West Valley Workers Continue Cleanup Progress by Demolishing Legacy Building

In the first photo, crews take the “first bite” of the Replacement Ventilation Unit building at the West Valley Demonstration Project. The second photo shows the building’s footprint following the safe and successful demolition. The site’s Fuel Receiving and Storage Facility is shown in the background. That facility is slated for demolition in the future.

WEST VALLEY, N.Y. — The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management (EM) has brought down a building containing a ventilation system that once served the Main Plant Process Building, which crews tore down last year in the largest, most complex demolition of a radioactively contaminated facility at the West Valley Demonstration Project.

Construction of the Replacement Ventilation Unit (RVU) building took place in the mid-2010s after crews took the Main Plant’s ventilation systems out of service during deactivation work due to their filters being highly contaminated. However, ventilation was still necessary for contamination control during deactivation, which led to the creation of the RVU.

The RVU building was a 1,015-square-foot, single-floor metal building containing two HEPA ventilation and filter systems with a single discharge stack.

“Training, planning and understanding are vital to ensuring a safe and efficient worksite,” EM West Valley Office of Project Management Assistant Director Stephen Bousquet said. “Our team works step by step to ensure safety of our entire crew and community.”

Following planning and training, crews recently demolished the RVU building and loaded debris from the teardown into containers to ship offsite for safe disposal.

“The West Valley team is extraordinary. It is rewarding to see everyone come together to create and execute a safe, successful plan,” said Jason Casper, president and program manager for EM contractor West Valley Cleanup Alliance. “This project and progression would not be possible without each department and employee here at West Valley.”

Successful demolitions continue to reduce environmental risks and allow for the progression of cleanup. Next up is the teardown of the Fuel Receiving and Storage Facility following planning and preparations. That building was used from 1965 to 1972 to receive and store used nuclear fuel before it was reprocessed to recover reusable plutonium and uranium.

-Contributor: Sarah Morris