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Savannah River Site (USDOE)

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K-Area Coal Pile Basin following a 1997 removal action at the Savannah River site (USDOE).
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Site Summary Profile
EPA ID: SC1890008989
Location: Aiken, Aiken County, SC
Lat/Long: 33.348880, -081.737780
Congressional District:03
NPL Status: Proposed: 07/14/89; Final: 11/21/89
Affected Media: Debris, Ground water, Sediment, Sludge, Soil, Solid waste, Surface water
Cleanup Status: Physical cleanup activities have started
Site Reuse/Redevelopment: In continued use as a Federal Facility
Site Manager: Robert Pope (pope.robert@epa.gov)


Site Background

The Savannah River site (SRS) occupies approximately 310 square miles of land adjacent to the Savannah River, principally in Aiken and Barnwell counties of western South Carolina. SRS is a secured U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) facility with no permanent residents, and is located approximately 25 miles southeast of Augusta, Georgia and 20 miles south of Aiken, South Carolina.

SRS was constructed during the early 1950s to produce the basic materials used in the fabrication of nuclear weapons, primarily tritium and plutonium-239, for the nation’s defense programs. Five reactors were built on the site. The reactors produced nuclear materials by irradiating target materials with neutrons. Also built were support facilities including two chemical separation plants, a heavy water extraction plant, a nuclear fuel and target fabrication facility, and waste management facilities.
Production of nuclear materials for the defense programs was discontinued in 1988.

RS has provided nuclear materials for the space program, as well as for medical, industrial, and research efforts up to the present. Chemical and radioactive wastes are byproducts of nuclear material production processes. These wastes have been treated, stored, and in some cases, disposed of at SRS. Past disposal practices resulted in significant site contamination. EPA, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC), and DOE are addressing SRS contamination and cleanup issues. DOE/SRS have strong working relationships with EPA and SCDHEC.

DOE Savannah River Website

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Threats and Contaminants

A range of media have been contaminated at the site, including ground water, surface water, sediment, sludge, soil, solid waste, and debris. Frequently identified contaminants of concern include uranium, arsenic, mercury, cesium, radium, thorium, benzo(a)pyrene, cobalt, lead, chromium, and potassium.

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Site Cleanup Plan

In 1981, SRS began inventorying waste sites; a total of 515 waste sites were ultimately identified. These range in size from a few square yards to tens of acres; they include basins, pits, piles, burial grounds, landfills, tanks and associated ground water contamination.

Initial cleanup activities were initiated by DOE under a federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) permit in 1985. Since that time DOE has initiated a number of cleanup actions addressing contamination and disposal issues under both RCRA and the federal Superfund law (CERCLA).

In 2002, SRS initiated an effort to accelerate the cleanup schedule at the site by 15 years to 2025 with an estimated cost savings of over $4 billion. In 2003, DOE, EPA, and SCDHEC agreed to support accelerated cleanup of SRS. As part of this agreement, the parties initiated a process of redefining their strategic approach to cleanup based on a concept of executing work on an “area basis.” The parties subsequently adopted an Area Completion Strategy for the 14 major industrial areas at SRS. The parties are committed to identifying technical and administrative opportunities to streamline and accelerate the area completion process. Due to the addition of new missions to SRS by DOE and funding reductions, the cleanup schedule now extends to 2030.  However, the new completion date is still well ahead of earlier dates that had been projected.

The Area Completion Approach integrates environmental cleanup and deactivation & decommissioning (D&D) scope:

With DOE’s focus on accelerating cleanup and eliminating risks, SRS is concentrating on shrinking the footprint left from decades of operations. Due to changes in missions, many SRS facilities are no longer needed to produce or process nuclear materials. This situation poses a challenge for SRS to place and maintain these facilities in a safe, low cost condition until they can be safely disposed. The site D&D organization was and is faced with the need to disposition over 1,000 facilities. Disposition is the process that begins once the DOE decides a facility is no longer needed to support defense, research, or other program missions and declares it as surplus. Many of the facility’s systems and components may remain operational to support activities throughout the disposition process. The facility disposition process is divided into four activities:

The site Area Closure Project is a new, integrated group that incorporates the D&D organization with the former Soil and Groundwater Closure Projects organization. The Area Closure Project is focusing on closing entire areas, one at a time. Areas at the periphery of SRS are targeted first: T Area, D Area, A Area and M Area. In addition, P Area and R Area are targeted as the first reactor areas to be addressed through D&D in the CERCLA program.  Portions of F Area are also undergoing intense D&D because of the opportunity it presents for major risk elimination.

