EM Update Interviews New ORP Manager Brian Vance; WTP Utility ‘Backbone’ Moves to Startup Phase; Demolitions Advance Oak Ridge Toward ETTP Cleanup Goal; New Technology Accelerates Schedule, Reduces Cost of SRS Coal Ash Cleanup; and Much More!

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EM Update | Vol. 9, Issue 28 | Dec. 19, 2017 New ORP Manager Brian Vance Shares Cleanup Progress Vision With EM Update Hanford's WTP Utility 'Backbone' Moves to Startup Phase Wooley Leads Hanford Demolition Project by Watching, Learning, Guiding Savannah River Site Security Contractor Receives 'Excellent' Scorecard Rating Demolitions Move Oak Ridge Toward ETTP Cleanup Goal EM Ships Hanford Tank Waste for Off-Site Treatment, Disposal SRS Improves Safety, Achieves Savings by Extending Shipping Package Design Life EM's Nevada Program Launches 'Community Conversations' Washington State Honors EM Contractor for Community Involvement New Technology Accelerates Schedule, Reduces Cost of SRS Coal Ash Cleanup DOE Science Bowl T-Shirts Will Feature Student's Winning Design Next EM Update Issue Scheduled for Release on Tuesday, Jan. 9 New ORP Manager Brian Vance Shares Cleanup Progress Vision With EM Update In newsletter Q&A, Brian Vance describes his first six weeks at the helm of EM's Office of River Protection (ORP) at the Hanford Site, lays out challenges facing the workforce, and discusses opportunities for near-term success, among other things.  You've been manager of ORP, which oversees some of the most complex work in EM, for about six weeks now. What have been your initial impressions? It's been a busy six weeks, although I'm learning that is pretty much the pace of work at ORP. We have a very talented and capable team and I've been working with them to get up to speed on our tank farms and Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) projects, both at the technical level and the historic and strategic level going forward. ORP is poised to achieve some very important progress milestones and I'm excited to be here as we achieve these. We have a team of people who come to work every day, focused on how we are going to start treating waste, and that's a great attitude. As I've walked down work in the field, I've been impressed by the state of the progress that's already been made as well as the work that is underway, in the tank farms as well as WTP. I think many of our external stakeholders who do not visit the site regularly would be surprised to see how much work has actually been completed, and how close we really are to treating waste.  What do you see as the main challenges facing ORP? How does your background help prepare you to tackle these challenges? ORP is entering a crucial phase of its mission, and we will start making glass in just a few years. At the tank farms, we need to be able to provide waste feed to the WTP when it becomes operational, and right now we are looking at the best options to make that happen via our Low-Activity Waste Pretreatment System (LAWPS) and possibly a demonstration treatment alternative. At the WTP, we need to shift our mindset from designing and building to starting up and commissioning the facilities needed to begin low-activity waste (LAW) treatment. That's a big change in the mindset of an established workforce, many of whom have been on the project for more than a decade. And it is a different mindset, when you move into startup and commissioning. That's one of the things I can offer the team given my experience as a submarine officer and participating in a couple of transitions during my career on ships coming out of, and also going into, shipyard maintenance periods where mindset was critical to success. Beyond my operational time, as a submarine force acquisition professional I was responsible for the development and delivery of key shipboard systems and the transformation process to the operators was an area of focus every day. Finally, during my time beyond the Navy industry, I also gained additional insights from my observations of the transitions that were taking place at sites as new plant projects progressed toward startup and commissioning, as well as through my previous work at Hanford, as the project manager for Hanford's 300-296 work.  You've arrived at ORP at a key point in the Hanford WTP project — one of EM's largest efforts. What is your view of the project, and what is needed now to keep it on track for successful completion? We have a talented team, focused on achieving direct feed of low-activity waste (DFLAW) by the end of 2021. For a long time, the team has been focused on the design and construction necessary to achieve that approach. We now have to shift our mindset from design-build, to startup and commissioning. We're at a point on the WTP project where we should not be looking at how we can change things, but how we can best complete what we have designed. As we are bringing systems and facilities online we need to shift our engineering efforts to the field. We also have to enhance our strong and collaborative relationships with regulators, Tribal Nations, stakeholders and Congress. That means we need to work transparently and cooperatively, and stay connected as the pace of operations accelerates to maintain appropriate engagement and support going forward.    