LOS ALAMOS, N.M. – A sewage treatment facility is among the latest buildings to be demolished at Technical Area 21 (TA-21), a pivotal Manhattan Project and Cold War site at Los Alamos National Laboratory.
January 14, 2016
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The sewage treatment facility before demolition.
Debris from the sewage treatment facility.
Site of the demolished sewage treatment facility.
LOS ALAMOS, N.M. – A sewage treatment facility is among the latest buildings to be demolished at Technical Area 21 (TA-21), a pivotal Manhattan Project and Cold War site at Los Alamos National Laboratory.
“The demolition work being done at TA-21 reflects the EM commitment to reduce risk and complete cleanup. We will continue to reach our target milestones in a safe manner and look forward to achieving our site goal,” Environmental Management Los Alamos Field Office (EM-LA) Manager Doug Hintze said.
Led by EM-LA, specialists from EM contractor Los Alamos National Security and subcontractor ARS International cleared a quarter acre of historic structures, preparing the land for the eventual transfer to Los Alamos County.
The team employed a variety of deactivation and decommissioning procedures to demolish the sewage treatment facility and several outlying buildings, sand filter and sludge drying beds, and an outfall structure. An excavator and concrete breaker were used for much of the work, which took four weeks to complete.
Roofing materials with traces of asbestos were disposed at a permitted facility. Other materials were recycled and disposed as construction and demolition debris based on the results of a multi-agency radiation survey and materials and equipment assessment conducted before and during demolition.