Two More SRS Tanks Ready for Sampling, Analysis on Road to Closure

The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management and liquid waste contractor Savannah River Mission Completion completed preliminary cease waste removal for Tanks 11 and 15 in H Tank Farm at the Savannah River Site ahead of schedule.

AIKEN, S.C. — The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Environmental Management (EM) has received regulatory concurrence that the Savannah River Site (SRS) has successfully removed waste from two more tanks ahead of schedule, marking another major cleanup milestone.

Tanks 11 and 15 are the fourth and fifth waste tanks in 12 months to meet the milestone of preliminary cease waste removal (PCWR) regulatory approval, seven and 19 months ahead of schedule, respectively.

PCWR is a regulatory milestone for old-style tanks at SRS that designates agreement among the South Carolina Department of Environmental Services, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and DOE that, based on preliminary information from the waste removal activities completed, there is reasonable assurance that performance objectives for tank closure will be met.

This concurrence also means that work can begin on the sampling and analysis phase for these tanks as part of the tank closure process. This next phase will verify these conclusions, based on laboratory analysis of any remaining material, and final residual volume determination, prior to stabilization and final isolation of the waste tank.

Savannah River Mission Completion (SRMC) is EM’s liquid waste contractor responsible for safely treating and disposing of the millions of gallons of waste remaining in the underground tanks at SRS, as well as closing the tanks.

Tony Robinson, EM acting assistant manager for waste disposition at SRS, said each PCWR milestone completed is further proof that EM is committed to employing the highest standards of safety and innovation in the Department’s cleanup efforts.

"Ensuring the safe and effective removal of radioactive liquid waste from our storage tanks is a critical step in the tank closure process,” Robinson said. “This action not only reduces the environmental risk but also protects the health and safety of our communities and future generations.”

Mike Borders, SRMC chief operations officer, said SRMC is setting an impressive pace on the track to tank closure.

“Savannah River Mission Completion has been delivering results related to the goals we’ve set for our mission,” Borders said. “Removing waste from and cleaning five tanks in 12 months shows that we are serious about reducing operational and environmental risk. We are leveraging this momentum to empty and clean more tanks this year.”

SRMC has also completed PCWR on Tank 4, Tank 9, and Tank 10 — all 7 months to a year ahead of the agreed-upon deadlines.

This important tank closure milestone is outlined in the SRS Federal Facility Agreement. The agreement establishes a procedural framework, including liquid waste tank milestone agreements, such as the schedule for waste removal and operational tank closures, and other site cleanup priorities.

-Contributor: Colleen Hart