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K-25 Building demolition nears completion

Posted at 10:31 am November 20, 2013
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

K-25 Building Demolition

Workers continue demolishing and hauling away debris at the K-25 Building. (Photo courtesy U.S. Department of Energy/UCOR)

Demolition of the last standing section of the K-25 Building at the East Tennessee Technology Park is more than 75 percent complete.

UCOR workers began tearing down the last six units in the east wing of the mile-long Manhattan Project-era gaseous diffusion building in September. The majority of those six units—4.5 of them—are already on the ground, and work is continuing at a steady pace, the U.S. Department of Energy Oak Ridge Office reported in the December issue of Public Involvement News.

The entire project, including waste removal, should be completed next year, the Oak Ridge Office said.

The historic, U-shaped K-25 Building was erected to enrich uranium for atomic bombs during World War II, and it was once the world’s largest building under one roof. It once had 54 units. [Read more…]

Filed Under: East Tennessee Technology Park, Oak Ridge Office, Top Stories Tagged With: atomic bombs, Bechtel Jacobs Co., CH2M Oak Ridge LLC, cleanup contractor, demolition, East Tennessee Technology Park, environmental management, gaseous diffusion, Heritage Center, K-25 Building, Manhattan Project, north end, Oak Ridge Office, Public Involvement News, U.S. Department of Energy, UCOR, uranium, URS, World War II

Strategy to manage contaminated groundwater on DOE reservation to be discussed tonight

Posted at 9:02 am November 13, 2013
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

A citizens’ panel will discuss a strategy document tonight that outlines possible solutions for managing contaminated groundwater on the federal reservation in Oak Ridge.

It’s the focus of a 6 p.m. meeting of the Oak Ridge Site Specific Advisory Board. The strategy document was developed to address problems with contaminated groundwater on the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Reservation.

The meeting is in the DOE Information Center in the Office of Science and Technical Information on Oak Ridge Turnpike. The public is welcome to attend. OSTI is between Science.gov Way and Melton Lake Drive. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: Dan Goode, DOE, DOE Information Center, East Tennessee Technology Park, groundwater, groundwater contamination, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge Reservation, Oak Ridge Site Specific Advisory Board, ORR, ORSSAB, SSAB, Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Geological Survey, Y-12 National Security Complex

EDi buys former IMPACT Services site from CROET

Posted at 4:53 pm October 15, 2013
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Impact Services Inc.

State and contractor officials lead tours of the IMPACT Services Inc. site at Heritage Center in west Oak Ridge in June. More than one million pounds of low-level radioactive waste has been shipped from the site.

An environmental services company that helped clean up the former IMPACT Services site at Heritage Center has purchased the seven-acre property from the Community Reuse Organization of East Tennessee.

The company, Environmental Dimensions Inc., is headquartered in Alburquerque, N.M., but has offices in Oak Ridge.

The cleanup work at the site started in May 2012 after IMPACT Services, which processed low-level radioactive waste, declared bankruptcy. The company had leased the site—which is at the northwest corner of Heritage Center, the former K-25 site in west Oak Ridge—from CROET.

“We are fortunate to have a partner like EDi who has not only helped us address the environmental liabilities of the property, but that has a vision for its future that will help our community, bring jobs to the area, and further our reindustrialization efforts at East Tennessee Technology Park’s Heritage Center,” said Lawrence Young, CROET president and chief executive officer. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, Oak Ridge, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: cleanup, Community Reuse Organization of East Tennessee, CROET, East Tennessee Technology Park, EDi, Environmental Dimensions Inc., ETTP, Heritage Center, K-25, Lawrence Young, low-level radioactive waste, Mike Bradshaw, nuclear waste, reindustrialization, U.S. Department of Energy

Voce starts today as general manager of Oak Ridge security force

Posted at 10:46 am October 1, 2013
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Michael Voce

Michael Voce

Michael Voce started today as general manager of the National Strategic Protective Services’ protective force contract at U.S. Department of Energy sites in Oak Ridge.

NSPS, a joint venture of Triple Canopy Inc. and Securiguard Inc., announced last month that Voce would start Oct. 1. He replaces general manager Greg McDowell, whose resignation was announced in July.

NSPS is responsible for providing protective force services to the East Tennessee Technology Park, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and the Joe L. Evins Federal Building. Voce will be responsible for directing the safe and efficient performance of the protective work force and overseeing all administrative operations, a press release said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: East Tennessee Technology Park, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge Office, Office of Scientific and Technical Information, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: East Tennessee Technology Park, ETTP, Federal Building, Greg McDowell, Ignacio Balderas, Joe L. Evins Federal Building, Michael Voce, National Strategic Protective Services LLC, NSPS, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge Office, Oak Ridge Reservation, ORNL, protective force contract, Securiguard Inc., Triple Canopy Inc., U.S. Department of Energy, WSI Oak Ridge, Y-12 National Security Complex

UCOR names new chief operating officer

Posted at 2:24 pm September 18, 2013
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Matt Marston

Matt Marston

UCOR, the U.S. Department of Energy’s cleanup contractor in Oak Ridge, has picked Matt Marston as its new chief operating officer.

