|
Remember When There Was One
 It all started in 1950, when President Truman sent a formal letter to DuPont, specifically requesting their expertise for the design and construction of a new atomic project. The decision was then made to build the nuclear facility in South Carolina, later to be called the "Savannah River Plant" (SRP). The SRP mission, under just one contract, was primarily military to produce tritium, and secondarily to produce plutonium and other special nuclear materials, including Pu-238. The first production reactor, R Reactor went critical three (3) years later in 1953. Five dedicated production reactors were ultimately built at the SRP and began operation between 1953 and 1955. In 1987, DuPont notified the Department of Energy (DOE) that it would not continue to operate and manage SRP. During this 37-year period, Savannah River had been operated under just one contract for a one-dollar profit and the reimbursement of allowable costs over the course of several contract extensions. In 1980, SRP was renamed Savannah River Site (SRS) and in 1983, Wackenhut Services Incorporated (WSI) began providing security support services at SRS under a separate contract. In 1989, Westinghouse Savannah River Company (WSRC) assumed all management and operation of SRS facilities, except for the security support services, but still was basically just one contract. The new contractor would also operate the plant for profit. Then in 2006, after more than 15 years, DOE decided to split the WSRC contract into two new separate contracts, i.e. the M&O Contract, which included operation of the Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) and the Liquid Waste Contract. Two years later, in 2008, Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS) was awarded the contract for Maintenance & Operation of SRS and Savannah River Remediation (SRR) was awarded the contract for the Liquid Waste Operations of SRS. Now, a little over 10 years later, SRS is confronting four (4) different contracts. 1. In November of 2018, a synopsis was posted on FedBizOpps to provide notice that within 15 to 60 days the DOE Environmental Management Consolidated Business Center (EMCBC) intended to issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the Savannah River Site Paramilitary Security Services. On March 6, 2019, the Final RFP was posted for the Savannah River Site Paramilitary Security Services. This is for SRS security support services. To date no award has been made. 2. On June 26, 2020, the Final RFP was posted for the stand-alone operating contract for the Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL). This is a brand-new contract. Proposals are due on August 10, 2020. 3. DOE, Office of Environmental Management (EM), is currently in the acquisition planning stage for the liquid waste stabilization/disposition and nuclear materials management and stabilization, among other requirements at SRS. This is basically the Liquid Waste Contract with an expanded scope and is now called Savannah River Site Integrated Mission Completion Contract (IMCC). The draft RFP was released on May 7, 2020. 4. On August 5, 2020, DOE released a Request for Information/Sources Sought for the Savannah River Site Operations Acquisition. This means DOE is currently in the acquisition planning stage for "SRS Operations Acquisition." The prospective contract will result in the successful operation of the Savannah River Site. It is anticipated that this new operations contract will cover various missions for both DOE EM and NNSA. SRS is now identified as a multi-program site. No solicitation exists at this time, but one can be expected, probably in 2021.
|
|
High-Level Radioactive Waste (HLW) Interpretation in Action
 Previous Savannah River Site Community Reuse Organization (SRSCRO) newsletters have had articles related to Department of Energy's (DOE) proposed actions as it relates to interpretation of what constitutes or defines HLW. The most recent was in January 2020 where we discussed DOE's release of its Draft Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Commercial Disposal of Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) Recycle Wastewater from the Savannah River Site (SRS).
The SRSCRO has been involved in this issue since 2013, when it hosted representatives of the five counties surrounding the SRS on a trip to the Carlsbad, NM community where discussions began regarding some waste currently stored at SRS, which technically does not meet the definition of HLW. It has been reported that SRS has approximately 2,300 existing canisters of vitrified waste waiting to be disposed of as HLW that may not be HLW by composition.
After seven years, there is actual movement on this subject with DOE's first application of its high-level radioactive waste interpretation for a single waste stream from DOE's Savannah River Site (SRS). On August 6, 2020, DOE issued a Federal Register Notice that included a Finding of No Significant Impact for the Commercial Disposal of Defense Waste Processing Facility Recycle Wastewater from the Savannah River Site (FONSI) and the availability of the Final Environmental Assessment for the Commercial Disposal of Defense Waste Processing Facility Recycle Wastewater from the Savannah River Site (Final EA) and associated technical documents.
As soon as August 26, 2020, DOE plans to host an Informational Webinar on the DWPF recycle wastewater and final EA decision. DOE will update their webpage to identify the specific date/time and instructions for accessing the Informational Webinar. Webpage links to the FONSI, the Final EA, and associated technical documents are available here.
These documents support the conclusion that recycle wastewater from the SRS Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) meets the criteria for disposal as low-level radioactive waste (LLW) in accordance with its radiological characteristics, and thus can be safely disposed of in a LLW facility outside the state of South Carolina. DOE intends to initiate the shipment of a small quantity (up to 8 gallons) from the up to 10,000 gallons of DWPF recycle wastewater to the Waste Control Specialists (WCS) site for treatment and disposal
While 8 gallons does not seem like much, this small action aligns the U.S. with international guidelines for management and disposal of radioactive waste based on radiological risk. The U.S. is the only country that bases HLW determination on the waste's origin, not on the physical and chemical properties of the waste. This initial effort shows first-hand the beneficial application of DOE's High-Level Waste interpretation. The SRSCRO continues to support DOE efforts to consider safe, risk-based alternative disposal paths for waste based on actual radiological characteristics and risk to human health arising from the waste, rather than artificial former policy standards that base waste classification on origin.