Since 1992, EPA has issued over 60 Records of Decision (RODs) for SRS, describing the preferred cleanup approach for specific sections of SRS referred to as Operable Units (OUs). The RODs commonly address SRS sections falling within the major SRS industrial areas (T Area, L Area, C Area, etc). A ROD may address a single OU or multiple OUs, and a single OU may include multiple waste units. The most recent RODs for SRS, issued in 2009, describe the preferred cleanup approach for OU 92 (the M Area, a former production area for uranium targets) and OU 94(P Area, a former plutonium production reactor area). 

Details of cleanup approaches for other OUs at SRS are available online.

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Cleanup Progress

To date, more than 324 of the 515 waste sites have been closed. Also, billions of gallons of ground water have been treated, with over one million pounds of solvents removed. SRS has pioneered the use of numerous ground-breaking technologies to increase the effectiveness of its cleanup efforts and to reduce risk. In recent years, cleanup methods have evolved to more efficient and cost-effective approaches, such as bioremediation, monitored natural attenuation, barometric pumping, solar-powered microblowers, and dynamic underground steam stripping, and electrical resistance heating of the subsurface to treat volatile organic chemicals. In addition, immobilizing source term material with impermeable clay caps and/or grouting waste in place has been shown to be a cost-effective way to fix contamination in place while minimizing the potential to affect worker health and safety.

Fiscal Year (FY) 2010 activities scheduled as joint RCRA/Superfund cleanup actions under the terms of the SRS Federal Facility Agreement include:

Cleanup Progress by Area/OU

The T Area was completely closed in accordance with the Area Closure Project by the end of 2006. M Area is not far behind; all surface actions will be in place by the end of 2009.  Actions have been initiated at P Area and R Area and additional actions will be taken in D Area and at the former Gunsites and the Early Construction Onsite Disposal Sites (ECODS).  By 2031, all inactive waste sites that pose an unacceptable risk to surface water or ground water are planned to be cleaned, and any contaminated ground water will be cleaned up or undergoing cleanup. Institutional controls that feature access restrictions and an inspection, maintenance, and a monitoring program will be applied to units that leave waste in place. Details for specific Areas/Operable Units (OUs) are included below.

T Area Operable Unit (TAOU) – Operable Unit 96: T Area is located near SRS boundary and includes five waste units and three contaminated slabs left from D&D activities. It is the first SRS industrial area to go through the Area Completion process. Two thousand cubic yards of highly contaminated soil were removed and disposed off site and a 10-acre geosynthetic cover was installed. Completion was documented in the Post Closure Report (PCR) in 2006, as planned.  Contaminants of concern at T Area included uranium, thorium, mercury and volatile organic chemicals associated with solvent use.

M Area Operable Unit (MAOU) - Operable Unit 92:

MAOU consists of six waste units and 47 D&D facilities located in M-Area. Waste unit cleanup will involve the removal of solvent sources of Principal Threat Source Material in the area. It is the second scheduled SRS industrial area to go through the Area Completion process. All D&D work has been completed and the characterization field start for the remedial process began in early September 2006. Early actions (removal actions) to address contamination from M Area D&D slabs were taken in FY 2007. The Proposed Plan for M Area was issued in 2008. The final ROD was signed in early FY 2009.  An Explanation of Significant Difference (ESD) was signed later in FY2009 to accelerate the cleanup using American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funding.  Contaminants of concern at M Area included uranium and trichloroethene.

