Oak Ridge Associated Universities 2006 Annual Report

HIGHLIGHTS
In 2006, ORISE completed verification surveys
to facilitate the closure of the Battelle Columbus
Laboratories Decommissioning Project
at the West Jefferson (North) site in Ohio.
ORISE health physics technicians, including
Dean Herrera (pictured here), performed
measurements of three former process buildings
and support facilities, as well as more than
35 acres of adjacent land as part of the final
release process. Once used for nuclear reactor
and spent fuels research, the West Jefferson
(North) site was contaminated with cesium-
137, uranium, and plutonium isotopes. ORISE,
which received high marks from the cleanup
contractor and the U.S. Department of Energy
(DOE), began the project in 2003 and worked
closely with cleanup personnel to verify the site
was properly remediated according to release
standards.
How bad is the air in the Great Smoky
Mountains? That question was the primary topic
of the East Tennessee Ozone Study (ETOS)
Workshop, sponsored by NOAA’s ATDD, a
division managed by ORISE. In the Great Smoky
Mountains National Park, trees at frequently
visited attractions, such as Clingman’s Dome
(pictured above), are experiencing the damaging
effects of air pollution. To better understand
where East Tennessee’s ozone originates and
how it is affecting the region’s air quality, a
diverse group of scientists, government officials,
community leaders, and concerned members of
the public participated in a series of discussions,
held on the ORISE campus, aimed to assist
policy makers and citizens’ groups in making
better informed decisions on regulations and
behaviors that impact air quality. Established in
1999, the ETOS program monitors ozone levels
from upper East Tennessee to Chattanooga to
the Great Smoky Mountains to predict when
unhealthy conditions will occur and to track longterm
trends in air quality.
64