For Immediate Release
Contact: Wayne McKinney
wayne.mckinney@ettp.doe.gov
(865) 576-6284
Oak Ridge, Tenn., Sept. 10, 2012 – The final shipment has been made of a stockpile of unusual waste
types stored at East Tennessee Technology Park (ETTP).
The classified, radioactive contaminated waste, which requires off-site disposal, was stored in Vault 1X
at the K-25 Building. It was generated onsite more than a decade ago.
In 2008, with the demolition of the K-25 Building approaching, a cleanup team was assembled to
characterize the types of wastes stored in the vault. This characterization information was used to
determine the best means of disposal. Much of the waste was separated, repackaged, and shipped to the
Nevada National Security Site (NNSS). The remainder, packaged in 177 containers, required treatment
before being disposed.
URS | CH2M Oak Ridge LLC (UCOR), the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge cleanup contractor,
established a turn-key contract with East Tennessee Materials and Energy Corporation (M&EC) to treat
the waste and dispose of it at NNSS.
“We ensured that the removal and transportation of this waste was done safely with a lot of
collaboration among UCOR, M&EC, and DOE,” said Mark Ferri, UCOR K-25 Project Manager.
“Removing these wastes brings us one step closer to being able to complete demolition of the facility.”
Vault 1X is located in a portion of the K-25 Building’s east wing that is not currently undergoing
demolition. Five units on the south end of the wing are contaminated with technetium-99, a slowdecaying
radioactive material, and further deactivation will be needed before that section can be
demolished. Demolition of the rest of the east wing is nearing completion, and workers are gearing up to
begin demolition of the north end, the only other portion of the building that remains standing.
The K-25 Building was a former gaseous diffusion facility built as part of the Manhattan Project. The
mile-long structure was shut down in the early 1960s.
In addition to deactivating and demolishing the K-25 Building, UCOR is responsible for other specific
scopes of work at ETTP, the Y-12 National Security Complex, and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
