DOE/ORO/2327 Oak Ridge Reservation Annual Site Environmental ...

Annual Site Environmental Report
contribute high suspended algal biomass. Lipid-rich gizzard shad, which forage on sediment and
suspended algae and therefore accumulate very high PCBs, served as a major vector of PCB transfer to
largemouth bass and wildlife. In 2009, a non-time-critical-removal-action was implemented that used fish
management, wildlife management, and plant management principles to minimize the risks associated
with PCBs in the pond. The problem fish were removed from the pond, geese were discouraged from the
area, and extensive pond recontouring and planting was conducted. The goal was to create a fish
population in the pond that are relatively low bioaccumulators (that is, primarily small sunfish), and
create dense areas of rooted aquatic vegetation to stabilize the sediment to prevent re-suspension. This
innovative approach was deemed to be more cost-effective than traditional dredging operations, and
served to preserve the pond as an ecological and aesthetic asset for the area
A plume of groundwater contained with solvents left from degreasing and other maintenance
operations lies near the old K-1401 footprint area. In 2009, a treatability study to determine the best
treatment options began with the installation of seven boreholes. Water and soil samples were collected to
characterize the nature and extent of the plume. In 2010, sampling of selected intervals will be conducted.
Once the data has been collected and reviewed, the appropriate treatments will be determined.
The K-770 Scrapyard contained huge quantities of contaminated scrap metal. This scrap metal had
been removed previously, but in 2009 work continued on defining the limits of the contaminated soil.
This soil is being removed to allow future industry to use the area, and to protect groundwater resources.
Work also continued on remediation of the K-1070-B Burial Ground.
3.8.3 Reindustrialization
The Reindustrialization Program was developed to accelerate cleanup of the site and to allow for
beneficial reuse of underutilized facilities and land. Facilities that have been determined to be appropriate
for reuse are leased or transferred to non-DOE entities such as the Community Reuse Organization of
East Tennessee (CROET) or the city of Oak Ridge. CROET is a not-for-profit corporation established to
foster diversification of the regional economy by reutilizing excess DOE property for private-sector
investment and job creation.
The transfer of the Phase I Electrical Distribution System and the Phase I Plant Roadway System to
the City of Oak Ridge was ongoing in FY 2009. The Phase I Electrical Distribution System includes all
direct off-site main plant power lines. The Phase I Plant Roadway System includes the main plant
entrance and the main arterial roads.
Buildings K-1000, K-1501, and K-1008-F were transferred to CROET. K-1000 was renovated to
become the ETTP Welcome Center, while the other two buildings were leased to private companies.
One fourteen acre parcel referred to as ED-4 was transferred to CROET for future development.
One land parcel, referred to as ED-5 West, was transferred to CROET on December 22, 2008. ED-5
West consists of approximately 10.5 ha located near the front of ETTP, behind Pond K-1007-P1 and
adjacent to Poplar Creek and Parcel ED-5 East. During FY 2009 construction of two speculative building
and associated utilities proceeded.
Approximately 3,000 ft2 of security fence was removed and recycled in order to shrink the footprint
of the plant security area.
These activities are all part of DOE’s plan to transform ETTP into a private-sector business and
industrial park. Additional buildings at ETTP and several land areas are in various stages of the transfer
process.
3.9 ETTP Groundwater
Groundwater at the ETTP site occurs in residual soils, manmade fill, alluvial soils, and bedrock.
Because of extensive terrain modification that occurred during site construction, large areas of the main
industrial site were subjected to cut and fill activities that modified site hydrology. Most of the ETTP site
is underlain by carbonate bedrock of the Chickamauga Group with subordinate areas underlain by the
carbonates of the Knox Group and clastic dominated sandstones, shales, and siltstones of the Rockwood
formation. The geologic structure of bedrock beneath the ETTP site is the most complex of the ORR
East Tennessee Technology Park 3-81