Curtiss-Wright Cheswick (Commonwealth of Pennsylvania)

This site description was provided by the cognizant Agreement State, and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) makes no claim regarding the validity of the information provided. See our Site Disclaimer for more information.

1.0 Site Identification

Type of Site:	Complex Decommissioning Site
Location:	Cheswick,PA
License No.:	SNM-1120
Docket No.:	070-01143
License Status:	Decon
Project Manager:	Kim Conway (NRC Decommissioning Contact)

2.0 Site Status Summary

The Curtiss-Wright Electro-Mechanical Corporation (formerly Westinghouse Government Services) facility is a multi-building complex situated on 110 acres near Cheswick, PA. The Allegheny River is approximately one mile south of the facility. Past commercial and government fuel fabrication operations with low-enriched and highly enriched uranium have left a legacy of contamination in, on, around, and under some of the site buildings. Buildings 4, 5, 5A, 5B, 5C, and 5F show some fixed contamination in generally inaccessible areas or contamination in drain lines. Fuel fabrication activities ceased in the early 1970s; however, the remaining contamination in many locations is deposited in areas that are inherent to the design and structure of the facility (i.e., exterior load-bearing walls, structural steel supports, drain lines beneath significant equipment, and roof supports). The facility has two other NRC radioactive materials licenses for contaminated motor servicing and radiography. Buildings 4 and 5 are presently being used for manufacturing and support functions for its pump and motor operations. Contaminated debris was uncovered in 1984 in a former ballfield, a 2-acre area south of the main buildings. This area requires further evaluation to characterize the radiological conditions. Remediation at the facility has been ongoing using criteria identified in the license. A comprehensive Decommissioning Plan for addressing the remaining contaminated areas of the site is under development, but has not yet been submitted. In general, remediation work was scheduled so that the activities did not interfere with the manufacturing operations. Some surveys for the remediated areas have been performed by the licensee, but final comprehensive survey documentation has not been transmitted.

3.0 Major Technical or Regulatory Issues

Although a significant amount of decontamination work has been performed in both interior and exterior areas of the facility, the licensee has not completed a comprehensive FSS report for the remediated areas. Monitoring well data for identification of any groundwater issues is limited. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has interest in the site, particularly in the suspect ballfield area. The license for the site has been turned over to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania after it became an Agreement State.