Sampling Paves Way for More Cleanup at West Valley Former Main Plant Site

Workers at the West Valley Demonstration Project use a boring machine to remove soil samples for radiological characterization at the West Valley Demonstration Project. The sampling is being conducted prior to remediating the soil at the former location of the Main Plant Process Building, which cleanup crews removed in June.

WEST VALLEY, N.Y. — Workers have laid the groundwork to assess contamination levels before completing further cleanup at the site of the Main Plant Process Building, which crews safely took down earlier this year in a major milestone for the West Valley Demonstration Project.

The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management (EM) and contractor West Valley Cleanup Alliance (WVCA) finished boring all 28 holes to evaluate soil contamination levels prior to remediating the soil and demolishing remaining components of the Main Plant, which are located at ground level and below ground.

“The West Valley team continues to make progress on reducing the environmental legacy risks and footprint of the site in a safe and compliant manner,” said Stephen Bousquet, EM assistant director of West Valley’s Office of Project Management. “Our crews did an excellent job in their planning and safe execution of this work.”

The EM team screened each sample from the borings for radiation, and safely shipped them offsite for more specific isotopic analysis.

Like a scientific fingerprint, isotopic analysis sheds light on the sample’s origin, composition and history. The West Valley team will use this information to better plan and design soil remediation work scope in Waste Management Area-1, where the five-story, 35,100-square-foot Main Plant had stood before crews removed more than 70 sections and areas of the facility in a deliberate sequence and pace.

“Prior to the start of this work activity, crews walked through the process together and improved it based on shared feedback, lessons learned and best practices,” Daniel Way, WVCA Decontamination and Decommissioning manager, said of the follow-up work at the Main Plant site. “Sharing information and expertise among a team enhances safety and increases efficiency and productivity. It is what teamwork is all about.”

-Contributor: Joseph Pillittere