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Union Carbide Corporation

1.0 Site Identification

2.0 Site Status Summary

The UCAR site is located in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee. The contaminant at the Union Carbide site is enriched uranium. Uranium contamination is present in buildings and soil. Ground water contamination is not an issue at this site. The UCAR Remediation Plan (RP) was approved in two phases: Phase 1, decommissioning activities associated with buildings was approved on July 27, 2000; Phase 2, decommissioning activities associated with soil was approved on December 1, 2000. This decommissioning approach will allow release of the site for unrestricted use. There are no immediate radiological hazards at the site. The NRC staff estimates the cost of decommissioning to be approximately $600,000.

The former UCAR facility licenses, which authorized the production of graphite-coated fuel particles, were terminated in June 1974. As stated in the RP, UCAR proposes to further investigate and remediate contamination identified in three buildings, the outdoor areas surrounding the buildings, and an incinerator pad and the surrounding soil. An RP was submitted by UCAR on August 19, 1998. The NRC completed its review of the RP and discussed the results of its review with UCAR in August and December 1999. The RP proposes unrestricted release of the site, based on the 10 CFR Part 20, Subpart E release criteria for soil contamination and the "Guideline for Decommissioning of Facilities", for buildings and structures. In Phase 1, the NRC approved decommissioning activities associated with building remediation on July 27, 2000. In Phase 2, the NRC approved decommissioning activities associated with soil remediation on December 1, 2000. An in-process and confirmatory inspection conducted during the week of October 6, 2003 indicated that there was residual contamination in excess of the release criteria in areas that UCAR reported to be clean as well as in areas that UCAR had characterized as unaffected. In December 2003, NRC transmitted a letter to UCAR doumenting the results of the survey and met with UCAR in March 2004 to discuss additonal decommissioning activities will be needed at this site. During that meeting, a path forward was developed for UCAR's completion of its remediation activities. In April 2004, UCAR submitted a proposed revision to its remediation plan to allow for the demolition of Building 10. NRC staff approved this proposal in October 2004. UCAR submitted a Final Status Survey Report, in October 2004, for the areas in question. The NRC staff performed a confirmatory survey of these areas in February 2005 and did not identify any issues. As part of its remediation activities, UCAR amassed 16 intermodal containers of contaminated debris from the dismantlement of facilities at the site. This material was transported to the EnergySolutions facitlity in Utah, for disposal.

3.0 Major Technical or Regulatory Issues

The NRC staff has reviewed all of UCARs remediation activities and evluating whether there is any need for further action under NRC's authority. The NRC staff expects to complete this action in September 2006 and, if no further action is required, the site (which is not a licensee) will be removed from NRC's complex sites list. No financial assurance issues have been identified to date. Public interest regarding decommissioning activities at the site is minimal. The staff has not identified any major off-site environmental issues that will not be addressed during decommissioning of the facility.

4.0 Estimated Date For Closure

12/01/2007

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Wednesday, February 21, 2007