The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) invites public comment on the Proposed Plan for an Interim Record of Decision for Groundwater in the Main Plant Area at the East Tennessee Technology Park in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The document is available for public comment from April 5, 2023 - May 19, 2023.
The Proposed Plan identifies enhanced in situ bioremediation (EISB) as DOE’s preferred alternative to remediate six specific areas of groundwater in the Main Plant Area of the East Tennessee Technology Park. EISB is a method that involves using microorganisms to reduce contamination levels in these specific areas of groundwater. For these six areas, workers have excavated, or will excavate, the primary sources of contamination. The Proposed Plan proposes to follow that soil excavation work with active treatment of the residual contamination that remains below the groundwater table. Land use controls will continue under the Interim Record of Decision.
The alternatives evaluated for the six groundwater plumes are:
• No action
• In situ thermal treatment that heats the groundwater to vaporize the contaminants
• EISB that uses microorganisms to reduce contamination levels
• In situ soil mixing, along with EISB. This involves adding chemicals to reduce migration in shallow areas and using EISB in deeper areas
Public meeting
DOE is hosting a public meeting about this topic on April 25, 2023, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the TownePlace Suites, located at 300 South Rutgers Avenue, Oak Ridge, Tennessee. At this meeting, DOE will provide information about the Proposed Plan and listen to your views about the plans for this groundwater cleanup action.
How to share comments
You can submit written comments on the Proposed Plan from April 5, 2023 - May 19, 2023. Formal comments should be written and submitted to:
OakRidgeEM@orem.doe.gov
or
Mr. Roger Petrie
OREM FFA Project Manager
P.O. Box 2001
Oak Ridge, TN 37831