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DOE awards $91 million contract for Mercury Treatment Facility at Y-12

Posted at 8:51 am December 5, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

The planned Mercury Treatment Facility at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge. (Image courtesy UCOR/U.S. Department of Energy Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management)

The planned Mercury Treatment Facility at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge. (Image courtesy UCOR/U.S. Department of Energy Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management)

 

The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded a $91 million contract to build the Mercury Treatment Facility at the Y-12 National Security Complex.

It’s part of an effort to reduce the amount of mercury in East Fork Poplar Creek and allow the demolition of several large Y-12 buildings where mercury was used to help make nuclear weapons during the Cold War.

The contract, which could be in place for up to four years, was awarded to APTIM-North Wind Construction JV LLC, DOE said Tuesday. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management, Oak Ridge Reservation, Slider, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy, Y-12, Y-12 National Security Complex Tagged With: Alpha 4, Alpha 5, APTIM-North Wind Construction JV LLC, Beta 4, Cold War, DOE, East Fork Poplar Creek, Jay Mullis, Lamar Alexander, lithium separation, mercury, Mercury Treatment Facility, nuclear weapons, Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management, Outfall 200, U.S. Department of Energy, Upper East Fork Poplar Creek, Y-12 National Security Complex

Treatment facility will reduce mercury in creek water, allow cleanup work at Y-12

Posted at 1:51 pm November 20, 2017
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

The new Mercury Treatment Facility at the Y-12 National Security Complex will help reduce the amount of mercury that gets into East Fork Poplar Creek and allow the demolition of four large buildings where mercury was used to help make nuclear weapons during the Cold War, officials said during a groundbreaking ceremony on Monday, Nov. 20, 2017. Part of the back of the Beta 1 building is pictured at back left. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The new Mercury Treatment Facility at the Y-12 National Security Complex will help reduce the amount of mercury that gets into East Fork Poplar Creek and allow the demolition of four large buildings where mercury was used to help make nuclear weapons during the Cold War, officials said during a groundbreaking ceremony on Monday, Nov. 20, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 10:45 p.m.

The new Mercury Treatment Facility at the Y-12 National Security Complex will help reduce the amount of mercury that gets into East Fork Poplar Creek and allow the demolition of four large buildings where mercury was used to help make nuclear weapons during the Cold War, officials said Monday.

Mercury contamination is one of the biggest problems remaining from the Cold War, U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander said during a groundbreaking ceremony on Monday morning. Alexander, a Tennessee Republican, first announced the new treatment facility at Y-12 more than four years ago.

“In May 2013, I came to Oak Ridge to announce that a new water treatment facility would be built at Y-12 at the head of the East Fork Poplar Creek to prevent mercury that was once used to make nuclear weapons from getting into our waterways,” Alexander said. “That day, I made a personal commitment to address one of the biggest problems we have from the Cold War era—mercury contamination—and help fund a solution. Today, I am proud to see that we are breaking ground on the new water treatment facility.”

Site preparation for the new Mercury Treatment Facility is expected to start this year, with the rest of construction beginning in late 2018. The facility is expected to start operating in late 2022.

The treatment plant will allow workers to demolish four large buildings where mercury, a toxic metal, was once used: Alpha 2, Alpha 4, Alpha 5, and Beta 4. Work on those buildings, mostly on the west side of Y-12, could start by 2024. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, National Nuclear Security Administration, Oak Ridge Office, Slider, U.S. Department of Energy, Y-12, Y-12 National Security Complex Tagged With: Alpha 2, Alpha 4, Alpha 5, Beta 4, Chuck Fleischmann, Dan Brouillette, East Fork Poplar Creek, GEM Technologies, groundbreaking ceremony, Jay Mullis, Jim Henry, Ken Rueter, Lamar Alexander, Mark Whitney, mercury, mercury contamination, Mercury Treatment Facility, mercury-contaminated buildings, Michael Evans, nuclear weapons, Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management, Outfall 200, Sue Cange, U.S. Department of Energy, UCOR, URS-CH2M Oak Ridge LLC, West End Mercury Area, Y-12 National Security Complex

Groundbreaking scheduled for Mercury Treatment Facility at Y-12

Posted at 4:38 pm November 13, 2017
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

The planned Mercury Treatment Facility at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge. (Image courtesy UCOR/U.S. Department of Energy Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management)

The planned Mercury Treatment Facility at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge. (Image courtesy UCOR/U.S. Department of Energy Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management)

 

A groundbreaking has been scheduled for Monday morning for the Mercury Treatment Facility at the Y-12 National Security Complex.