Marston will replace Kenneth Rueter, who was recently named as the new president and project manager at the Savannah River Remediation Project, a press release said.

It said Marston joined the UCOR team as manager of project support for the Deactivation and Decommissioning, or D&D, group in September 2011. He led an organization of project support staff that included engineering, planning, radiological protection, characterization, environmental compliance, waste management, industrial safety, industrial hygiene, and procurement personnel. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, East Tennessee Technology Park, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy, Y-12 National Security Complex Tagged With: CH2M Oak Ridge LLC, chief operating officer, D&D, Deactivation and Decommissioning, DOE, East Tennessee Technology Park, ETTP, K-25, Kenneth Rueter, Leo Sain, manager, Matt Marston, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Savannah River Remediation Project, TSSD Services Inc., U.S. Department of Energy, UCOR, URS, Y-12 National Security Complex

Demolition begins on last section of historic K-25 Building

Posted at 2:55 pm September 17, 2013
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

K-25 East Wing Demolition

Workers begin demolishing the last section of the K-25 building on Tuesday. K-25 was built to enrich uranium for atomic bombs during World War II and was once the world’s largest building under one roof, but it’s been unused for decades. (Photo courtesy U.S. Department of Energy/UCOR)

Demolition work began Tuesday on the last section of the historic K-25 Building, which was erected to enrich uranium for atomic bombs during World War II and was once the world’s largest building under one roof.

Most of the building, which is in west Oak Ridge, has already been demolished. Only a small section of the east wing remains at the former mile-long, U-shaped building.

K-25 was built during the top-secret Manhattan Project in World War II to enrich uranium for nuclear weapons through a process known as gaseous diffusion. Those operations ended in 1964. [Read more…]

Filed Under: East Tennessee Technology Park, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: atomic bombs, CH2M Oak Ridge LLC, cleanup, Cold War, crit credible, crit incredible, demolition, East Tennessee Technology Park, EMWMF, Environmental Management Waste Management Facility, gaseous diffusion, Heritage Center, high-risk equipment, HRE, K-25 Building, K-27, legacy waste, Manhattan Project, monoliths, NaF, sodium fluoride, Steve Dahlgren, Tc-99, technetium-99, U.S. Department of Energy, UCOR, uranium, URS, Vault 1X, World War II

NSPS names new general manager of DOE protective forces

Posted at 10:00 am September 9, 2013
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Michael Voce

Michael Voce

National Strategic Protective Services LLC, the security contractor for U.S. Department of Energy facilities in Oak Ridge, has a new general manager who will start Oct. 1.

Michael Voce will replace general manager Greg McDowell, whose resignation was announced in July.

NSPS, a joint venture of Triple Canopy Inc. and Securiguard Inc., provides protective force services to the East Tennessee Technology Park, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and the Joe L. Evins Federal Building. [Read more…]

Filed Under: East Tennessee Technology Park, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge Office, Office of Scientific and Technical Information, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: DOE, East Tennessee Technology Park, ETTP, Greg McDowell, Ignacio Balderas, Joe L. Evins Federal Building, National Nuclear Security Administration, National Strategic Protective Services LLC, Nevada Site Office, NNSA, NSO, NSPS, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge Office, Oak Ridge Reservation, ORNL, Protection Strategies Inc., Securiguard Inc., security contractor, Triple Canopy Inc., U.S. Department of Energy, WSI Oak Ridge

CROET recognizes TDEC, contractor performance on Impact Services cleanup

Posted at 11:01 pm August 8, 2013
By John Huotari 1 Comment

IMPACT Services Waste

The last of more than one million pounds of low-level radioactive waste at the former IMPACT Services site at Heritage Center in west Oak Ridge was scheduled to be shipped out at the end of June.

The board of directors of the Community Reuse Organization of East Tennessee honored Roger Fenner, consultant to the director of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, and Judy Hardt, senior project manager for Science Applications International Corp., for their leadership and success in closing out some 1.2 million pounds of radioactive waste left after Impact Services LLC declared bankruptcy in May 2012, a press release said.

Fenner and Hardt led the team of professionals that successfully closed out a performance bond required by TDEC as part of a state radiological materials license held by Impact Services, a lessee of CROET at East Tennessee Technology Park (the former K-25 site), at the time of bankruptcy. TDEC contracted SAIC to return to the waste generators and clean up the waste, the press release said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, East Tennessee Technology Park, Government, Oak Ridge, State, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: Bill Arant, Community Reuse Organization of East Tennessee, CROET, East Tennessee Technology Park, Heritage Center LLC, Impact Services LLC, Judy Hardt, K-25, Roger Fenner, Science Applications International Corp., TDEC, Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, U.S. Department of Energy

UCOR celebrates two years in Oak Ridge

Posted at 6:24 pm August 4, 2013
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Leo Sain at K-25

Leo Sain, president and project manager for cleanup contractor UCOR, near the east wing of the mostly demolished K-25 Building, built to enrich uranium during World War II and also used during the Cold War.

