As a part of continued cleanup and closure at the ETTP Heritage Center, approximately 100 pieces of heavy equipment used as part of our D&D and remedial action activities were deemed excess due to the end of equipment’s life expectancy and being radiologically contaminated.
The baseline assumption was for all equipment to be radiologically surveyed for offsite disposal. The Excess Equipment team worked closely with UCOR Waste Management and Radiological Controls to identify a process that would allow each piece of equipment to be downsized and characterized using radiological surveys only.
This streamlined method of characterization prevented the need to cut and have a laboratory analyze hundreds of coupon samples, resulting in significant cost savings. Additionally, the streamlined characterization method allowed a significant portion of the waste to be segregated for disposal at ORR Landfill, eliminating packaging and long-haul transportation cost to NNSS. The overall costs savings is expected to be approximately $3 million.
To date, the Excess Equipment team has completed 103 shipments comprised of 157 items of waste to the ORR Landfill, and only 21 shipments comprised of 104 items going offsite. The project is scheduled to be completed at the end of December.
