The Savannah River Site is dismantling the building that used to house hundreds of 55-gallon drums containing radioactive transuranic waste, most of which has been shipped to a New Mexico repository.
Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, the site's management and operations contractor, is using a variety methods to dismantle and dispose of the 10,000-square-foot building, according to a press release.
Officials said the project will drive down associated costs.
One method used for the project involves a non-operational railroad boxcar that is now loaded with material and dismantled steel supports that formerly made up the walls and roof of the building known as Pad 16.
Using the salvaged boxcar as a waste storage container, the contractor avoided the purchase of eight additional containers, each costing nearly $4,000, to perform the same function.
"I really appreciate how we've come together as a team, dedicated to doing things smarter, safer and better while finding ways to cut costs," said Don Turno, the solid waste operations manager.
Another process efficiency associated with this effort involved gathering and using excess wooden pallets from across SRS that had been classified as low-level waste. The idea eliminated the storage of pallets that were no longer needed.
The Pad 16 structure previously stored transuranic waste - items such as clothing, tools, rags, residues, debris and other items contaminated with plutonium.
The waste was routinely shipped off to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in Carlsbad, New Mexico, before a radiation exposure incident in February 2014 shut down the facility until further notice.
The next phase of the project involves the pouring of a thick concrete cap to seal the flooring that remains at Pad 16. Approximately 450 cubic yards of concrete will be poured to create this protective cap.
In time, an engineered mound of fill dirt containing a continuous layer of clay will cover the interim concrete cap created for Pad 16.
The project is expected to be completed by July 31, six weeks ahead of the original schedule.
"We're not just working with our feet and hands, but our heads, as well, through use of our expertise in project management strategy," Turno said.
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.