It’s been two years since UCOR, the federal government’s cleanup contractor in Oak Ridge, started working in the Secret City.

UCOR president Leo Sain celebrated with an Aug. 1 letter to employees that thanked them but also issued a reminder and challenge. Read the letter here.

Sain said he is very proud of the workforce—he called the company’s performance spectacular—and said work has been done safely, under budget, and ahead of schedule.

“At the end of two years, we’re one of the safest sites in the U.S. Department of Energy complex,” Sain said. “The credit for that goes entirely to you, the workforce, for staying focused on your work through all the distractions and changing hazards that come with the tasks we perform.” [Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, East Tennessee Technology Park, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge Office, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy, Y-12 National Security Complex Tagged With: CH2M Oak Ridge LLC, cleanup contractor, DOE, East Tennessee Technology Park, environmental management, Environmental Management Waste Management Facility, ETTP, K-25 Building, K-27, Leo Sain, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge Reservation, Toxic Substances Control Act Incinerator, TSCA incinerator, U.S. Department of Energy, UCOR, URS, Y-12 National Security Complex

Letter: UCOR celebrates two years in Oak Ridge

Posted at 5:56 pm August 4, 2013
By Oak Ridge Today Letters Leave a Comment

Leo Sain at K-25

Leo Sain, president and project manager for cleanup contractor UCOR, near the east wing of the mostly demolished K-25 Building, which was built to enrich uranium during World War II.

Note: This is an edited copy of a letter that UCOR President Leo Sain sent to company employees on Aug. 1.

To All UCOR Employees:

As we begin our third year on the job here at East Tennessee Technology Park, I want to thank everyone for an outstanding two years.

I am so very proud of this workforce. Our performance has been truly spectacular in every way. K-25, one of our nation’s largest deactivation and decommissioning projects, is nearly on the ground, and we’ve begun pre-demolition work in K-27 significantly ahead of schedule. We’ve disposed of over 120,000 cubic yards of waste while safely traveling over 1.5 million miles. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Letters, Opinion Tagged With: Building 3026, Building 3030, DOE, East Tennessee Technology Park, Environmental Management Waste Management Facility, Hot Cell Complex, Isotopes Development Lab, K-1070-B Burial Ground, K-25, K-27, Leo Sain, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge Reservation, Tank W-1A, Toxic Substances Control Act Incinerator, TSCA incinerator, U.S. Department of Energy, UCOR

Water tower at East Tennessee Technology Park demolished

Posted at 11:33 am August 4, 2013
By UCOR Leave a Comment

K-25 Water Tower Demolition

The K-1206-F Fire Water Tower at East Tennessee Technology Park—the former K-25 site—before it was demolished Saturday. (Submitted photo)

One of the most iconic structures at East Tennessee Technology Park—the checkerboard water tower that has dominated the site’s skyline for 55 years—has been demolished.

UCOR and its subcontracting partners brought down the 382-foot-tall tower on Saturday through a controlled explosive demolition that sent the structure toppling into an empty field.

Officially called the K-1206-F Fire Water Tower, the 400,000-gallon structure was designed and built by the Chicago Bridge and Iron Company in 1958 to service the site’s fire protection system. It operated until June 3, when the valves were turned off. It was drained, disconnected, and permanently taken out of service on July 15. [Read more…]

Filed Under: East Tennessee Technology Park, Oak Ridge Office, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: Bob Smith, CH2M Oak Ridge LLC, Controlled Demolition Inc., demolition, East Tennessee Technology Park, ETTP, Jim Kopotic, K-1206-F Fire Water Tower, Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant, Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management, U.S. Department of Energy, UCOR, URS, Veterans Contracting Solutions LLC, water tower

DOE summer bus tours end Aug. 30

Posted at 9:12 am August 3, 2013
By U.S. Department of Energy Oak Ridge Office Leave a Comment

DOE Public Bus Tour

This year’s public bus tours of the U.S. Department of Energy’s facilities in Oak Ridge end on Aug. 30. (Photo courtesy DOE/Lynn Freeny)

The public bus tours of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge facilities end Aug. 30. It’s the last day of the 2013 season.

The tours include stops at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Y-12 National Security Complex, and East Tennessee Technology Park, and they provide historical commentary on the transformation of the Oak Ridge Reservation during the past 65 years.

So far this season, 1,148 visitors from 43 states have participated in the summer tour, a press release said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Community, East Tennessee Technology Park, National Nuclear Security Administration, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge Office, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy, Y-12 National Security Complex Tagged With: American Museum of Science and Energy, AMSE, B&W Y-12, bus tours, DiAnn Fields, DOE, East Tennessee Technology Park, Lissa Clarke, National Nuclear Security Administration, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge Office, Oak Ridge Reservation, U.S. Department of Energy, UCOR, UT-Battelle, Y-12 National Security Complex, Y-12 Site Office

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