and K-33 area as the most effective means for addressing groundwater remediation.”
A process called "enhanced in situ bioremediation" is the preferred approach for groundwater remediation in the Main Plant Area, the release reports. This technology injects microorganisms and a carbon source, such as vegetable oil, into the ground. The contaminants are detoxified or reduced by the microorganisms, according to the release.
The K-31 and K-33 areas are recommended to be treated with a process called "monitored natural attenuation," according to the release, which relies on natural processes to reduce concentrations of contaminants in groundwater, along with land-use controls.
OREM held a public meeting last week to go over groundwater remediation plans in the Main Plant Area; people can submit comments on that proposal through May 19, the release reports. A public meeting on OREM's plans for K-31 and K-33 is scheduled for May 9; comments on that proposed plan can be submitted through June 12.
"Over the past two decades, OREM has transformed the former uranium enrichment complex into a multi-use industrial center, national park and conservation area benefiting the region," the release states.
"ETTP is home to 25 businesses with more expected in the years ahead," the DOE states in the release. "It’s home to an element of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park, and it also has a 3,000-acre conservation area for public use."
