Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant faced wrecking ball.
A plan to demolish the massive process buildings and other facilities undergoing decontamination and decommissioning (D&D) at the former Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant at Piketon has been agreed upon by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
According to DOE, the formal Record of Decision (ROD) for the Process Buildings and Complex Facilities D&D Project details DOE’s decision for the D&D of the plant’s three large process buildings, each of which contains more than 30 acres under one roof, and other facilities and auxiliary systems.
The ROD for waste disposition was also recently agreed upon by Ohio EPA and DOE. The waste disposition decision calls for the construction of an on-site disposal facility as part of the remedy for more than two million cubic yards of D&D waste. According to DOE, waste that does not meet the approved acceptance criteria for the onsite facility will be shipped offsite for disposal at appropriate licensed or commercial disposal facilities.
“These are some of the largest buildings ever constructed. Their size and function during production years make D&D of this plant a complicated endeavour,” said William E. Murphie, manager of DOE’s Portsmouth/Paducah Project Office. “The Department of Energy thanks the Ohio EPA for its collaborative and thorough review, and the Portsmouth Site Specific Advisory Board and all stakeholders who participated in this multi-year process. These decisions are a major milestone in moving the D&D project forward in a safe, efficient, and environmentally responsible manner.”
A proposed plan for the facilities’ demolition was issued in November 2014, and a subsequent four-month public comment period and a public meeting at Waverly High School were conducted. All of the several hundred comments were reviewed and considered in the ROD’s final language, according to DOE.
