Public Health Assessment: Savannah River Site Aiken, South Carolina. EPA Facility ID: SC 1890008989. Evaluation of Off-Site Groundwater and Surface Water Contamination at the Savannah River Site (USDOE)

摘要

The Savannah River Site (SRS), owned by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), is a 310 square mile plant located within portions of Allendale, Aiken, and Barnwell counties in the southwest section of South Carolina. SRS, formerly the Savannah River Plant (SRP) was constructed in 1950, with a mission to support the United States defense program by producing basic materials used in the manufacturing of nuclear weapons. The original plant included five nuclear reactors, two large chemical separation plants, a tritium processing facility, a heavy water extraction plant, a uranium fuel processing facility, a fuel and target fabrication facility, and a waste management facility. Between 1953 and 1988, SRP produced plutonium and other radionuclides for military and commercial purposes. Hazardous materials and wastes were processed, treated, and stored at the site during its operation. Past waste disposal practices include seepage basins for liquids, pits and piles for solids, and landfills for low-level radioactive wastes. Cleanup activities at SRP were initiated by DOE in 1985. In 1989, SRP became SRS, and the site was officially listed on EPAs National Priorities List (NPL) due to chemical (primarily metals and solvents) and radiological contamination of on-site groundwater. Since that time, DOE has addressed many contamination and disposal issues. SRS initiated the Environmental Management Program to help facilitate the evaluation and clean-up of sources of contamination. From 1989 until December 2005, Westinghouse Savannah River Company (WSRC) was the primary contractor at SRS. WSRCs contractual responsibilities included overseeing and managing the environmental cleanup and restoration at SRS. In December 2005, Washington Savannah River Company LLC became the primary contractor for SRS. In 1992, CDC initiated a Dose Reconstruction Project, conducted in three phases, to examine the release of chemicals and radionuclides from the site during the main operating period from 1954 to 1992. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) scientists reviewed the dose reconstruction report findings and agreed with the reports conclusions that the primary historical pathways of concern were through air and surface water releases.