‘Animal’ Sightings at the Savannah River Site’s Waste Treatment Facilities

AIKEN, S.C. – Rabbits, pigs and snakes are found in the waste treatment facilities at the Savannah River Site (SRS) — but not the kind requiring calls to animal control.

   The Defense Waste Processing Facility's (DWPF) “rabbits” aren’t the typical fuzzy variety; instead, they are hard, white plastic and metal cylinders produced onsite by SRR machinists. They are used for testing for radioactive contamination on the outside of filled decontaminated canisters.    

   These nicknamed tools help employees in the DWPF and Saltstone Production Facility (SPF) access areas humans cannot enter. These facilities are part of the complex operated by the SRS liquid waste contractor, Savannah River Remediation (SRR).

   After a canister is filled with vitrified, or solidified, waste, it is plugged and decontaminated. Before the canister can be welded closed, it must pass the rabbits’ smear test. Up to five rabbits are shot through a tubular maze into the facility’s canyon for each test. Once inside, the rabbits are controlled remotely by a manipulator, which allows the rabbit’s human counterparts to have complete control of the smear test from behind a four-foot concrete wall. 

   “Pigs” help clean up messes in SPF. They are rubber balls used to clean low-level grout lines after waste processing. The balls are pneumatically launched into the grout transfer line by compressed air and scrape the sides of the pipeline, pushing debris and grout out to avoid buildup. 

   Rounding out the menagerie, “snakes” are used in the DWPF laboratory. These motorized augurs use long cables with grinding teeth attached to the ends. Once the snake is manually fed into a blocked pipe, the teeth rotate to grind away the blockage. 

   These animals are more than just helpful; they’re essential components of SRR’s mission to safely and successfully disposition liquid waste.