EAST TENNESSEE TECHNOLOGY PARK
Recent History
Oak Ridge Office (ORO) sites were previously operated by Lockheed Martin Energy Systems (LMES). OR had also established the K-25 Site Office (KSO) to oversee contractor activities at K-25. In the mid- to late-1990s, KSO had 15 employees who reported to the KSO Manager. The KSO Manager reported to the DOE OR Manager through the Assistant Manager for Environmental Management. In addition, K-25 was a landlord site of the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Environmental Management (EM). In the late 1990s, the primary mission of K-25 was to support the missions of the EM and Enrichment Facilities business unit and other tenants at the site safely, reliably, and efficiently. The site accomplished its mission by providing programmatic and technical support (including many contractor central staff functions), maintaining the infrastructure by securing and operating under the requirements of permits and technical agreements with regulatory agencies, and directly contributing in special EM and Enrichment Facilities focus areas, such as the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Mixed Waste Incinerator.
The budget request for fiscal year 1997 was $140 million. In May 1994, 3,878 employees were onsite. The total reached 5,815 when Department of Energy (DOE) personnel, MK-Ferguson employees, and subcontractor personnel, K-25 Site employees at other DOE sites or townsite facilities, and Y-12 and Oak Ridge National Laboratory personnel located at K-25 were included. On June 27, 1994, the Secretary of Energy announced that, as of December 31, 1993, there were approximately 1.5 metric tons of highly enriched uranium at K-25; almost all of which remains in piping and components of the gaseous diffusion plants.
When the K-25 mission changed from uranium enrichment to environmental management, need to provide interim storage of waste and to renovate aging facilities emerged. Large amounts of low-level radioactive and mixed waste were stored in the Building K-25 vaults. Buildings K-25, K-27, K-29, K-31, and K-33 also contained hazardous and mixed wastes. Cylinders containing uranium hexafluoride were stored outside and are exposed to the elements. Breached cylinders had released some uranium hexafluoride to the environment in the past. According to the site emergency plan, the total amount of uranium hexafluoride stored at K-25 was estimated at more than 60,000 tons in the late 1990s. This material was stored in several yards, generally segregated by size of containers and contents. However, these areas lacked engineering controls to minimize the potential for environmental release, and the condition of the yards and containers is deteriorating. Consequently, there was a reliance on administrative controls (e.g., inspections and testing for container integrity) to maintain safety.
In October 1995, employee concerns were initiated regarding exposure to cyanide at K-25. Despite a large number of samples taken by K-25 personnel, none of which detected the presence of cyanide on any sampling medium, several employees claimed that their concerns were not being adequately addressed by their employer. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) was brought in to conduct an independent investigation. The situation was covered by both print and television news media. NIOSH concluded that a relationship could not be established between the health problems reported by employees at the K-25 site and chronic, occupational cyanide intoxication because the employees at the K-25 site were not occupationally exposed to compounds containing the CN ion. This information was presented during a public meeting held July 11, 1996.
The Departmental "Complex Wide Review of DOE's Low Level Waste Management ES&H Vulnerabilities" report, published in May 1996, cited Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR) as having special-case waste with no path forward for disposition. Special-case wastes and some higher-activity wastes were being stored in generator facilities, such as hot cells. These wastes had not been characterized due to a lack of a plan for disposal. ORR was also cited as one of the sites within the complex where low level waste (LLW) was being stored under inadequate conditions. Specifically, the report cited continuing releases from waste storage pads (waste storage pads and scrap metal storage areas), a process and tracking system that is not fully developed, uncharacterized legacy waste, and inadequate emergency management planning for the effects of natural phenomenon.
On November 20, 1996, officials of the DOE continued workforce restructuring and announced the reduction of up to 1,680 prime contractor jobs at the three Oak Ridge facilities. The reductions affected environmental management, defense programs and energy research and development at DOE's K-25 Site, Y-12 Plant, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
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