Safely Reducing Environmental Risks. We are cleaning up contaminated, unused facilities on the Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR). In addition to removing excess facilities, we maintain facilities across ORR that are waiting for disposition. We also provide critical upgrades to extend the life of active, but aging, facilities. This continues the same work done by the former UCOR from 2011 to 2022.
Latest Updates
from UCOR’s Social Media
We’re proud to share some key wins from our UCOR ORNL Nuclear Operations team in the first half of 2026!
Our teams completed major steps at the Molten Salt Reactor Experiment, kept important storage facilities running during upgrades, and safely processed more than 40 million gallons of water. They also supported multiple waste transfers and treatments.
These accomplishments show the hard work it takes to keep operations running safely every day. We’re ready to keep this momentum going through the rest of 2026!
#ORNL #UCOR #EnvironmentalCleanup #Safety #Teamwork #2026Progress
Meet Dakota Styles, a member of UCOR’s groundwater field. Dakota is one of five team leads for UCOR, plus she also co-chairs one of our 14 Local Safety Improvement Teams. Watch the video to learn about Dakota’s time as a chicken and how she accidentally ended up living in East Tennessee. youtu.be/Gpq3GVBvr60 #TeamUCOR #EmployeeStories #WorkforceSpotlight
Our team is making big progress at Oak Ridge National Laboratory! UCOR crews are working hard to safely clean up Building 3029, an old research lab, to make room for future scientific missions.
When our team found highly radioactive materials inside a sealed concrete room (called a hot cell), they immediately paused. We designed a step-by-step plan to handle the materials safely. Using remote-controlled cameras and long-reaching tools, our crews have already safely packaged and removed 10 of these 18 items!
This crucial work permanently reduces environmental risks and protects future demolition crews.
Check out the full story here to see how UCOR is transforming the site: www.energy.gov/em/articles/oak-ridge-identifies-and-removes-hazards-former-lab-slated-demo
#UCOR #OakRidge #EnvironmentalCleanup #CommunitySafety #ORNL
Meet Tim Foster, our D & D manager at the Oak Ridge National Lab. Tim started as a laborer at the East Tennessee Technology Park 14 years ago. Since that time, he has worked with all disciplines of craft. Tim has been married for 6 years. Together, he and his wife have three children, one grandchild, and 10 dogs. Watch the video to learn more about Tim: youtu.be/vlyYcl9X9Fw. #TeamUCOR #EmployeeStories #WorkforceSpotlight
What's New
Oak Ridge Identifies and Removes Hazards from Former Lab Slated for Demo
Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management (OREM) cleanup crews are removing radioactive materials from Building 3029, a legacy production lab at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The project represents a major risk-reduction effort in ORNL’s central campus. The work underway is paving the way for future demolition that opens space for important research missions.
What's New
Facility Moves Closer to D&D After Oak Ridge Removes 447 Legacy Containers
The Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management (OREM) has wrapped up a four-year risk reduction effort at a legacy facility after contractor United Cleanup Oak Ridge (UCOR) removed 447 containers of legacy waste from it, moving crews closer to the start of full-scale deactivation and eventual demolition. One of the largest structures at the Y-12 National Security Complex, Alpha-4 covers nearly 13 acres of land.
What's New
ORNL’s Isotope Row is Ready for Demolition Following Deactivation Work
Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management (OREM) crews have prepared a cluster of highly contaminated buildings for teardown on one of the most challenging footprints at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) after finishing deactivation work there. Located in the ORNL’s central campus, Isotope Row consists of 10 facilities constructed between the late 1940s and early 1960s that previously supported the laboratory’s isotopes program.
What's New
Cleanup Efforts Expand Across Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Central Campus
Cleanup progress continues across Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), where workers recently began preparing another facility for demolition as they remove hazards and pave the way for the next chapter of scientific discovery and innovation at the site. The Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management (OREM) and contractor United Cleanup Oak Ridge (UCOR) are characterizing and deactivating Building 3544, a former waste treatment plant, along with other infrastructure on the building’s footprint, including a wastewater plant.
Safety
We Strive to Set the Standard in Safety
Safety is always the top priority at UCOR. We are a DOE Voluntary Protection Program Star site, a designation given to only the safest sites in the DOE Complex. Our award-winning safety performance has earned us many accolades.
Employee involvement is a key aspect of our safety culture. We empower our workers to stop work if they see something questionable. We also have strong worker engagement program to ensure our team members feel safe in their work environment.