P-Area Operable Unit (PAOU) – OU 94:

P Area is the third area to go through the Area Completion process and the first Area Completion involving a hardened facility (reactor). PAOU encompasses 17 acres, and includes the reactor building and support facilities, administration and maintenance facilities, a cooling water and treatment system, a coal-burning power plant, waste disposal facilities, five miles of sewer lines, and effluent discharges. Characterization of the likely contaminants of concern is ongoing. An Early Action Proposed Plan designating on site disposal for the P-Reactor and for P-Reactor to potentially be used as a consolidation and/or disposal area for P Area wastes was issued in 2008. Multiple public workshops were held and public comment and involvement was sought before moving forward with the cleanup of the first plutonium production reactor to be addressed under CERCLA.  An Early Action ROD was developed and signed in FY 2009. An ESD was signed in early FY2010 to accelerate the cleanup using ARRA funding.  A final ROD is scheduled for FY 2011. Contaminants of concern at P Area are associated with reactor operations including cesium, tritium, cobalt and trichloroethene. 

R-Area Operable Unit (RAOU) – OU 95:

R Area is the second reactor area to go through the Area Completion process. RAOU encompasses multiple acres, and includes the reactor building and support facilities, administration and maintenance facilities, a cooling water and treatment system, waste disposal facilities, five miles of sewer lines, and effluent discharges. Characterization of the likely constituents of concern is ongoing.  An Early Action Proposed Plan for R Area was issued in FY2009.  Due to the wide acceptance of the similar ROD for P Area and its reactor, the Early Action Proposed Plan to address the reactor in R Area was expanded to include the final decision for the C, K, and L Reactors.  As with P Area, the Early Action Proposed Plan for C, K, L, and R Areas selects In Situ Decommissioning for the remaining reactor facilities at SRS.  In short, the reactor vessels and much of the reactor buildings will be grouted up and left in place when their operational mission is complete.  An Early Action ROD for C, K, L, and R is currently scheduled for 2010, while the final ROD at R Area is currently scheduled for 2012. Contaminants of concern at R Area are associated with reactor operations including cesium, tritium, cobalt and trichloroethene. 

D-Area Operable Unit (DAOU) – OU 63:

D Area contains the main powerhouse for SRS and tritium recovery facilities. Much of D Area has been addressed through earlier RODs. The remainder of the DAOU has begun the process for characterization. A treatability study to address the tritium in soil and concrete at D Area has been initiated.  Multiple Removal Actions are planned for D Area over the next 2 years to address tritium contamination and contamination associated with the coal storage and disposal piles in the area.  The final ROD for D Area is scheduled for 2012.

High Level Waste Tanks – OU 23 (F Tank Farm Area) & 89 (H Tank Farm Area):

EPA, DOE, and SCDHEC resolved a dispute concerning the closure of Tanks 18 and 19 in FY2007.  As a result, a new tank schedule was agreed to as a result. SRS now has new milestones for Tank Modeling documents, Bulk Waste Removal Completions, and eventual Tank Closures while maintaining the original closure date of 2022 for the single walled non-compliant tanks. The High Level Waste Tanks at SRS are considered by DOE and SCDHEC as the greatest risk in the state of South Carolina. In order to treat the waste from the tanks, SRS is building the Salt Waste Processing Facility (SWPF). SWPF will separate low level waste which represents most of the volume from the high level waste which is most of the activity. The low level waste will be grouted on site at SRS in the Salt Stone Facility. The high level waste will be sent to the existing Defense Waste Processing Plant at SRS to be entombed in glass by vitrification and stored in stainless steel canisters at SRS until the opening of a federal depository for high level waste. DOE has already met the first milestone negotiated as a result of the dispute by submitting a draft Performance Assessment for the F Area Tank Farm.  The next goal was to remove 75% of the remaining waste in Tanks 18 and 19 before Spring 2009.  Due to technical difficulties, the goal date was moved to June 2009.  DOE met the goal and is proceeding with the waste determination effort for Tanks 18 and 19 which will lead to a closure module for the 2 tanks and ultimately a waste determination and tank closure.

DOE is leading site cleanup activities with oversight by EPA

Savannah River Site Soil and Groundwater Closure Projects (USDOE)
General Information and Technologies (USDOE)

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Enforcement Activities

In 1995, a Federal Facilities Agreement involving DOE, EPA, and SCDHEC was signed to coordinate cleanup activities at SRS into one comprehensive strategy. As detailed in the information regarding the High Level Waste Tanks, the three parties went to formal dispute in FY2006/2007 and resolved the dispute before it was elevated to the level of the Regional Administrator.  Every year, EPA, DOE, and SCDHEC negotiate the enforceable milestone schedule of the FFA for the next 2 fiscal years.  DOE submits a schedule in the 1st quarter of the fiscal year.  EPA and SCDHEC comment on the schedule by the end of the 1st quarter and DOE responds within 30 days. 