With retrieval activities wrapping up at the C Tank Farm, what are the next planned efforts at the Hanford tank farms? We are preparing to begin tank waste retrievals at the A/AX farm, with much of the necessary retrieval infrastructure already in place. Our tank integrity programs are critical. We have to remain vigilant, stay engaged, and actively oversee the tank conditions to prevent any further contamination to the environment, ensure that the tank farms are safely and effectively maintained, and that we are ready to support tank waste treatment when the WTP is ready.     Where do you see opportunities for near-term success at ORP? What do you hope to achieve during your tenure as manager? I'm joining the ORP team at a momentous point in its history. Thanks to leadership before me, we have several opportunities for near-term success. At WTP, we will complete construction of the LAW Facility and nearly all of the Balance of Facilities, and we will continue our startup and commissioning of systems and facilities needed to operate the LAW Facility. Having recently completed field work on the last C Farm tank, we could soon be closing the first Hanford tank farm, and are looking at options that could allow us to treat and dispose of some tank waste that may be transuranic.  During my tenure I want to further our relationships with the regulators, Tribal Nations, Congress, stakeholders and the workforce. We won't be successful in our mission if we don't have strong and collaborative relationships. We also have to continue working collaboratively with the Richland Operations Office (RL). Hanford is one site with two environmental management offices, each of which has appropriately managed its work relatively independently and under separate priority lists. We will all benefit from achieving an understanding of cleanup priorities from a site perspective, with input from our regulators, Tribal Nations, and stakeholders. ORP and RL have already started discussions about developing a Hanford Site Integrated Priority List, and I expect this is something we will implement during my tenure.  Finally, the most important contribution that I can make is to build on the strong team and organizational culture that is already in place and strengthen and enhance the teamwork that we'll need to have in place when we complete the transition to operations. Starting up the WTP is not a future activity for someone else, it is near term and it will be this team. Our ability to deliver the objective that many have worked so hard to achieve is exciting and I'm glad to be here.  -Contributor: Michael Nartker Back to Top   Hanford's WTP Utility 'Backbone' Moves to Startup Phase A plant startup worker checks a utility systems control panel at Hanford's Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant. As engineers and construction crews finish portions of the utilities, they transfer systems to the startup phase, where workers verify systems are complete, tested, and in safe and working order. RICHLAND, Wash. – What's been described as the utility backbone for Hanford's Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) is being activated and tested as early preparation to support low-activity tank waste vitrification as soon as 2022.    This startup and testing phase has begun on an array of utilities infrastructure called the plant's Balance of Facilities. The WTP workforce has completed startup and testing for 20 percent of the utility systems needed to support future plant operations; and more will be brought online as progress continues. These utilities include electrical power distribution and backup power systems, compressed air, communication and control systems, and chilled, process, potable, and fire water and steam systems.    "As systems and subsystems are completed there is a rigorous construction-to-startup turnover that takes place over several weeks where walk-downs, physical inspections, and documentation happen," said Bill Hamel, federal project director for EM's Office of River Protection (ORP). "This makes sure we know which systems are complete, energized, pressurized, and going through the startup and testing mode while construction continues in other areas of the plant."    To prepare the 65-acre site for eventual operations, ORP and contractor Bechtel National Inc. are orchestrating an overlapping construction, startup, and commissioning approach for WTP's support utilities.    "There is great benefit to having an integrated construction, startup, and commissioning team," said Felice Presti, Bechtel's area project manager for WTP's Balance of Facilities. "During the startup phase, we intentionally test the systems, trying to find and catch issues. When we find a problem, we all work together to fix it to make sure everything works safely and as designed."    