The U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management has awarded Strata-G LLC a contract to perform environmental sampling as part of an effort to build a new disposal facility on the DOE’s Oak Ridge Reservation. (Photo courtesy DOE’s Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management)
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management has awarded Strata-G LLC a contract to perform environmental sampling as part of its effort to build a new waste disposal facility on the Oak Ridge Reservation.
Under the contract, valued at about $1 million, the veteran-owned small business is responsible for drilling 16 wells to access groundwater, characterize surface water, and gather soil samples for geotechnical investigations at the Bear Creek Valley site, located on federal land west of the Y-12 National Security Complex, a press release said. That site is known as the Central Bear Creek Valley site.
Information gathered from the environmental sampling activities will be used to determine if the site is suited for future waste disposal operations and to support detailed design for the new disposal facility, known as the Environmental Management Disposal Facility. Fieldwork is scheduled for completion in April, and a final report on the effort will be released later this year, the press release said.
The Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management, or OREM, has extensive environmental data from years of research, sampling, and surveys in the Bear Creek Valley, the press release said. Knowledge about the larger area led the agency to identify the Bear Creek Valley site as a potential location for the Environmental Management Disposal Facility; however, this sampling effort will provide the first site-specific samples focused exclusively on this particular area.
“Collecting soil and water samples will provide OREM with the data needed to make progress on a crucial infrastructure project that is vital to the future of the Oak Ridge environmental cleanup program,” the press release said.
The current facility, which has operated safely for nearly 15 years west of Y-12, is approaching full capacity, the press release said.
“The new facility is needed to support safe, cost-effective, and timely cleanup at the Y-12 National Security Complex and Oak Ridge National Laboratory,” the release said.
The Environmental Protection Agency, the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, and OREM are scheduled to release a formal proposal for the new facility later this year, and the community will receive multiple opportunities to comment on the plan, the press release said.
More information will be added as it becomes available.
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