Oak Ridge Today

Demolition starts on last of big five uranium-enriching buildings at K-25

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K-27-Demolition-Start-Feb-8-2016

A high-reach machine is used to start demolishing the four-story, 10-acre K-27 Building on Monday, Feb. 8, 2016. K-27 is the last of the big five uranium-enriching buildings at the former K-25 site, now known as East Tennessee Technology Park or Heritage Center. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Demolition started Monday on K-27, the last of the big five uranium-enriching buildings at the former K-25 site, and officials expect the work to be complete by the end of the year.

The five buildings—K-25, K-27, K-29, K-31, and K-33—once used a process called gaseous diffusion to enrich uranium for atomic weapons and commercial nuclear power plants. Officials credit them for helping to win World War II and end the Cold War, and for playing significant roles in technological developments and the nuclear industry.

The K-25 site, which is now known as East Tennessee Technology Park or Heritage Center, was built during World War II as part of the Manhattan Project, a top-secret federal program to build the world’s first nuclear weapons. The site is now slowly being converted into a large industrial park.

“The majority of the property will be reused,” said Ken Rueter, president and project manager for UCOR, or URS |CH2M Oak Ridge LLC, the U.S. Department of Energy’s cleanup contractor in Oak Ridge. [Read more…]

Williams named UCOR chief operating officer

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Fran-Williams

Fran Williams

Fran Williams has been selected as the chief operating officer for UCOR, the federal government’s cleanup contractor in Oak Ridge.

Williams will fill the position vacated last month by Matt Marston, who left to accept a senior management position within AECOM, one of the parent companies of UCOR, or URS|CH2M Oak Ridge LLC.

Williams is returning to UCOR, where she previously served as manager of Environment, Safety, Health, and Quality Assurance, a press release said. She retired in 2015 after overseeing UCOR’s successful designation as a Star site in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Voluntary Protection Program. Star status recognizes the safest operating sites in the nation.

She also helped set the company on a course to achieve more than five million work hours without a lost-time accident, the press release said. [Read more…]

Radionuclide levels dropping at Rarity Ridge Treatment Plant, but sludge shipments continue for now

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Ken Glass, Oak Ridge Public Works environmental compliance officer, said levels of technetium 99 in the wastewater system in west Oak Ridge are dropping, but it’s not clear how long UCOR might have to ship sludge from the Rarity Ridge Wastewater Treatment Plant to an out-of-state landfill. Above, Glass stands near a chlorine contact tank at the treatment plant on Monday, Jan. 4, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 9:55 a.m.

The radioactive nuclide that was first detected in the city’s wastewater lines more than two years ago near the demolition project at the former K-25 Building doesn’t affect drinking water, and it’s not believed to pose any threat to residents or municipal employees, officials said this month.

The levels of the radionuclide, technetium 99, are dropping at several measuring spots in the sewer system in west Oak Ridge, but it’s not clear how long UCOR, the federal government’s cleanup contractor, might have to ship sludge from the Rarity Ridge Wastewater Treatment Plant to an out-of-state landfill.

Officials said UCOR has already hauled away about 80,000 gallons of sludge using a 5,000-gallon tanker truck about once every one or two months since 2014. The sludge, which is about 3 percent to 4 percent solid, comes from a part of the plant known as a digester, and the shipments vary depending upon how much is processed at the plant each month.

Officials don’t know yet when the shipments might end. The sludge is now being taken to the Perma-Fix Northwest treatment facility in Richland, Washington. The last shipment was this month. [Read more…]

UCOR donates to United Way, Boys & Girls Club

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UCOR executives Harold Conner, left, and Ken Rueter, center, present a check to United Way of Anderson County representatives Gene Patterson, Naomi Asher, and Jim Dodson. (Submitted photo)

 

UCOR, the federal government’s cleanup contractor in Oak Ridge, recently donated about $30,000 to United Way of Anderson County and Boys and Girls Club of the Clinch Valley.

A $27,209 donation to United Way of Anderson County represented about one-quarter of the more than $100,000 raised in the company’s 2015 United Way Campaign.