As engineers and construction crews finish portions of the utilities, they transfer systems to the startup phase. During startup, workers verify that systems are complete, tested, and in safe and working order. After startup, systems enter a commissioning phase to ensure they are calibrated, maintained, integrated, and ready for future plant operations. All WTP facilities and buildings, including the Low-Activity Waste vitrification facility and a supporting Analytical Laboratory, will complete startup and commissioning phases. -Contributor: George Rangel Back to Top  Wooley Leads Hanford Demolition Project by Watching, Learning, Guiding Kelly Wooley at the Plutonium Finishing Plant Closure Project. RICHLAND, Wash. – Watching teams work. Learning what issues they face. Guiding them to solutions or to different outcomes. That's how Kelly Wooley helped lead one of the most challenging demolition projects across the EM complex.     Wooley works for EM Richland Operations Office contractor CH2M HILL Plateau Remediation Company (CHPRC) as the deputy project manager for the Plutonium Finishing Plant (PFP) Closure Project on the Hanford Site.      Wooley quotes John Wayne to describe PFP challenges: "Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway." That sums up the approach by PFP workers to recognize and prepare for hazards, and understand their experience and skill makes them the right team to perform the work safely.    "My job is to help evaluate the project, determine how to safely execute it, and help the leadership team and work teams resolve issues and challenges. PFP was once top secret. Not a lot of people knew what happened here. This was essentially a radio-chemical processing plant containing significant residual radiological hazards. There are a lot of unknowns, a lot of hazards, and a lot of concern that we have to work through on a daily basis," Wooley said. Hanford workers recently finished tearing down the Plutonium Reclamation Facility, the processing canyon in the Plutonium Finishing Plant (PFP) complex. It was a key step toward completing the PFP demolition. Demolition on the last building — the main processing facility — is scheduled for completion in early 2018. Outside work, Kelly Wooley volunteers in the community, including a local summer day camp focusing on children with disabilities.    Past and present PFP employees have overcome challenges as they near the end of demolishing the complex, left heavily contaminated from 40 years of producing nearly two thirds of the nation's Cold War plutonium.     According to Wooley, the past two years working at the PFP have been the most challenging of the 25 years he has worked in the industry.     "When we restarted demolition after implementing additional safety controls to prevent an airborne contamination spread, I didn't sleep the night before and was on pins and needles the entire day," Wooley said. "The team implemented the work controls and safely executed the work."     Wooley's leadership at PFP and elsewhere at CHPRC recently earned him the CH2M CEO Excellence Award recognizing emerging leaders.     "My job is to put the right people in the right position, give them the necessary resources to do the job safely and help them resolve issues," he said. "Then, trust and allow them to meet the challenges and execute the work."     With just a few weeks of PFP demolition remaining, Wooley reminds teams of the need to work slowly and methodically.     "We have a lot of self-motivated employees here, but we can't get ahead of ourselves," Wooley said.  "We need to keep doing our jobs safely, so we can finish strong." -Contributor: Destry Henderson Back to Top  Savannah River Site Security Contractor Receives 'Excellent' Scorecard Rating Savannah River Site conducted an active shooter emergency response exercise in July. More than 400 people participated in the exercise as responders, controllers, and evaluators, the culmination of nearly two years of planning and training. AIKEN, S.C. – Savannah River Site (SRS) security contractor Centerra-SRS earned an overall "excellent" performance rating for the most recent DOE evaluation period, according to an award fee determination scorecard.    The company receives $2.95 million, or 96.5 percent of the available fee for the second half of fiscal year 2017 — April through September.    For the first half of the contract year, October 2016 through March 2017, Centerra also received an "excellent" rating, and a $2.94 million fee, or 96 percent of the available award fee.     Each year EM releases information relating to contractor fee payments — earned by completing the work called for in the contracts — to further transparency in its cleanup program.    According to the Centerra scorecard:    The company's personnel demonstrated exceptional performance, meeting or exceeding most performance goals and objectives and supporting the site's security posture at SRS operating facilities.    The contractor executed the SRS security mission at a high level of effectiveness and competency, demonstrated most notably through development of the SRS Active Shooter Response Program, execution of the SRS Active Shooter Response Plan during the 2017 Site Evaluated Active Shooter Exercise, and implementation of the 2017 SRS Strike Contingency Plan.      