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December 27, 2012
Demolition of K-25, DOE’s largest-ever demolition project, is ongoing.
Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management Pursues Vision of Future While Remembering Past

OAK RIDGE, Tenn. – What a difference a year makes.

In 2012, DOE’s Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management (EM) surged ahead on the agency’s largest-ever demolition project, the K-25 building. Due to effective federal oversight, and the efficient work of the site’s prime contractor, URS|CH2M Oak Ridge (UCOR), the 44-acre Manhattan Project-era superstructure is disappearing quickly.

September 1, 2012
F Reactor during operations in 1956.
Hanford Achieves a Cleanup First

RICHLAND, Wash. – DOE contractors have completed cleanup of F Area, the first reactor area at the 586-square-mile Hanford site to be fully remediated.

September 1, 2012
Testing and equipment simulations ensure first-of-a-kind technological processes for sludge removal can be conducted safely and efficiently.
EM Employs Innovative Technology to Remove Radioactive Sludge

RICHLAND, Wash. – The Richland Operations Office and contractor CH2M HILL Plateau Remediation Company successfully removed a portion of a highly radioactive sludge from
underwater storage in a large basin adjacent to the K West reactor at the Hanford site this month.

September 1, 2012
A Platinum Anniversary for U.S. Atomic Heritage - EM’s Historic Manhattan Project Sites Gain International Media Attention

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Traditionally, a platinum anniversary marks 70-years. The Manhattan Project legacy reached that special milestone this summer, highlighting a remarkable history involving the Oak Ridge and Hanford sites and Los Alamos National Laboratory.

September 1, 2012
Pictured here are railcars carrying tanks of hydrofluoric acid for shipment from the Portsmouth site to Solvay Fluorides for industrial use.
Portsmouth, Paducah Project Leaps Past Shipment Milestone, Delivering Economic Benefit to U.S.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The company that operates DOE’s depleted uranium hexafluoride (DUF6) conversion facilities marked a milestone in September when it shipped the one millionth gallon of hydrofluoric acid.

September 1, 2012
A new natural gas-fired steam plant will replace an older coal-fired steam plant shown here. The new plant has the capacity to heat buildings at the Portsmouth site much more efficiently than the old coal-fired steam plant.
Steam Plant Replaces Outdated Coal-Fired System

PIKETON, Ohio – As the Portsmouth site begins to clean up its former uranium enrichment facilities, work is under way to decontaminate and decommission (D&D) the antiquated coal-fired steam plant there.

September 1, 2012
Randy Anderson, a CAST Specialty Transportation Inc. driver, demonstrates the new hand-held Zonar system used to perform truck and trailer inspections at a September WIPP transportation exhibit in Carlsbad.
New Technologies Improve WIPP Fleet Safety

CARLSBAD, N.M. – Recently, Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) carriers, Visionary Solutions LLC and CAST Specialty Transportation Inc., equipped their trucks with new safety systems to
further improve the WIPP transportation system.

September 1, 2012
Savannah River Remediation employees install new equipment in the Saltstone Process Room during the recent outage.
Improved Saltstone Facilities Restart Operations

AIKEN, S.C. – The Saltstone Facilities at the Savannah River Site (SRS) have restarted operations following a nine-month planned improvement outage.

August 1, 2012
EM Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Tracy Mustin speaks during the operational kickoff event for the 200 West Pump and Treat System this month.
Hanford Facility Highlights EM’s Success in Meeting Cost and Schedule Targets

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Workers recently completed a new groundwater treatment plant at the Hanford site — the largest of its kind in the EM complex — more than $41 million under budget and two months ahead of schedule.

August 1, 2012
Workers near completion of the non-technetium area of K-25’s east wing (left). Oak Ridge anticipates beginning demolition on the North Tower (right) by October.
Oak Ridge Commemorates Past, Moves Forward with Cleanup of Historic K-25 Site

OAK RIDGE, Tenn. – Representatives from federal, state, and local historic preservation groups gathered earlier this month to celebrate the formal completion of an agreement that preserves the historic contributions of Oak Ridge’s K-25 site to the Manhattan Project and Cold War.