AIKEN, S.C. – The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Environmental Management (EM) has reached another milestone with concurrence from regulators that the Savannah River Site (SRS) has successfully removed waste from another highly radioactive waste tank.
Tank 8 makes the sixth tank to reach preliminary cease waste removal (PCWR) regulatory approval in 13 months. EM achieved this latest PCWR regulatory approval over a year ahead of schedule.
Savannah River Mission Completion (SRMC) is EM’s liquid waste contractor responsible for achieving PCWR through safely treating and disposing of the millions of gallons of waste remaining in the underground tanks at SRS. The tanks will ultimately be filled with grout to be permanently sealed and operationally closed.
PCWR is a regulatory milestone for old-style tanks that designates agreement between EM, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the South Carolina Department of Environmental Services that, based on preliminary information, there is reasonable assurance that performance objectives for tank closure will be met.
Also, the concurrence means that work can begin on the sampling and analysis phase of the tank closure process. This next phase will verify these conclusions, based on laboratory analysis of any remaining material and final residual volume determination, prior to final isolation and stabilization of the waste tank.
In a letter to DOE-Savannah River, Jana Dawson, EPA remedial project manager, said EPA looks forward to continued progress in high-level waste tank closure.
“EPA is excited about the progress DOE has achieved in accelerating the removal of high-level liquid waste by exceeding the number of tanks reaching PCWR committed to in the 2022 High Level Waste Tank Agreement and Federal Facility Agreement, to date,” Dawson said.
Tony Robinson, EM acting assistant manager for waste disposition at SRS, said the Tank 8 PCWR achievement, less than a month after the milestone for Tanks 11 and 15, is testament of EM and SRMC’s collaboration to safely and efficiently advance legacy waste cleanup.
“Keeping our people and environment safe will always be the number one commitment of EM,” Robinson said, “And it’s a win for everyone when the work is completed effectively and efficiently while keeping that commitment.”
Thomas Burns Jr., SRMC president and program manager, said achieving a record number of PCWR milestones shows that SRMC executes with excellence.
“Savannah River Mission Completion has shown time and time again that we have the right people with the right skills to not just move the high-level waste cleanup mission for EM, but to accelerate it,” Burns said. “SRMC continues to be an international model for the work we do and how to conduct it safely.”
SRMC has also completed PCWR on Tank 4, Tank 9, Tank 10, Tank 11, and Tank 15 — all seven to 19 months ahead of the agreed-upon deadlines.
PCWR is outlined in the SRS Federal Facility Agreement, which establishes a procedural framework, including liquid waste tank milestone agreements, such as the schedule for waste removal and operational tank closures, and other site cleanup priorities.