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2007 Citizen Excellence in Community Involvement Award
2007 Citizen Excellence in Community Involvement Award is presented to the Savannah River Site Citizens Advisory Board
The Office of Superfund Remediation and Technology Innovation is pleased to announce the Savannah River Site Citizens Advisory Board (SRS CAB) as this year’s winner of the Citizen Excellence in Community Involvement Award. This award recognizes an individual or a community group working with EPA to address hazardous waste issues. The Citizens Advisory Board is recognized for their dedication and commitment to the residents around the Savannah River Site in Aiken and Barnwell counties, South Carolina.
The SRS Citizens Advisory Board (CAB) is composed of a group of non-partisan individuals who strive to ensure that effective communication exists between SRS impacted communities, and to give stakeholders a key role in the decision-making processes of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the Environmental Protection Agency –Region IV (EPA), and the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC). The CAB provides informed and timely recommendations to the DOE, EPA, SCDHEC and SRS management concerning issues such as environmental restoration, waste management and activities related to these functions at the Savannah River Site.
From the early 1950s to 1988, the Savannah River Site served as a production site for materials used in nuclear weapons. As a result of these production processes, chemical and radioactive wastes were treated, stored or disposed of at SRS, resulting in widespread soil and groundwater contamination. Since this time, more than 323 of 515 waste sites have been closed, using several ground-breaking remediation techniques to clean up the area. Over the past thirteen years, the SRS CAB, has succeeded in contributing over 250 recommendations, which have significantly enhanced risk reduction and cleanup success at the SRS. The SRS CAB also formed several working groups to subsidize the work of CAB Committees on long-term remediation issues. These working groups provided a means for community volunteers to participate in the decision-making process as key stakeholders, while contributing valuable knowledge and insight to complex issues.
In addition to numerous scheduled committee meetings and individual efforts, the SRS CAB advanced public education on a variety of topics related to the SRS by leading a multi-sponsored educational forum. Segments on transportation, treatment and final disposition of spent fuel were included in the forum, along with an introduction to spent fuel, a panel discussion, and an exhibit program. The SRS CAB’s outreach techniques are furthered by the production of Board Beat, a semi-annual newsletter about SRS and CAB activities, which is provided to over 2000 interested stakeholders.
The EPA commends the Savannah River Site Citizens Advisory Board members for their hard work and dedication to ensuring community involvement in the remediation process at the Savannah River Site. The award was presented on June 21, 2007 at the EPA Community Involvement Training Conference in Jacksonville, FL. Donna L. Antonucci, CAB Co-Chair, accepted the award at the conference on behalf of the SRS CAB.
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