RE: NASA eyes nuclear step for rocket science

["Estabrooks, Bates (IHK) " <IHK@Y12.doe.gov>]

Voila:



Landfill for nuclear waste due to open on May 1

Facility's cost expected to exceed $100 million

By Frank Munger, News-Sentinel senior writer



OAK RIDGE - A nuclear landfill scheduled to open this spring on the

government's Oak Ridge reservation may ultimately receive 2 million cubic

yards of waste and cost more than $100 million. 

"That's what we anticipate our long-term needs will be," said Bill Cahill,

the project manger for the U.S. Department of Energy. 

It's the first waste facility of this type to be built here in at least 20

years, Cahill said. 

The project's first phase, which is nearing completion, will have two

disposal cells capable of holding about 400,000 cubic yards of low-level

radioactive and hazardous waste. 

The design includes several layers of clay, rock and various synthetic

liners to prevent waste from contaminating the area's groundwater. It also

has a system to collect and treat liquids that leach from the waste

operations. 

The new landfill is located in Bear Creek Valley about a mile west of the

Y-12 nuclear weapons plant. It will receive wastes generated by cleanup

activities at each of DOE's Oak Ridge facilities - Y-12, Oak Ridge National

Laboratory and the East Tennessee Technology Park (formerly called the K-25

site). 

There will be a high volume of waste, but the levels of radioactivity and

chemical contamination will be relatively low, Cahill said. The wastes will

include construction rubble, concrete, soils and general debris, he said. 

The landfill, slated to begin operation on May 1, will be capable of taking

a truck load of waste every five minutes, said Joe Williams, the project

chief for Bechtel Jacobs Co., DOE's environmental contractor. 

Although operating the landfill will be expensive, DOE officials said they

will save many millions of dollars by disposing of waste locally rather than

shipping it to commercial landfills or other federal sites. 

Citizens who attended public meetings on the DOE waste program several years

ago overwhelming favored treating and disposing of waste on the government's

Oak Ridge reservation rather than transporting it to other parts of the

country. 

Based on the total cost of building and operating the landfill, DOE

estimates the cost of disposal will be $160 per cubic yard of waste. Cahill

said the cost of sending the waste to other sites was projected to be $800

per cubic yard. 

He also said the agency saved money by "privatizing" the project. 

Duratek Federal Services won the contract to design, build and operate the

facility for up to five years. The company is required to fund the project

up until the time the landfill becomes operational. 

At that time, Duratek is expected to recover the projects $25 million

capital cost. After that, Duratek will be paid a certain amount for each ton

of waste sent to the landfill and should fully amortize its investment after

about six months of operation, officials said. 

Duratek is working under a $42.5 million subcontract from Bechtel Jacobs.

The next phase of landfill construction and operation will be put up for

contract bids later this year. 

Cahill said three or four additional disposal cells of varying sizes may be

constructed at the 65-acre site. The landfill is supposed to be capped and

closed in about 10 years, he said. 

Under an agreement negotiated with the state of Tennessee, DOE is required

to make annual payments to a special fund set up for long-term surveillance

of the landfill after it is closed. The interest from the $12 million fund

is expected to pay for the monitoring costs. 



Knoxville News-Sentinel February 4, 2002



Bates Estabrooks







	-----Original Message-----

	From:	Jacobus, John (OD/ORS) [SMTP:jacobusj@ors.od.nih.gov]

	Sent:	Tuesday, February 05, 2002 1:31 PM

	To:	Estabrooks, Bates (IHK) ; 'radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu'

	Subject:	RE: NASA eyes nuclear step for rocket science



	I would put this under "utility to consider construction of new

nuclear

	power plant," or "state considers opening new nuclear waste

facility."  Of

	course, I could just be cynical.



	-- John 

	John Jacobus, MS

	Certified Health Physicist 

	3050 Traymore Lane

	Bowie, MD  20715-2024



	E-mail:  jenday1@email.msn.com (H)      



	

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