EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is a regular summary
of operations at DOE’s Idaho Site. It has been compiled
in response to a request from stakeholders for more
information on health, safety and environmental
incidents at DOE facilities in Idaho. It also includes a
brief summary of accomplishments at the laboratory. The
report is broken down by contractor:
Advanced Mixed Waste Treatment Project (AMWTP),
Idaho Cleanup Project (ICP)
and
Idaho National Laboratory (INL). This summary will
be sent to everyone on INL’s regular news release
distribution list every other week. To be added to this
distribution list, please call Brad Bugger at (208)
526-0833.
Advanced Mixed Waste Treatment Project
March 11: Workers at the Advanced Mixed Waste
Treatment Facility determined that the degraded
condition of some waste boxes may not meet the
expectations of current safety documentation. Interim
safety steps, including limiting the retrieval of waste
from certain areas, were initiated until an in-depth
analysis can be completed. (EM-ID—BBWI-AMWTF-2010-0009).
Operational Summary
Waste Shipments: Through March 13, 2010, a total of
31,903 cubic meters of contact-handled transuranic
waste, 86.93 cubic meters of remote-handled transuranic
waste, and 2,278 cubic meters of previously buried
transuranic waste were shipped from Idaho to the Waste
Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico for disposal.
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Retrieval employees stand atop the last section of the soil berm that covers stored transuranic radioactive waste. More than 80 percent of the waste stored for decades in the Transuranic Storage Area-Retrieval Enclosure has been retrieved by AMWTP employees. |
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Idaho Cleanup Project
March 11: While cutting an electrical conduit as part
of decommissioning work at Building CPP-601, an
electrician noticed excessive smoke coming out the
conduit and stopped cutting. He determined there was an
energized electrical line inside the conduit. Management
was notified, the area was placed in a safe condition,
and a fact-finding meeting was held. (EM-ID—CWI-BIC-2010-0003).
Operational Summary
Decommissioning Activities: Decontamination and
decommissioning crews continued work at the Idaho
Nuclear Technology and Engineering Center. The interior
strip out and grouting of CPP-601 is nearing completion,
exterior demolition of the structure has begun, and
crews completed removal of a sample blister from the
west corridor of CPP-601. At CPP-602, asbestos abatement
and strip out of the basement labs and the denitrator
room are approximately two months ahead of schedule.
Idaho National Laboratory
No incidents to report.
Operational Summary
Lab Recognized for Fuel Efficiency: The Idaho
National Laboratory (INL) received the 2010 DOE EStar
Honorable Mention in the category of Alternative Fuel
and Fuel Conservation in Transportation. In 2009 the INL
implemented several new transportation programs and
practices that resulted in significant petroleum-based
fuel use reductions and operational savings. Overall,
INL decreased total transportation fuel use by 14
percent and decreased fossil-based transportation fuel
use by 21 percent compared to the previous year.
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