UCOR donated $4,000 to the Boys and Girls Club of the Clinch Valley. The club serves an active membership of more than 750 youth from six to 17 years of age through extended services and programs. The contribution is in keeping with UCOR’s commitment to supporting local children’s advocacy programs, a press release said. [Read more…]

Demolition could start this year on K-27, last of five gaseous diffusion buildings

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The interior of the K-27 Building, which once enriched uranium through a process called gaseous diffusion, is pictured above on March 30, 2015. (DOE photo by Lynn Freeny)

 

Information from Oak Ridge Today and the January 2016 issue of “Advocate,” a publication of the Oak Ridge Site Specific Advisory Board

Demolition work could start early this year on the K-27 Building, the last of five gaseous diffusion buildings at the former K-25 site, now known as East Tennessee Technology Park or Heritage Center. The giant buildings were once used to enrich uranium for nuclear weapons and nuclear power plants, starting during World War II and continuing through the Cold War.

Deactivation work continues at the K-27 Building, preparing it for demolition. At the beginning of December, deactivation of the building was more than 96 percent complete. Workers continue to remove transite paneling on the building, but that job is 80 percent complete.

Sue Cange, manager of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management, has previously said that demolition work could start on the building in early 2016 and be complete by the end of the year.

Demolition work on the former K-31 Building, the fourth of the five buildings to be demolished, was completed in June. [Read more…]

UCOR repairs water leak at Oak Ridge Research Reactor at ORNL

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Workers turn off the valves after draining of the pool was completed at the Oak Ridge Research Reactor at ORNL. (Photo by UCOR)

 

Workers have repaired a water leak at the Oak Ridge Research Reactor at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, officials said this week.

The completion of the work was announced by UCOR, a federal cleanup contractor and partnership between URS and CH2M Oak Ridge LLC.

The seep was detected in the reactor’s pool in September 2014. While it did not pose any immediate dangers to workers or the environment, it prompted quick action by the U.S. Department of Energy, which oversees ORNL. DOE asked UCOR, its prime cleanup contractor, to develop and implement a solution to remedy the seep, a press release said. [Read more…]

Radioactive components removed from former reactor at ORNL

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Group Photo Radioactive Components Reactor Pool

Federal and contractor employees who worked on the project to remove irradiated components from a reactor pool gather to watch the transport of the shipment offsite for disposition. (Photo courtesy DOE Office of EM)

 

Water was found seeping from a pool at a former reactor at Oak Ridge National Laboratory one year ago, and in August, workers removed four irradiated components from the pool that produced about 96 percent of the radiation, federal officials said Thursday.

The four irradiated components weigh about 200 pounds each, said the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management, or EM.

Water was found seeping from the reactor pool at the Oak Ridge Research Reactor during a routine inspection in September 2014. The facility, also known as Building 3042, is one of hundreds of Manhattan Project and Cold War-ear structures across the Oak Ridge Reservation monitored by the Oak Ridge Office of EM.

Nuclear research had not been conducted at the facility since 1988, but it still contained the highly irradiated components from those operations. The leak was causing the pool to lose the water that served as a protective, shielding agent for the irradiated components, officials said. [Read more…]

Photos: Oak Ridge Velo Classic bike races, bike rodeo

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Oak Ridge Velo Classic Men Pro/I Race 2015

Organizers of the annual Oak Ridge Velo Classic describe the criterium races as being like NASCAR on bikes. Above is the Men Pro/I race on Sunday, July 26, 2015, at Horizon Center. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

A bicycle racing event in Oak Ridge this past weekend (July 25 and 26) featured three types of races, a Family Wellness Festival, and a Kids Bike Rodeo. It was the URS-CH2M Oak Ridge LLC (UCOR) Oak Ridge Velo Classic.

There were three types of races that included 13 categories of competitors. Road races and time trials were staged from the parking area of the East Tennessee Technology Park on Saturday, July 25, and the criterium races were held at the Horizon Center on Sunday. This year’s criterium races—which are very much like “NASCAR on bikes”—were designated the state championships by the Tennessee Bicycle Racing Association.

