K-25 Archives - Page 6 of 10

Wanted: ‘Calutron Girls’

Posted at 10:35 pm February 16, 2015
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

The famous â€œCalutron Girlsâ€ photograph by Manhattan Project photographer Ed Westcott that prompted Denise Kiernan to write the best-seller â€œThe Girls of Atomic City.â€

Submitted

Wanted! â€œCalutron Girlsâ€ who worked at Y-12 during the Manhattan Project.

The Japanese Public Broadcasting Corporation wants to produce a documentary film to commemorate the end of World War II. Their program director representative has contacted Y-12 National Security Complex Historian D. Ray Smith and wants to interview some women who worked on the calutrons at Y-12. [Read more…]

New DOE landfill could cost $1 billion, including construction, operations

Posted at 2:03 am February 13, 2015
By John Huotari 1 Comment

But it could also save $1 billion through on-site disposal, officials say

A new landfill that would hold waste from cleanup work at federal sites in Oak Ridge could cost $1 billion, a project manager said Wednesday. That start-to-finish estimate includes construction and 23 years of operations.

But federal officials said the new landfill could save $1 billion in on-site versus off-site costs. Thatâ€™s because the waste would be disposed on site and wouldnâ€™t have to be shipped out of town, possibly to other states such as Nevada and Utah.

Saving money through on-site disposal could, in turn, accelerate the cleanup work at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Y-12 National Security Complex, said Laura Wilkerson, federal project director for the Y-12 National Security Complex in the Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management.

The new landfill, the Environmental Management Disposal Facility, would be built on Bear Creek Road west of the Y-12 National Security Complex near another landfill that is already in use and has been operating since 2002. [Read more…]

Cange named cleanup manager at DOE Oak Ridge

Posted at 3:25 pm January 29, 2015
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

During a March 2014 tour, Sue Cange, center, gives Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam, right, an update on the then-almost completed demolition of the K-25 Building, which was once used to enrich uranium in west Oak Ridge. (File photo)

The U.S. Department of Energy announced Thursday that Sue Cange will serve as the new manager for DOEâ€™s Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management, Congressman Chuck Fleischmann said.

“Sue has a strong background in environmental management and has done a great job as acting manager,” said Fleischmann, a Tennessee Republican. “I look forward to continuing to work with her on nuclear cleanup in Oak Ridge.â€

Fleischmann is chair of the Nuclear Cleanup Caucus,Â a group of lawmakers who have U.S. Department of Energy cleanup sites in their districts. Fleischmannâ€™s district includes Oak Ridge. [Read more…]

DOE Oak Ridge environmental management employees retire

Posted at 12:24 am January 5, 2015
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Eddie Holden

Two U. S. Department of Energy Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management (OREM) employees retired last month after a combined 34 years of federal service.

Eddie Holden, a traffic management specialist for the Facilities Operations Division at OREM, retired on December 31 with 10 years of federal service.

Holden oversaw transportation activities for the agency, leading the effort to maintain compliance and keep hazardous materials off public roads and was responsible for the Haul Road Transportation Program, a press release said. He played a critical role in the development of DOEâ€™s Radio Frequency Identification Transportation System, used for paperless shipments and electronic tracking of vehicles, which cuts costs and improves security. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge fire chief selected to serve on state commission

Posted at 2:04 pm October 11, 2014
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Darryl Kerley

Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam has announced the appointment of Oak Ridge Fire Chief Darryl Kerley to the Commission on Firefighting Personnel Standards and Education as a representative of the Tennessee Fire Chiefâ€™s Association, the Tennessee Fire Safety Inspectors Association, and the Tennessee Firemanâ€™s Association.

The appointment is effective immediately and runs through July 31, 2020, a press release said.

Kerley has more than 37 yearsâ€™ experience in fire and emergency services, serving in various capacities for several East Tennessee agencies, including fire chief for the Seymour Volunteer Fire Department, rescue technician and diver for the Knoxville Rescue Squad, and fire chief for the U.S Department of Energy at the K-25 Gaseous Diffusion plant in Oak Ridge.

In a letter to Kerley, Haslam stated: â€œI consider it very important to ensure that Tennesseeâ€™s boards and commissions are filled with the most dedicated and qualified citizens. I believe your participation is certain to leave a positive impact on this board and the work it does.â€ [Read more…]

DOE to begin Building K-31 demolition on Wednesday

Posted at 1:36 pm October 2, 2014
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Workers began removing transite paneling from the outside of the K-31 Building at East Tennessee Technology Park earlier this year. (May 2014 DOE Photo/Lynn Freeny)

The U.S. Department of Energy will start demolishing Building K-31 at the East Tennessee Technology Park, the former K-25 site, on Wednesday afternoon, and reporters have been invited to witness the beginning of the work.

The event is meant to provides participants, including senior DOE and contractor leadership, a “firsthand look at the continuing cleanup and transformation at the East Tennessee Technology Park,” a media advisory said.

