For Immediate Release
Contact: Wayne McKinney
wayne.mckinney@ettp.doe.gov
(865) 576-6284
Oak Ridge, Tenn., June 13, 2012 – After 10 years of operation, the Environmental
Management Waste Management Facility (EMWMF) has safely dispositioned 1.45 million tons
of waste from cleanup projects across the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Oak Ridge
Reservation.
EMWMF, which is located near the Y-12 National Security Complex, began operating on May
28, 2002. This state-of-the-art, engineered disposal facility has a capacity of 2.18 million cubic
yards. It accepts a variety of wastes, including soil, sludge, sediments, vegetation, personal
protective equipment, scrap equipment, and building demolition debris.
Much of the building debris has come from demolition of several facilities at the East Tennessee
Technology Park (ETTP) as part of DOE transition of the site to a private-sector industrial park.
Some of the facilities demolished include the former gaseous diffusion buildings K-29, K-33,
and the largest building in the DOE Complex—the K-25 Building. Demolition continues on the
formerly mile-long K-25 Building, and most of the debris will be shipped to EMWMF. The
facility is linked to ETTP by an eight-mile haul road that was completed in 2006, keeping waste
shipments off public roadways.
“Having the facility on the Reservation has allowed DOE to clean up the environment at
tremendous savings to taxpayers,” said Jeff Grindstaff, EMWMF Operations Manager for URS |
CH2M Oak Ridge LLC (UCOR), which manages the facility. “Shipping this waste off site would
be very expensive and time-consuming, and it would also have required the material to travel on
public roadways.”
Disposal at EMWMF has helped DOE avoid approximately $1.35 billion in off-site disposal
costs, Grindstaff pointed out.
Safety has been a hallmark of EMWMF operations during the past 10 years. Personnel at the
facility have experienced no lost workday injuries and no environmental notices of violation
since operations began.
“The project’s safety and compliance records set high standards that are indicative of a
dedicated, focused work force,” said Leo Sain, UCOR President and Project Manager. “Working
10 years without a lost workday injury is truly a remarkable achievement.”
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While approximately 40-percent capacity still exists at EMWMF, DOE is already exploring
future alternatives for waste disposition when EMWMF reaches full capacity, such as building a
new facility on the Reservation.
UCOR is DOE’s Environmental Management cleanup contractor at the Oak Ridge Reservation.
The URS-led team is responsible for deactivation and demolition of the K-25 facility at ETTP, as
well as other specific aspects of work at ETTP, the Y-12 National Security Complex, and the
Oak Ridge National Laboratory.