Priorities

Near term-priorities

At ETTP, demolition of the enormous K-25 building is ongoing. 48 of the building’s 54 units were removed, including the entire west wing and north tower. All that remains are six highly contaminated units of the east wing, which are undergoing pre-demolition activities. The K-27 demolition project is also underway, although actual demolition has not begun. Completing demolition on these large facilities is one of our highest priorities and moves us closer to completing cleanup at ETTP. Currently, we anticipate the K-25 project to finish in FY 2015 and the K-27 project to conclude in FY 2019.

At Y-12, mercury is our greatest concern and priority. To reduce or prevent off-site migration from Y-12 through Upper East Fork Poplar Creek waters, we are in plans to construct a water treatment facility known as Outfall 200 Mercury Treatment Facility. We have already designed this proposed facility on a conceptual level. Full design and construction of the facility is scheduled to begin in FY 2015, with startup scheduled in FY 2019.

At ORNL, we will continue our focus to on two major on-going projects, Uranium-233 disposition and transuranic waste processing and disposition. When complete, these projects will eliminate significant environmental and radiological threats from the laboratory’s campus. These projects will continue to be a high priority through their anticipated completion.

Mid-term priorities

Currently, we anticipate completing U-233 disposition in FY 2024 and transuranic waste processing and disposition in FY 2023. We also project completing cleanup and closure of ETTP in FY 2024.

In FY 2021, we will begin demolishing the four major mercury-use facilities at Y-12— Beta 4, Alpha 2, Alpha 4, and Alpha 5. Demolishing these four facilities and the accompanying soil remediation is estimated to last nearly twenty years, stretching into the long-term. These actions will address major mercury sources at Y-12 and ultimately reduce the mercury flux leaving the site. The projects are listed in order of their estimated start:

• Beta 4 Complex D&D and Remedial Action  (FY 2021)
• Alpha 5 Complex D&D and Remedial Action (FY 2022)
• Alpha 4 Complex D&D and Remedial Action (FY 2023)
• Alpha 2 Complex D&D and Remedial Action (FY 2028)

ORNL’s central campus facility demolition is also scheduled to begin within the mid-term time frame in FY 2024. Removing the Central Gaseous Stack from service drives the central campus priority. Multiple facilities are currently connected to the stack. 11 facility complexes are scheduled for demolition within the central campus, and of those, eight are connected to the gaseous system.

Long-term priorities

Our long-term priorities encompass projects from FY 2030 until we complete Oak Ridge’s cleanup in FY 2046. This work encompasses completing mercury demolition and remediation projects at Y-12, completing central campus work scope, and completing all of the remaining scope at the two sites.