Last Load of Process Building Placed for Disposal

Article Presented By Rathkamp Financial…

(Pike County) – The Department of Energy’s Portsmouth Site achieved a cleanup milestone on Thursday, Aug. 24, as the last load of the X-326 process building debris was placed in the On-Site Waste Disposal Facility (OSWDF).

Demolition of the massive X-326 Process Building is the most significant event to occur in the Decontamination and Decommissioning (D&D) era at the site. In just over a year, workers dismantled a building that was 2,280 feet long, 552 feet wide, and 62 feet tall and turned it into more than 163,000 cubic yards of debris.

“We are proud of the progress made to safely bring down this massive structure and effectively place it in waste disposal in record time and under budget,” said Fluor-BWXT President and CEO Greg Wilkett. “It took a strong, team approach to effectively complete this project.”

Workers from the X-326 project, the OSWDF, and support projects gathered to send off the last load as Tim Lewis, the driver who delivered the first load from the project to the OSWDF, drove the last load to its destination with DOE Federal Project Director, Jud Lilly, riding along.

“This truly is a Portsmouth cleanup milestone to be proud of,” said Lilly. “The hard work of people involved from all organizations across the Portsmouth site and beyond has made this a safe and successful project.”

The X-326 project has often been referred to as a three-legged stool, comprised of D&D, soil excavation, and OSWDF operations. The use of engineered fill soil excavated from legacy groundwater plumes and landfills provided the perfect solution to the need for more than twice the amount of soil per waste deposited into each cell. The approach prevented the need to purchase clean fill for the OSWDF and expedited the environmental cleanup of the site, providing more land for future use.

“With the approach we used, we truly had a win-win-win for the site,” said Director of Demolition and BOP Projects, Mike Furner. “This is a proud moment for everyone who took part in this project.”

As crews close out the X-326 demolition project, work is already underway preparing the next building D&D project, the X-333, along with the construction of three more disposal cells at the OSWDF.