The next step in addressing the "largest environmental hazard in South Carolina" was taken Tuesday when cement trucks hauling specially formulated grout to close another liquid waste tank pulled into the Savannah River Site.
After operationally closing four tanks since 2012, Savannah River Remediation is continuing the closure of Tank 16, the first that will be closed in H Area and also the first closure of a Type II tank.
Type II tanks are among the oldest at the Site, having been constructed between 1955 and 1956, according to a press release. The tank is 85 feet in diameter and has a storage capacity of about 1 million gallons.
Tank 16 underwent several removal activities, including waste material being pumped out, cleaning with specialized mechanical and chemical processes and isolating the tanks from all systems.
These activities were prerequisites and helped confirm that the tank was cleaned to the maximum extent practical and ready for closure. Waste tank closure is accomplished through the placement of the specialized grout to fill the entire tank and all tank component voids.
The primary tank sits in a nearly 3-foot thick reinforced concrete vault with a 5-foot high annulus secondary pan, much like a cup and saucer arrangement. During its use, the annulus was designed to contain any leaks that may have developed in the primary tank wall.
The Federal Facility Agreement between the Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency and South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control requires that Tank 16 be operationally closed by Oct. 27.
An agreement was reached in February to extend the operational closure date of the tank by 27 days.
Tanks 16 and 12 were initially scheduled to be grouted and cleaned by Sept. 30, 2014. But on Aug. 15, the Energy Department requested a 15-month extension for the closures, giving the Department until Dec. 31, 2016.
The request was denied by SCDHEC, which led the Department to call for a dispute resolution. After two informal dispute resolution discussions in October and November 2014, the dispute was elevated to the Dispute Resolution Committee at the request of SCDHEC on Jan. 13. In the end, SCDHEC agreed to the partial extension and now, DOE is expecting the tank to be completely grouted by the end of October.
"Grouting this tank says a great deal about the partnerships necessary to close SRS waste tanks," said SRS manager Jack Craig. "This initial filling of Tank 16 with grout is the result of a strong and enduring partnerships."
Derrek Asberry is the SRS beat reporter for the Aiken Standard and has been with the paper since June 2013.
He is originally from Vidalia, Ga., and a graduate of Georgia Southern University. Follow him on Twitter @DerrekAsberry.
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