EM Los Alamos Field Office has reached a significant stage in a key project for the legacy cleanup mission at Los Alamos National Laboratory by beginning offsite shipments of transuranic waste from previously buried corrugated metal pipes for permanent disposal. June 10, 2025
Office of Environmental Management
June 10, 2025
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U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management Los Alamos Field Office and Newport News Nuclear BWXT-Los Alamos leadership and waste operations crew observe the first corrugated metal pipe transuranic waste stream shipment at Technical Area 54, Area G, at Los Alamos National Laboratory.
LOS ALAMOS, N.M. — The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Environmental Management (EM) Los Alamos Field Office (EM-LA) has reached a significant stage in a key project for the legacy cleanup mission at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) by beginning offsite shipments of transuranic waste from previously buried corrugated metal pipes (CMPs) for permanent disposal.
EM-LA and legacy cleanup contractor Newport News Nuclear BWXT-Los Alamos (N3B) have completed the first CMP waste stream shipment to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), near Carlsbad, New Mexico. It consisted of three standard waste boxes (SWBs). Due to the size of each CMP section, only one CMP section per SWB can be shipped.
“I would like to thank N3B on this major accomplishment — shipping legacy transuranic waste to WIPP is paramount to the success of the LANL legacy cleanup mission,” said Jessica Kunkle, EM-LA manager. “I would also like to extend my gratitude to the WIPP Central Characterization Program team, which is instrumental in completing the characterization and certification process necessary to meet the WIPP waste acceptance criteria for shipments to WIPP.”
During mobile loading at Technical Area 54, Area G, a standard waste box with one corrugated metal pipe section of transuranic waste is put into a special container known as a TRUPACT for shipment to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant.
Mark Bollinger, manager of the EM Carlsbad Field Office, which manages WIPP, said the shipments to the underground waste repository require collaboration among several DOE entities.
“We appreciate how important the disposal of legacy transuranic waste is, including the CMPs from LANL, to the residents of northern New Mexico,” Bollinger said. “The entire process to prepare the waste takes very close coordination and we are proud to play our part in ensuring this legacy waste is disposed of safely and efficiently.”
A total of 158 CMPs with transuranic waste were buried at LANL’s Technical Area 54, Area G, in 1986. They contained cemented radioactive liquid waste from a former LANL radioactive liquid waste treatment facility that operated during the Cold War era. Each CMP measured approximately 20 feet long and weighed between 10,000 and 14,000 pounds.
Newport News Nuclear BWXT-Los Alamos waste operations crew members prepare the first corrugated metal pipe (CMP) transuranic waste stream shipment for permanent disposal at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant. Each TRUPACT, which is a special container, holds one standard waste box with one CMP section.
In 2022, N3B began retrieving the buried CMPs at Area G. The CMP project marks the first time N3B has addressed buried legacy transuranic waste at LANL.
After retrieval, CMPs were transported to Dome 375 for size-reduction using a hydraulic shear, which was encased in a structure designed to prevent release of contamination to workers and the outside environment. Each CMP was cut into five sections for loading into SWBs for shipment and disposal. In addition, a significant amount of safety planning and practice work was performed prior to starting size-reduction.
CMP size-reduction resulted in 792 SWBs of transuranic waste stored at Area G. The SWBs will go through several stages of characterization to confirm they are safe to ship and compliant for disposal at WIPP. Once certified, the SWBs are loaded into special containers, known as TRUPACTs, for shipment. EM-LA anticipates a steady momentum of CMP waste shipments to WIPP.
“One of our main areas of work is reducing the remaining legacy radioactive waste inventories at LANL,” N3B President and General Manager Brad Smith said. “The CMP project is the first time we have tackled buried waste at this scale, and I am proud of the N3B employees who played a role in the retrieval, size-reduction and now disposal of this material. Not only does this help us continue making progress, but it will provide important lessons learned as we plan how to address other types of legacy waste at LANL.”
-Contributors: Stephanie Gallagher, Mike Nartker
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