The race promoters expected almost 400 competitors for the two-day event. Riders came from as far away as Florida and Ohio.

The Velo Classic also featured a Family Wellness Festival at the Horizon Center that kicked off with a noncompetitive Family Fun Ride on Sunday morning. The Wellness Festival included a Kids Bike Rodeo. [Read more…]

UCOR recognizes small businesses at awards ceremony

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Karen Reeve and Tim Melberg

Karen Reeve, UCOR small business manager, and Tim Melberg, UCOR supply chain manager, present the 2015 UCOR Small Business Awards. (Photo courtesy UCOR)

 

UCOR, the U.S. Department of Energy’s cleanup contractor for the Oak Ridge Reservation, presented awards to seven small businesses at its annual Small Business Awards ceremony, held Monday, July 27, at the Double Tree Hotel in Oak Ridge.

The categories and winners are: [Read more…]

Velo Classic on July 25, 26 to feature bike races, Wellness Fest, Kids Bike Rodeo

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Oak Ridge Criterium

A picture from a previous Criterium race in Oak Ridge. (Submitted photo)

 

A bicycle racing event in Oak Ridge on July 25 and 26 will feature three types of races, a Family Wellness Festival, and a Kids Bike Rodeo.

It’s the URS-CH2M Oak Ridge LLC (UCOR) Oak Ridge Velo Classic.

Three types of races that include 13 categories of competitors will be offered. The road races and time trials will be staged from the parking area of the East Tennessee Technology Park beginning at 9 a.m., Saturday, July 25, and the criterium races will be held at the Horizon Center beginning at 8:30 a.m., Sunday, July 26. This year’s criterium races—which are very much like “NASCAR on bikes”—have been designated the state championships by the Tennessee Bicycle Racing Association.

The race promoters expect almost 400 competitors for the two-day event. The Comfort Inn is the official race hotel and is offering special rates to out-of-town competitors. Early race packet pickup will be held at a reception on Friday evening, July 24, poolside at the Comfort Inn. [Read more…]

Companies contributing $500K to Main Street Oak Ridge wanted to help

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Ray Evans

Ray Evans

Note: This story was last updated at 7 p.m.

The six companies contributing $500,000 for public infrastructure at Main Street Oak Ridge approached the city and volunteered to help, a consultant said Friday.

The companies are Methodist Medical Center; Oak Ridge Associated Universities; UCOR, a federal cleanup contractor; Restoration Services Inc., a cleanup contractor; Consolidated Nuclear Security, which manages and operates Y-12 National Security Complex; and UT-Battelle, which operates and manages Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

The companies understand how important the project is to the city and to them, said Ray Evans, retail consultant for the City of Oak Ridge.

“They approached us and said, ‘How can we help?'” Evans said. “They just want to ensure the success of this project.” [Read more…]

Six employers pledge $500,000 for Main Street Oak Ridge infrastructure

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Warren Gooch

Warren Gooch

Six Oak Ridge employers have pledged $500,000 to support public infrastructure at Main Street Oak Ridge, the $80 million redevelopment of the former Oak Ridge Mall.

Officials said it shows unprecedented community support for the project.

The six companies are Methodist Medical Center; Oak Ridge Associated Universities; UCOR, a federal cleanup contractor; Restoration Services Inc., a cleanup contractor; Consolidated Nuclear Security, which manages and operates Y-12 National Security Complex; and UT-Battelle, which operates and manages Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

“All Oak Ridgers realize the successful development of the Main Street town center project is of critical importance not only to the citizens of the City of Oak Ridge and the business community but to the region in general,” Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch said. “We appreciate these great corporate citizens stepping up the plate to help make Main Street Oak Ridge a reality.”

Tim Sittema

Tim Sittema

Project executives said critical final decisions are being made on the ramp-up to the project.

The relocation and reconstruction of public infrastructure such as Wilson Street and the two Main Streets are key elements of the project and the Oak Ridge City Council and the Industrial Development Board have pledged $1.5 million toward these improvements. According to the city’s consultants, costs will exceed this amount, so the corporate pledges are a welcomed addition to the development’s financial backing, a press release said.

[Read more…]