Starting second phase of disposal facility construction for Y-12, Oak Ridge National Lab
Environmental Management Disposal Facility's new phase focuses on groundwater
The U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management (OREM) and contractor UCOR have initiated the second phase of construction for the Environmental Management Disposal Facility (EMDF).
OREM’s current onsite disposal facility is nearly full after 20 years of operations. However, hundreds of buildings are slated for demolition in the future at the Y-12 National Security Complex and Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
The $550 million EMDF project is described as "essential" because it will provide the waste disposal capacity necessary to complete cleanup at those sites, according to a news release from UCOR, DOE's main cleanup contractor in Oak Ridge.
The initial phase of construction, early site preparation, started in August, and those activities are slated for completion this spring. The work involves moving Bear Creek Road and Haul Road.
The second construction phase focuses on a groundwater field demonstration study subproject. It involves tree felling, which began in recent weeks, earthwork and groundwater monitoring for two wet seasons.
The purpose of the subproject is to allow OREM to confirm its modeling by providing real-world data of how groundwater levels will adjust when EMDF’s construction begins. OREM and UCOR will use data captured from the study to inform and make any adjustments needed on the facility’s final design.
“The groundwater field demonstration gives us additional confidence and will inform final design choices for EMDF, and it is critical to maintaining our schedule and bringing this facility online to support cleanup in Oak Ridge,” said Mary Magleby, UCOR project manager for the EMDF project.
The concluding phase of this project will include completing the final design and constructing the facility’s first two disposal cells. There will be four disposal cells in total.
With oversight from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, OREM will incorporate numerous engineering features into EMDF’s design to ensure the waste remains isolated from the environment. Additionally, OREM will continue sending all highly contaminated waste out of state for disposal.
UCOR awarded the $20 million subcontract for the groundwater field demonstration study to minority-owned small business CTI and Associates.