Y-12 operations have historically used large amounts of mercury, and many of the buildings, now in varying states of deterioration, have mercury contamination, a media advisory said.

“The treatment facility will lower existing mercury levels from past releases and will serve as a guard against a potential increase in releases as mercury-contaminated buildings are demolished,” the media advisory said.

Deputy Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette will attend the groundbreaking, which is at Y-12 and not open to the public. U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander and U.S. Representative Chuck Fleischmann, both Tennessee Republicans, will also attend the groundbreaking, the media advisory said.

The groundbreaking is being presented by the U.S. Department of Energy and URS|CH2M Oak Ridge LLC, or UCOR, DOE’s cleanup contractor at federal sites in Oak Ridge. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, National Nuclear Security Administration, Slider, U.S. Department of Energy, Y-12, Y-12 National Security Complex Tagged With: Alpha 4, Alpha 5, Beta 4, Chuck Fleischmann, Dan Brouillette, DOE, East Fork Poplar Creek, environmental management, GEM Technologies, groundbreaking, Headworks Facility, Jay Mullis, Lamar Alexander, lithium isotopes, mercury, mercury contamination, mercury remediation, Mercury Treatment Facility, mercury-contaminated buildings, Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management, Oak Ridge Reservation, OREM, Outfall 200, site preparation, U.S. Department of Energy, UCOR, URS-CH2M Oak Ridge LLC, Y-12 National Security Complex

Site prep could start this year for mercury treatment plant at Y-12

Posted at 10:02 am April 28, 2017
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Y-12 Mercury Treatment Facility

The Mercury Treatment Facility that will be at the east end of Y-12 National Security Complex could start operating in 2022. (Image by David Brown/U.S. Department of Energy)

 

Note: This story was updated at 2 p.m.

Site preparation could start later this year for the Mercury Treatment Facility at the Y-12 National Security Complex as the U.S. Department of Energy prepares for demolition and cleanup work at the nuclear weapons plant.

DOE’s Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management, or OREM, expects to complete demolition and cleanup work at the East Tennessee Technology Park, the former K-25 site, in 2020. It will then focus on the large-scale demolition work at Y-12.

Among the Y-12 buildings that could be demolished are Alpha 4, Alpha 5, and Beta 4, all large buildings where mercury, a toxic metal, was once used. The buildings used mercury to separate lithium for nuclear weapons. The lithium separation operations started in 1955 and ended in 1963.

But before that cleanup work can begin, OREM needs the Mercury Treatment Facility. The plant was first announced at a press conference featuring U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander, a Tennessee Republican, about four years ago, in May 2013.

“This water treatment plant is a major step in addressing one of the biggest problems we have from the Cold War era—mercury once used to make nuclear weapons getting into our waterways,” Alexander said at the time. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Oak Ridge Office, Slider, U.S. Department of Energy, Y-12, Y-12 National Security Complex Tagged With: Alpha 2, Alpha 4, Alpha 5, Beta 4, cleanup, demolition, DOE, East Fork Poplar Creek, East Tennessee Technology Park, Environmental Management Disposal Facility, Excess Facilities Initiative, Headworks Facility, Jay Mullis, K-25, K-25 site, Lamar Alexander, Mark Whitney, mercury, mercury contamination, Mercury Treatment Facility, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge Office, Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management, Oak Ridge Reservation, OREM, Outfall 200, Sue Cange, U.S. Department of Energy, water treatment plant, West End Mercury Area, X-10, Y-12, Y-12 National Security Complex

Construction on Y-12 mercury treatment plant could start in 2018, cost $146 million

Posted at 2:28 pm September 10, 2015
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Y-12 Process Buildings and Mercury Use Area

Note: This story was last updated at 3:30 p.m.

Construction on a mercury treatment plant at the Y-12 National Security Complex could start in 2018 and cost $146 million, a federal official said Wednesday.