The K-25 site was built to enrich uranium for atomic bombs during the top-secret Manhattan Project in World War II. It’s been shut down since the mid-1980s, and ETTP is slowly being converted into a large industrial park.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

Today is Oak Ridge’s 72nd birthday

Posted at 2:43 pm September 19, 2014
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Women enriching uranium in calutrons at Y-12 as part of the top-secret Manhattan Project during World War II. (Photo by Ed Westcott)

It’s Oak Ridge’s birthday today, September 19.

Oak Ridge was picked for the top-secret Manhattan Project on September 19, 1942. That was the day 72 years ago when General Leslie GrovesÂ approved the acquisition of 59,000 acres of land along the Clinch River for what soon became the Manhattan Project, a federal effort to build the world’s first atomic bombs.

By the time President Roosevelt authorized the Manhattan Project on December 28, 1942, work on the East Tennessee site where the first production facilities were to be built was already under way.

Oak Ridge became the home of two uranium enrichment plants (K-25 and Y-12), a liquid thermal diffusion plant (S-50), and a pilot plutonium production reactor (X-10 Graphite Reactor). Groves approved Oak Ridge as the siteÂ for the pilot plutonium plant and the uranium enrichment plant in 1942.Â Manhattan Project engineers had to quickly build a town to accommodate 30,000 workersâ€”as well as build the enormously complex plants. [Read more…]

Roane candidates discuss DOE funding, airport, DARE, technology

Posted at 2:09 am July 25, 2014
By Sara Wise Leave a Comment

A large standing-room-only audience attends an election forum for Roane County candidates on Tuesday at Roane State Community College in Oak Ridge. (Photo by Sara Wise)

Roane County candidates in four contested racesâ€”county executive, sheriff, circuit court judge, and circuit court clerkâ€”discussed issues ranging from federal funding for U.S. Department of Energy work to anti-drug D.A.R.E. programs in local schools during a standing-room-only forum in Oak Ridge on Tuesday.

The forum was at Roane State Community College. Freelance reporter Sara Wise covered it for Oak Ridge Today. Hereâ€™s a summary of what the candidates said.

County Executive

County executive candidates Mike Farmer and incumbent Ron Woody both attended the forum.

When asked about the Plateau Partnership Park, Farmer said Roane County has â€œseveral million dollarsâ€ invested in the Roane Regional Business Technology Park. He said that this technology park, as well as the Plateau Partnership Park, is important to the county from an economic standpoint. [Read more…]

URS names new UCOR president, project manager

Posted at 1:41 am June 26, 2014
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Ken Rueter

URS Corporation has named new leaders at UCOR in Oak Ridge and SRR at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina.

Ken Rueter has been named president and project manager of UCOR, a partnership between URS and CH2M Oak Ridge LLC. TheÂ URS-led consortium is responsible for the cleanup of the U.S. Department of Energyâ€™s East Tennessee Technology Park, the former K-25 site, in Oak Ridge.

Rueter will become president and project manager on Aug. 1. He will replace Leo Sain, who willÂ lead the URS Decontamination and Decommissioning and Waste Management Strategic Business Group, which is based in Oak Ridge.

â€œKenâ€™s prior leadership in UCORâ€™s successful deactivation and decommissioning of the K-25 facility will be invaluable as we continue the D&D of the K-27 and K-31 gaseous diffusion facilities,” saidÂ Randall A. Wotring, president of federal services for URS. “I am confident he will build on the UCOR teamâ€™s recent accomplishments as well as his previous experiences at the East Tennessee Technology Park to ensure we continue to make safe progress for our DOE client.â€

In a press release, URS saidÂ Rueter has 26 years of experience in the nuclear industry focusing on high-hazard nuclear operations, project management and integration, construction, and risk management. In his new assignment, he will be the senior executive for UCOR responsible for all deactivation and decommissioning (D&D) activities at the East Tennessee Technology Park. He was previously president and project manager of Savannah River Remediation LLC, orÂ SRR, and prior to his role there, he was the chief operating officer for UCOR. [Read more…]

Workers prepare K-31 Building for demolition

Posted at 12:29 pm May 7, 2014
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Workers begin removing transite paneling from the outside of the K-31 Building at East Tennessee Technology Park. (DOE Photo/Lynn Freeny)

Preparing the building for demolition, workers on Tuesday began removing transite paneling from the outside of the K-31 Building at East Tennessee Technology Park.

The former gaseous diffusion building, which is about 1.5 million square feet,Â was once used to produce enriched uranium for defense and commercial purposes. It was permanently shut down in 1987.

UCOR, a partnership betweenÂ URS and CH2M Oak Ridge, is preparing the building for demolition, which is scheduled for later this year. Approximately 10,000 transite panels are expected to be removed during the next several months, a press release said. These panels are removed ahead of demolition because they contain asbestos and must be handled and treated with separate hazard abatement crews. [Read more…]

« Previous Page