Recovery Act Funding Accelerates Tank Closure at the Savannah River Site
December 9, 2009
Savannah River Remediation employees continue upgrades to SRS waste tanks
Aiken, SC – “Innovate and accelerate safely“ describes the upgrade work underway at H Area Waste Tank 13, an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act project being performed by Savannah River Remediation LLC (SRR).
Placed in service in 1956, Tank 13 is an underground waste storage tank with a capacity of over a million gallons. It has been out of active service for more than twenty-five (25) years and during that time has safely stored nearly 800,000 gallons of highly radioactive waste. Tank 13, like many of the older tanks at the Savannah River Site (SRS), must be emptied and closed by the year 2022.
Project planners at SRS have selected Tank 13 to be a “hub” tank, which will allow SRS to accelerate tank closures for a set of tanks. Tank 13 is located near a number of other tanks at the Site, so it can serve as a hub for the cleanup and closure efforts. By late 2011, upgrades to Tank 13 will be complete and nearly half of the existing waste in will be removed. This will pave the way for moving waste from three adjacent tanks into Tank 13, accelerating the closure of those tanks as well and increasing the quantity of waste that is put through the Defense Waste Treatment Facility.
The contractor estimates the project will cost $27 million and will save or create more than 100 jobs. Additionally, the upgrades to the tank will require engineered equipment and materials that will provide significant opportunities for vendors and suppliers.
“This Recovery Act funding will help us expedite a vitally important project, accelerate the overall environmental cleanup at the Savannah River Site, and enhance the safety of the workers and the public,” said Tank 13 project manager Richard “Ricky” Doniphan.