PIKE COUNTY, Ohio – Senior Advisor William “Ike” White and other EM officials recently visited the Portsmouth Site to observe demolition and disposal activities associated with the cleanup program’s mission.

The officials viewed activities at and near the X-326 process building demolition project, which will result in the site’s first major skyline change. Teardown of the half-mile-long building — an EM priority for 2022 — is expected to be finished this summer. They also were briefed on demolition safety and the project’s air monitoring network.

The group traveled on the new Haul Road, which is used to transport demolition debris to the Onsite Waste Disposal Facility. They also stopped at the X-231B landfill, one of five landfills and plumes EM will excavate as fill for the disposal facility. The X-740 groundwater plume excavation was completed in 2021. Once all excavation is complete, up to 1,000 acres of land will be available for beneficial reuse.

The EM group also met with local officials from Scioto County and the Scioto Valley Council of Governments. They discussed demolition, public health and safety, and other topics regarding Portsmouth deactivation and decommissioning.