The plant would treat mercury contamination that originates in the West End Mercury Area at Y-12, flows through storm drains, and enters Upper East Fork Poplar Creek at a point known as Outfall 200. East Fork Poplar Creek flows through Oak Ridge.

The U.S. Department of Energy has evaluated several alternatives for treating the mercury, including doing nothing. But DOE prefers an option that would treat 3,000 gallons of contaminated water per minute and store two million gallons of stormwater. It could reduce the flow of mercury, a toxic metal, by an estimated 84 percent. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Oak Ridge Office, Slider, U.S. Department of Energy, Y-12, Y-12 National Security Complex Tagged With: 2013 DOE Tennessee Science Bowl, Alpha 2, Alpha 4, Alpha 5, American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Beta 4, Claude Buttram, East Fork Poplar Creek, EPA, Jason Darby, Lamar Alexander, lithium, Mark Whitney, mercury, mercury cleanup, mercury remediation, Mercury Treatment Facility, mercury treatment plant, MTF, nuclear weapons, Oak Ridge Office, Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management, Outfall 200, record of decision, Site Specific Advisory Board, SSAB, stormwater, Sue Cange, TDEC, Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, treatment plant, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Upper East Fork Poplar Creek, WEMA, West End Mercury Area, Y-12 National Security Complex

Field work complete, cleanup projects used $751 million in Recovery Act funding

Posted at 2:39 pm May 8, 2014
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Building K-33

Building K-33 at the East Tennessee Technology Park, also known as the former K-25 site, before demolition. (DOE photo)

 

Note: This story was updated at 5:30 p.m.

The field work is complete on 27 cleanup projects at three federal sites in Oak Ridge that used $751 million in Recovery Act funds.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management, or EM, announced the end of the field work on Thursday.

“We’re done knocking down buildings and with all the work in the field,” said Mike Koentop, executive officer in Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management. “We have paperwork left to do to close out projects.”

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, also known as the Recovery Act or stimulus bill, was passed by Congress and signed by President Barack Obama in February 2009. It was meant to help stimulate an economic recovery during the depths of the Great Recession, and it was intended to address long-neglected infrastructure projects and programs.

In Oak Ridge, the Recovery Act funding paid for several demolition projects such as the demolition of the 1.4-million-square-foot K-33 Building at the East Tennessee Technology Park and other projects ranging from mercury reduction at the Y-12 National Security Complex to transuranic waste processing at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. [Read more…]

Filed Under: DOE, East Tennessee Technology Park, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Slider, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy, Y-12 National Security Complex Tagged With: 2000 Complex, 9206 Filter House, Alpha 5, American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, Beta 3, Beta 4, Bethel Valley Burial Grounds, Biology Complex, Building 2026, Building 3026, Building 3038, Building 4500 Stack Removal, Building 9735, Building K-27, characterization, cleanup projects, Congress, demolition, East Tennessee Technology Park, economic recovery, EM, Environmental Management Waste Management Facility, ETTP, Exposure Unit 9, federal sites, field work, gaseous diffusion, hot cell, Isotope Row, K-33 building, legacy material, legacy materials, Mark Whitney, Melton Valley wells, mercury reduction, National Priority List, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management, Old Salvage Yard, ORNL, ORNL Waste Operations, Poplar Creek Facility, President Barack Obama, Recovery Act, Sanitary Landfill, sewers, site boundary, site restoration, slab, soil, soil remediation, soil removal, stimulus bill, Tank W-1A, transuranic waste processing, U.S. Department of Energy, uranium enrichment, waste disposition, West Quad, Y-12, Y-12 National Security Complex

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Classifieds

Public Notice: NNSA announces no significant impact of Y-12 Development Organization operations at Horizon Center

AVAILABILITY OF THE FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE OFFSITE HOUSING OF THE Y-12 DEVELOPMENT … [Read More...]

ADFAC seeks contractors for five homes

Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties (ADFAC) is a non-profit community based agency, … [Read More...]

Public notice: Draft environmental assessment for Y-12 Development Organization at Horizon Center

AVAILABILITY OF THE DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE OFFSITE HOUSING OF THE Y-12 DEVELOPMENT … [Read More...]

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