The Centerra Protective Force responded well to several security incidents, applying the appropriate response plan activities, and exercising command and control. Centerra demonstrated proficiency and a commitment to ensure the overall safety and security of SRS, reliably executing routine and emergency duties while following DOE directives and site-specific security requirements.    Centerra successfully tested the SRS Active Shooter Plan in the 2017 Site Evaluated Active Shooter Exercise in July. The effective tactical resolution, command and control, and integrated security and Emergency Response Organization response validated the effectiveness of many months of individual and collective training. Tactical leaders successfully interacted and coordinated response actions with emergency medical responders and external law enforcement agencies.    The protective force management and support score (19.5 of 20), and the cost control score (14.7 of 15), were supported by the company's effective implementation and management of the Strike Contingency Plan with no major impacts to security or operations.    Centerra's achievements and accomplishments during the rating period demonstrate solid practices in protection of SRS national security interests and resources.    View the scorecard here. Back to Top Demolitions Move Oak Ridge Toward ETTP Cleanup Goal Crews take down K-1203 in the Poplar Creek area at the East Tennessee Technology Park. OAK RIDGE, Tenn. – Workers recently demolished a sanitary sewage treatment facility, moving the DOE's Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management (OREM) closer to completing major cleanup at the East Tennessee Technology Park (ETTP) by 2020.     K-1203 is the latest structure in the Poplar Creek area of ETTP to be demolished. In past months, OREM and its cleanup contractor, URS | CH2M Oak Ridge (UCOR), tore down the 5,000-square-foot K-832-H Cooling Tower and the 11,000-square-foot K-832 Cooling Water Pumphouse.     Prior to those knockdowns, the Poplar Creek area contained 11 large buildings and numerous structures built in the 1940s and 1950s to support the site's former nuclear program and operations. Its remaining structures are the most contaminated facilities left at ETTP, following the demolition of five massive gaseous diffusion uranium enrichment buildings.    "The demolition of K-1203 brings us another step closer to realizing our ultimate vision at ETTP," said OREM Manager Jay Mullis. "We are steadily removing facilities, cleaning land, and enhancing the appearance of ETTP, which is helping transform and transition the site into an asset that can benefit the community and region in the years to come."     OREM and its contractors have been cleaning up ETTP, the former Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant, for years while working with the reindustrialization program to transfer cleaned areas and facilities to the private sector.    To date, OREM has taken down more than 400 facilities at ETTP spanning 10 million square feet and transferred more than 1,000 acres and 14 facilities to the community for reuse and economic development.  -Contributors: Wayne McKinney, Ben Williams  Back to Top EM Ships Hanford Tank Waste for Off-Site Treatment, Disposal Workers at Hanford's 222-S Laboratory load a container with tank waste for shipment to Perma-Fix Northwest for treatment and stabilization before being sent to a Texas disposal facility. RICHLAND, Wash. – For the first time, EM treated and shipped Hanford tank waste off site to a commercial facility for disposal as low-level waste.     EM's Office of River Protection (ORP) recently coordinated shipment of approximately 3 gallons of treated, stabilized waste from Perma-Fix Northwest in Richland to the Waste Control Specialists Federal Waste Disposal Facility in Andrews, Texas.    Before its trip to Texas, the waste was pretreated at Hanford's 222-S Laboratory, which specializes in analysis of nuclear waste samples. The samples were decanted, filtered to remove solids, and processed to remove key radionuclides to the maximum extent practical. Workers then sent the waste to Perma-Fix, where it was treated, stabilized, characterized to verify that it met regulatory requirements, and packaged in a U.S. Department of Transportation-approved container for shipment.    The shipment was in accordance with a 2016 evaluation by EM that concluded test samples of treated, low-level waste from six Hanford storage tanks can be managed and disposed as low-level waste.     "This action is consistent with DOE's approach of looking for new and innovative ways to perform its cleanup mission while being protective of human health and the environment and to serve as a good steward of taxpayer resources," ORP Test Bed Project Manager Kaylin Burnett said. "This study does not impact or imply a change to DOE's initial planned treatment option to vitrify low-activity waste."     