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EAST TENNESSEE TECHNOLOGY PARK

KEY FACILITIES

Building K-1065, A through E, Waste Storage Buildings

The K-1065 waste storage buildings provided indoor storage for mixed waste from the pond waste management project (PWMP) mixed waste. This waste originated from the K-1407 B and C ponds, which received runoff from plating operations. Sludge dredged from the ponds was previously stored in drums in the K-1417 storage yard. Under PWMP, the drums were repackaged in 21st-Century containers and moved to the RCRA-compliant K-1065 buildings. The containers were in the process of being transported to the Envirocare facility in Utah for treatment and disposal, a process which was expected to be completed by 2003. As the buildings were emptied of the pond waste containers, the space was being filled with hazardous wastes removed from the vaults in the K-25 building as part of the waste management activities at K-25 Site. Although 9,500 tons of mixed waste was stored in the K-1065 buildings, it posed no significant environmental, safety, or health risk to workers or the general public. The drums were stored in accordance with requirements stated in 40 CFR 265 (RCRA), and the buildings were of recent and sound construction.

K-1066, Cylinder Yards

These outdoor facilities, constructed from the 1940s through the 1980s, stored several thousand steel cylinders containing uranium hexafluoride. The total quantity of radioactive and hazardous materials in the cylinders was significant. DNFSB Recommendation 95-1, "Improved Safety of Cylinders Containing Depleted Uranium," applied to this facility. Only a few workers were around the cylinders on a regular basis. The cylinder contents would pose a risk to the public in the event of a cylinder(s) breach caused by fire. While a single leaking cylinder would pose an insignificant environmental threat, these cylinders, in the aggregate, posed a significant environmental issue. The steel cylinders were subject to corrosion; a few had been patched for leaks. The cylinders had been exposed to the weather for 30 to 40 years, and most had serious corrosion damage in varying forms. Although there was an established cylinder inspection program, there were no long-term plans for cylinder disposal.

Cylinder removal was completed in FY 2007.

Buildings K-1407/1419, Central Neutralization Facility (CNF)

The Central Neutralization Facility (CNF), which served as the main wastewater treatment plant at ETTP, was being closed in the fall of 2007. Constructed in 1985, it treated all waste water, including radioactively contaminated water, for pH, heavy metals, and suspended solids to meet NPDES discharge limits. Wastes received at the facility were neutralized by adding sulfuric acid, sodium hydroxide, or hydrated lime, before being released into the environment. Several thousand gallons of sulfuric acid and several tons of hydrated lime were stored at the facility. These hazardous substances posed a risk of reversible health effects to workers in this and nearby facilities. The facility posed a small risk of negligible health effects to the public. Misoperation of the facility posed a negligible threat to the environment. Demolition of K-1407 was completed in January 2003.

Building K-1420, Decontamination and Uranium Recovery Facility

Building K-1420, constructed in late 1940s, occupies approximately 10,000 square feet. It was used for equipment decontamination, uranium recovery, and metal finishing. Most of the facility is shut down and awaiting final D&D. Amounts of special nuclear material (SNM) greater than 1 kg, as well as other radioactive, hazardous, and mixed wastes were present. Sumps were installed during its construction remove groundwater from the basement. Because of groundwater contamination, in August 1998 a CERCLA removal action to pump groundwater from the sumps was implemented. The sump has since been shut down and filled with grout.

Building K-1515, Water Treatment Plant

Building K-1515, constructed in late 1940s, operated as a water treatment plant. A significant quantity of liquid chlorine (two one-ton cylinders, greater than the threshold quantity of 29 CFR 1910.119) was present in the facility. Though normally unmanned, the lack of a modern containment system for the chlorine gas system was an environmental vulnerability.