Partners: EM, Naval Reactors Address Legacy Facilities at Bettis Laboratory

The CX and CY buildings at Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory.

EM selects demolition for C-Area facilities following public meeting on potential cleanup work

WEST MIFFLIN, Pa. — The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Environmental Management (EM) will demolish two buildings and address potentially contaminated soil in the project footprint in the Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory’s C-Area, where legacy facilities were used to support design and development of nuclear propulsion systems for the U.S. Navy.

The work is part of a broader partnership between EM and DOE Office of Naval Reactors (NR) to address legacy facilities at the Bettis Laboratory.

EM recently issued an action memorandum that selects demolition for the CX and CY buildings. The cleanup program had evaluated multiple alternatives for the C-Area Engineering Evaluation/Cost Analysis (EE/CA), which was issued for a 30-day public review and comment period on Sept 4. The public provided comments on EM’s evaluation of C-Area cleanup alternatives.

EM and NR held a public meeting to discuss the project on Sept. 18. Team members briefed community members, regulators and officials from the borough of West Mifflin on their partnership to address the legacy facilities.

EM Project Manager Matt Young hosted the public meeting in West Mifflin’s Administration Building. Joined by NR Project Officer David Harper, Young guided attendees through the history of the CX and CY buildings and the EE/CA, which documents removal options for the buildings, which are currently unused but maintained by NR.

According to the EE/CA, demolition, listed as Alternative 3, is the most effective and protective alternative that is permanent, eliminates risks and allows NR to meet and adapt to changing mission needs at the Bettis Laboratory.

“Empowering the people of West Mifflin with the information they needed to have a voice in this project was of critical importance to me as EM’s project manager,” Young said. “We are proud to bring EM’s expertise in cleanup, and to support NR and the Bettis Laboratory community in evaluating options, and now to address these old spaces safely and efficiently.”

The public meeting was part of the broader EM Community Involvement Plan, issued this past summer, as well as EM efforts to gather comments and community feedback on options to remove the two facilities.

The action memorandum and all project documents and details are available here.

EM expects to start C-Area demolition preparation early next year.

-Contributor: Stephanie Shewmon