Some of the benefits from a broader application of this interpretation were highlighted in a June 14, 2019 local Op-Ed by James Marra, PhD from the Citizens for Nuclear Technology Awareness and Rick McLeod from the SRS Community Reuse Organization.
|
|
NNSA Awards $5M for Local Training
 Citizens of the local South Carolina/Georgia region are receiving a significant boost in available funding to support training that leads to well-paying careers like those at the Savannah River Site (SRS). On Monday, August 10, 2020, a formal award for $5M was made to the SRS Community Reuse Organization (SRSCRO) by the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) for development of an enduring workforce that supports long-term missions. Six area colleges and universities are the subrecipients of a combined $1M a year over the next five years because of this award.
The new NNSA grant program is known as WORC II which stands for Workforce Opportunities in Regional Careers II. The new program is designed specifically in support of NNSA workforce needs related to the proposed plutonium pit mission, the long-standing tritium mission, and the surplus plutonium disposition mission at SRS. The WORC II strategy is focused on identifying the key competencies needed for NNSA's workforce and aligning regional technical college and university programs to support the associated training and education. This includes using existing training programs and developing new training programs specific to workforce needs. The WORC II Program does not replace the successful $5M WORC I Program already in place. In fact, WORC II and WORC I Programs will coexist with complementary features between the two. Both programs are administered by the SRSCRO and involve college/university partners.
Academic partners for WORC II are Claflin University, Aiken Technical College, Augusta Technical College, Augusta University, University of South Carolina Aiken and University of South Carolina Salkehatchie. Each partner institution will focus on specific areas of their expertise to provide training and education relevant to NNSA workforce needs. WORC II funding covers costs associated with student recruitment, training equipment, student scholarships, supplies and instructor salary as approved by NNSA in agreements made with each partner. WORC II funds will also be used to pilot a middle school STEM mentoring program in the SRSCRO's two-state region. WORC II funding was first announced by the Under Secretary for Nuclear Security of DOE and NNSA Administrator Lisa Gordon-Hagerty. Since the announcement in June 2019, the SRSCRO, local college/university partners and the NNSA Savannah River office have been working to finalize the scope and program details to make WORC II a reality for the local region. Citizens in the community may contact the academic partners directly to learn more about accessing scholarships that are made possible through WORC II for a variety of training and education programs.
|
|
|
|
Spotlight
TREAT for Teachers
With proper masks and social distancing, twenty area teachers attended the annual TREAT workshop supported by the Environmental Justice program through the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Over three days, August 5-7, the K-12 educators learned about the Savannah River Site (SRS) and environmental science around the nuclear industry. Both live and virtual presentations were part of the workshop held on the University of South Carolina Aiken campus.
TREAT stands for Teaching Radiation, Energy and Technology. The workshop is a highly successful, one-of-a-kind program in the nation made possible through the DOE Savannah River Operations Office. The SRS Community Reuse Organization participated in TREAT with a virtual presentation that included local workforce development opportunities for students, including the Workforce Opportunities in Regional Careers (WORC) scholarships available through six area colleges.
The TREAT agenda was packed with information from local regulators and SRS experts. Teachers walked away with new resources to use for their students, and better insight and connections related to SRS and the nuclear industry.
|
|
Fun Facts
Fireflies
 Fireflies (aka Lightning Bugs) Fireflies are disappearing. Three main factors are suspected: Habitat loss, toxic chemicals (which tend to linger in aquatic environments where fireflies start their lives) and light pollution.
There are more than 2,000 species of fireflies, a type of beetle. Despite their name, only some species produce adults that glow. Fireflies in the western United States, for example, lack the ability to produce light.
Males that do glow use their flash to attract females. Each species has its own pattern of light flashing.
In some places and at some times, fireflies synchronize their flashing. Firefly larvae may glow, even some that live underground or under water. They use the light to communicate to predators that they aren't tasty (they produce unpalatable, defensive steroids for protection).
Larvae are carnivorous and particularly enjoy snails. Adult fireflies usually live off nectar and pollen, but some don't feed at all.
Fireflies are among the many species of insects that are bioluminescent, meaning that they can produce their own light. Firefly light can be yellow, green or orange.
The light is the most efficient light in the world. Nearly 100 percent of the energy in the chemical reaction is emitted as light.
A chemical reaction within the firefly's light organ produces the light-oxygen combines with calcium, adenosine triphosphate (ATP-the energy-carrying molecule of all cells) and a chemical called luciferin, when an enzyme called luciferase is present.
Luciferase has proven to be a useful chemical in scientific research, food safety testing and forensic tests. It can be used to detect levels of ATP in cells, for example.
When luciferase was first discovered, the only way to obtain the chemical was from fireflies themselves. Today, synthetic luciferase is available, but some companies still harvest fireflies, which may be contributing to their decline.
Fireflies have short lifespans - An adult firefly lives only long enough to mate and lay eggs - so they may not need to eat during their adult life stage. The larvae usually live for approximately one to two years, from mating season to mating season, before becoming adults and giving birth to the next generation.
|
|
Commendation
to
SRSCRO Salvage Crew
The SRSCRO salvage crew, Bolin Marketing Group (BMG), was recently commended for their actions by DOE. On Tuesday, August 4, 2020, the BMG crew discovered a security problem with the "D-Area Access Gate" just off Highway 125. The crew's site supervisor chose to take ownership of the problem, remained at the gate to control access to the area, contacted security, and waited for the arrival of protective force personnel who were able to remedy the problem. The SRSCRO site supervisor's actions help to ensure no unauthorized personnel passed through the gate while the security problem existed.
Rick McLeod is appreciative of the BMG partnership, saying "The SRSCRO is very fortunate to have excellent partners in Bolin Marketing Group (BMG). Von Bolin, BMG President, brings significant expertise and networking in the surplus/salvage business and Ricky Gooding, BMG Site Project Manager, executed the removal project efficiently and safely. The SRSCRO and BMG have been a proven successful team at SRS for over 15 years."
|
|