ORP worked closely with Hanford tank operations contractor, Washington River Protection Solutions (WRPS), to pretreat the waste and prepare it for its journey south.    "A lot of people came together in a concerted effort to do something that has, quite frankly, never been done before," said Kris Colosi, WRPS project manager. "Our environmental team worked hand in hand with our folks at the lab to work through the process. It has truly been a team effort more than 18 months in the making to get us to this point."        The study obtained performance data on an ion-exchange resin considered for use in tank waste pretreatment systems for the removal of key radionuclides and generated waste characterization data that may assist in future secondary waste or low-activity waste treatment options.    EM worked with Washington State Department of Ecology during the course of the treatability study. -Contributor: Rob Roxburgh Back to Top SRS Improves Safety, Achieves Savings by Extending Shipping Package Design Life 9975 shipping drums in storage at Savannah River Site.  AIKEN, S.C. – Savannah River Site (SRS) recently worked with EM's Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) to improve worker safety and realize savings by extending the life of shipping packages holding plutonium oxide.    Plutonium oxide is stored in SRNL-designed shipping packages called 9975s. Their physical attributes, primarily structural and thermal, provide safe storage of the material. SRS ensures these packages are secure and maintains their structural integrity until they're shipped out of state for disposition.      "The shipping packages were due to reach the end of their design life, the period for which the packages were expected to function at their designated capacity, beginning in July 2017," said Jeff Jordan, SRS process engineering manager. "We knew we needed to work on extending the life of the packages to ensure the facility did not have to repack them."    Workers in the site's surveillance program for the shipping packages open several 9975s each year to evaluate them for any signs of degradation. SRS engineers and SRNL used this data, results of SRNL aging studies, and extensive structural and thermal modeling to determine that the drums can last five more years before needing to be repackaged. With the insight gained from this evaluation, efforts are underway to increase the life of the shipping packages beyond 20 years.     Repacking the drums is costly and time consuming. Each drum repack requires significant effort from SRNL and SRS operations, radiological control, and engineering divisions. Extending the life of these drums lowers the potential for radiological exposure in personnel and results in annual operational cost savings.     "The robustness of our surveillance program is yet another way SRS shows that it is committed to safety," Jordan said. "We are being proactive in making sure the nuclear materials are stored in a safe manner." -Contributor: Lindsey MonBarren    Back to Top  EM's Nevada Program Launches 'Community Conversations' LAS VEGAS – Representatives of EM's Nevada Program spoke with people in the community during its first "Community Conversations" on Dec. 12 in Tonopah, Nevada. The event provided a casual environment for residents to talk with the staff members and receive updates on cleanup progress on the Tonopah Test Range and transportation of waste to the Nevada National Security Site. Here, EM Nevada Program Strategic Communications Manager Kelly Snyder (center) and Tiffany Lantow (right), the program's long-term monitoring lead, talk with a Nye County deputy at the historic Tonopah Library. -Contributor: Marc Klein Back to Top Washington State Honors EM Contractor for Community Involvement Mission Support Alliance (MSA) Communications Specialist Renee Brooks (right) accepts the 2017 Corporations for Communities Honorable Mention award on behalf of MSA from Washington State Secretary of State Kim Wyman. RICHLAND, Wash. – Washington State Secretary of State Kim Wyman recently recognized EM Richland Operations Office contractor Mission Support Alliance (MSA) with a 2017 Corporations for Communities Honorable Mention award.    The award honors extraordinary Washington businesses that give their best efforts to help their communities.     As EM's Hanford Site services provider, MSA is responsible for site infrastructure, utilities, environmental integration, and emergency services. In addition to supporting cleanup work, MSA gives back to the community. Hundreds of MSA employees routinely volunteer and raise money for local non-profits and serve on their boards.    Wyman recognized MSA for its corporate giving and community outreach program, MSA Cares, and "outstanding" efforts by employees to volunteer and raise money for non-profits.     "Washington is blessed to have so many caring companies that give back to their communities in a variety of ways," Wyman noted. "This awards program is a great way to recognize companies that go above and beyond to make a difference."     