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Community Involvement

EPA has conducted a range of community involvement activities at SRS to solicit community input and to ensure that the public remains informed about site activities throughout the site cleanup process. Outreach activities have included public notices and information meetings on cleanup progress and activities.  EPA serves as a liaison to the SRS Citizens Advisory Board (CAB) and attends all 6 CAB bi-monthly meetings.  In addition, EPA attends most of the CAB Committee meetings each of which are held on a monthly basis.  EPA works actively with the CAB members on the Waste Management Committee, the Facilities Disposition and Site Remediation Committee, the Nuclear Materials Committee, and the Strategic and Legacy Management Committee. 

In addition to these meetings, EPA participates in many meetings which are focused on the Environmental Justice communities around SRS.  EPA and DOE jointly fund a grand to Savannah State University to work with these communities and minority students and teachers in the area to promote an understanding of the cleanup work at SRS and its impacts on the community. 

The SRS Superfund Job Training Initiative

The United States Environmental Protection Agency, Region 4, Federal Facilities Branch, supported the initiation and success of the first Superfund Job Training Initiative (SJTI) conducted on a federal facility and in Region 4 at the Savannah River Site (SRS) located in Aiken, Aiken County, South Carolina.  The SJTI was funded under the Technical Assistance Services for Communities (TASC).   Discussions surrounding the development of the program were first held in June 2008 between EPA Region 4 and EPA Headquarters.  In December 2008, representatives from EPA Headquarters, EPA Region 4, Department of Energy, SRS, Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS), and EPA contractors met to draft the program initiatives, the overview of the program, and proposed strategies.  The success of the SRS-SJTI was largely due to three valuable components:  establishing partnerships, community outreach, and the adoption of an effective selection process in identifying eligible candidates.  The established partnerships included SRNS, SRS, Parsons, the Imani Group, Aiken Technical College, and Allendale County’s Department of Social Services.  The partnerships provided career options, eligible candidates, meeting space, resources, and classes for the eligible candidates.  The Imani Group served as the faucet in identifying Allendale, Barnwell, Bamberg, Aiken, and Richmond Counties and sponsoring public meetings informing and educating the public of the SRS-SJTI.  More than 400 candidates were educated about the program; 200 candidates had undergone a rigorous selection process; and 21 candidates were selected to complete the SRS-SJTI.  The selection process adopted for the identification of 21 eligible candidates involved a two day physical and mental exercise activity (which was used for the selection of 21 candidates), two weeks of life skills, a three week period of technical training, and a final interview conducted by a panel of SRNS human resource representatives.  Upon the completion of the selection process, 20 candidates graduated from the SRS-SJTI in July 2009.  All candidates have completed the SRNS interviews and will begin all necessary paperwork required by SRNS.  The Imani Group will continue interaction with the candidates to monitor their progress.  A monthly report generated by the Imani Group will be submitted to EPA Headquarters and EPA Region 4.

Due to the success of the program, EPA and DOE plan to implement another round of SJTI at SRS in 2010.  Discussions are ongoing regarding how to set up the SJTI and how to involve more EJ communities around SRS and more of the SRS contractor work force.

Public Involvement Website

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Future Work

Cleanup efforts are ongoing.

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Site Administrative Documents

Site Repository

For more information or to view any site-related documents, please visit the site information repository at the following location. As new documents are generated, they will be placed in the information repository for public information.

U.S. Department of Energy
Public Reading Room
Gregg-Graniteville Library
University of South Carolina - Aiken
171 University Parkway
Aiken, South Carolina 29801
(803)641-3465

Thomas Cooper Library
Government Documents Department
University of South Carolina
Columbia, South Carolina 29208
(803) 777-4866

Administrative Record Index

For documents not available on the website, please contact the Region 4 Freedom of Information Office.

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For information about the contents of this page please contact Carolyn Haugabook.

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