Waste Processing Operations Nets
1 Million Gallons Since January
July 2, 2009
Aiken, SC – Savannah River Remediation (SRR), formerly Washington Savannah River Company (WSRC), employees have processed over one million gallons of hazardous waste in the last six months, mostly from the Site’s underground waste storage tanks, at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Savannah River Site (SRS) Saltstone facility.
The facility achieved the milestone last week and continues to safely stabilize and dispose of low-activity salt and incidental process waste at record numbers.
“Saltstone facility operations are a critical component of DOE closing the circle on treatment of tank waste,” said Terrel Spears, Assistant Manager for Waste Disposition Project, DOE-Savannah River Operations Office. “The liquid waste program employees are demonstrating real progress in the safe removal and permanent disposition of this low-activity salt waste, which supports DOE’s ultimate priority to permanently close our tank farm system and reduce risk.”
SRS is the only site within the DOE complex that processes and permanently dispositions salt waste removed from waste tanks. The one million gallons of waste has been removed from the Site’s tank farm system and has been placed into permanent disposal form. Although the Saltstone facility has been operating for some time disposing of other low level waste streams, disposition of the salt waste stream began in January 2009.
“Our employees are safely moving this salt waste from storage to disposal, reducing risk and opening the door to more salt waste processing,” said Dave Olson, WSRC’s Executive Vice President. “Sending this material through Saltstone is instrumental in performing our mission to close the waste tanks.”
SRS is owned by DOE. The SRS Liquid Waste contract is managed by SRR, a team of companies lead by URS Corp. with partners Bechtel National, CH2M Hill and Babcock & Wilcox. Critical subcontractors for the contract are AREVA, Energy Solutions and Washington Safety Management Solutions.
Media Contact: Rick Kelley (803) 208-1707 rick.kelley@srs.gov