MSA President Bob Wilkinson said he is proud of the company's impact.    "As individuals and as a company, MSA makes a positive difference in the Tri-Cities. We value the effort our employees and their families personally invest in giving back," Wilkinson said. "We're proud to accept this honorable mention from Secretary Wyman and look forward to continuing to help the community."     More information about the award and recipients can be found here.  -Contributor: Renee Brooks Back to Top New Technology Accelerates Schedule, Reduces Cost of SRS Coal Ash Cleanup Workers will excavate and consolidate more than 400,000 cubic yards of ash in the Area D Ash Basin Project at Savannah River Site. AIKEN, S.C. – EM and the Savannah River Site (SRS) management and operations contractor are using new technology to spur cleanup of the site's legacy coal ash.    EM, Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS), and subcontractors are incorporating new advanced protective barrier technology into the second phase of the Area D Ash Basin Project to significantly accelerate the schedule and lower costs, saving taxpayers more than $300,000.     Workers will consolidate 335,000 cubic yards of ash, coal fines (particle size usually less than one-sixteenth inch), and contaminated soil into a mound. They will cap the mound with geosynthetic material and a thick earthen cover consisting of fill dirt and grass-covered topsoil as they did in the successful first phase earlier this fall.    "We're pleased with our progress to date; however, consolidating all the ash into two large mounds is only as good as the method used to protect them," SRNS Project Manager Susan Bell said. "That's why we're using the highest quality, most technologically advanced techniques and materials to ensure this is the case at SRS."    The barrier is made of highly durable plastic sheets covered with a unique geotextile material. This material permits rainwater to pass through to the plastic layer where the water runs off within numerous small channels, preventing two feet of soil and sod from sifting through and clogging these drainage channels.    "This new geosynthetic plastic-based system ensures rainwater runs off a mound, eliminating erosion and other potential issues," said Bell. "In addition, the new product can be installed faster and at a lower cost."    Workers will install 1.8 million square feet of the material over an estimated 41 acres.    "The key is layers of protection," added Bell. "Each layer has its own purpose, all working together."    SRS generates power and steam through an environmentally friendly biomass plant, but for decades the site's electricity came from the coal-fired D Area Powerhouse, resulting in hundreds of thousands of cubic yards of residual ash.     In the first phase, workers consolidated more than 90,000 cubic yards of ash and dirt into an existing SRS ash landfill adjacent to the excavation site, resulting in a highly protected mound of relocated material about 21 acres in size.    By the project's end, workers will have removed about 90 million gallons of water from the basins, excavated and consolidated over 400,000 cubic yards of ash, and remediated more than 90 acres of federal property, protecting the environment, including nearby Savannah River.    The project resulted from a closure plan developed by EM, SRNS, and state and federal environmental regulatory agencies. -Contributor: DT Townsend Back to Top DOE Science Bowl T-Shirts Will Feature Student's Winning Design From left: Calloway County Middle School Science Bowl team coach Scott Pile and visual arts teacher Heather Duffy pose with Jayne Bishop, winner of the 2018 West Kentucky Science Bowl T-Shirt Design Contest. An eighth-grade student, Bishop received the $500 prize for her school for her design of the 2018 official T-shirt to be given to all participating students and coaches at the Feb. 2 middle school and Feb. 16 high school Science Bowl regionals at the University of Kentucky College of Engineering – Paducah Campus. Also pictured, from right: Steve Christmas, Four Rivers Nuclear Partnership; Buz Smith, EM Portsmouth/Paducah Project Office; and Calloway County Middle School Principal Amy Turner. The T-shirt will commemorate the 10th anniversary of DOE's West Kentucky Regional Science Bowl. T-shirt design contestants were from the region's west Kentucky and southern Illinois schools. The winning teams will advance to the Department's National Science Bowl finals in Washington, D.C. April 26-30. -Contributor: Dylan Nichols Back to Top Next EM Update Issue Scheduled for Release on Tuesday, Jan. 9    We will not publish EM Update newsletters on Tuesday, Dec. 26 and Tuesday, Jan. 2. We will return to our regular publishing schedule on Tuesday, Jan. 9. Back to Top Like EM on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DOEEnvironmentalManagement                    STAY CONNECTED WITH EM:   QUESTIONS? Contact Us This email was sent using GovDelivery Communications Cloud on behalf of the U.S. Department of Energy - 1000 Independence Ave., SW Washington, DC 20585