Battelle Columbus Laboratories

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The Battelle Columbus Laboratories Decommissioning Project, near Columbus Ohio, consists of 15 buildings and includes two geographically distinct sites. The King Avenue site consists of nine affected buildings, located within the city of Columbus, Ohio. The affected area under control of the project covers approximately 2.4 hectares (6 acres), and is bounded by The Ohio State University, a high-density residential area, and the Olentangy River. It includes several commercial and light industrial areas within 0.8 kilometers (0.5 miles) of the facility. The remaining six buildings are located at the West Jefferson site, which occupies approximately 440 hectares (1,100 acres). This rural site, located near West Jefferson, Ohio, is approximately 8 kilometers (5 miles) west of Columbus.

FACILITY MISSION

Between 1943 and 1986, Battelle Memorial Institute (Battelle) performed atomic energy research and development for the Department of Energy and its predecessor agencies at its two Columbus laboratory facilities. As part of the government's fuel and target fabrication program, Battelle participated in nuclear research activities that included fabrication of uranium and fuel elements; reactor development; submarine propulsion; fuel reprocessing; and safety studies of reactor vessels and piping.

In 1986, the Department of Energy established the Battelle Columbus Laboratories Decommissioning Project to decontaminate and decommission the Battelle facilities that were radioactively contaminated as a result of government-sponsored nuclear research. The facilities are also undergoing decommissioning as a condition of Battelle's Nuclear Regulatory Commission license.

The overall goal of decommissioning activities at Battelle is to decontaminate and decommission the affected Battelle facilities in a safe, technically sound, and cost-effective manner, and to return them to the owner (Battelle) in a condition suitable for use without radiological restrictions, pursuant to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission-approved project "Decommissioning Plan." Completion of decommissioning activities will discharge the Department's remaining contract obligations to these sites. These sites do not require any other Department of Energy-related remedial actions.

The primary driver for the Battelle Columbus Decommissioning Project is the government's contractual obligation to remediate Battelle's facilities as part of the closeout of contract W-7405-ENG-92. Based on an analysis of Battelle's historical research sponsors, the Department and Battelle have agreed to share the cost of most of the remedial actions at the Battelle Columbus Laboratories, with the Department responsible for 90 percent, and Battelle contributing the other 10 percent. However, the Department funds 100 percent of surveillance and monitoring costs for the West Jefferson site. All costs and funding presented in the tables are the Department of Energy's and do not include Battelle's contribution to the project.

There are no current or planned Nuclear Material and Facility Stabilization projects at the Battelle Columbus Laboratories. All waste management activities are conducted within the scope of the Environmental Restoration program. Battelle also performs all landlord functions. Under its current contract with the Department of Energy, Battelle's landlord costs include decontamination planning, project control, and decommissioning management.

FUTURE USE

Because the Battelle Columbus Laboratories facilities are privately owned, Battelle makes all decisions regarding future use. However, this estimate assumes that use of the site will remain Industrial.

ENVIRONMENTAL RESTORATION

The 15 buildings, or portions thereof, that became radioactively contaminated at the King Avenue and West Jefferson sites will be decontaminated and released to Battelle. Presently, King Avenue site decontamination activities are almost complete and most of the future work will occur at the West Jefferson site.

Nuclear research performed in the nine buildings at the King Avenue site included processing and machining enriched, natural, and depleted uranium and thorium; fabricating fuel elements; analyzing radiochemicals; and studying power metallurgy.

The West Jefferson site includes three areas: the engineering area in the southeastern portion; the experimental ecology area in the eastern-central portion; and the nuclear sciences area in the northern portion. The affected area at the West Jefferson site under control of the project covers approximately 4.8 hectares (12 acres) or 1 percent of the site.

The principal contaminated media at both Battelle Columbus Laboratories sites are facilities and equipment. However, small areas of surface soils also may be contaminated. Ground-water contamination may be present in a localized area around filter beds at the West Jefferson site, but the Department does not expect it to be a significant problem.

According to their jurisdiction by law, several federal, state, and local regulatory agencies have been, or will become involved in specific aspects of the Battelle Columbus Laboratories Decommissioning Project. Cognizant regulatory agencies include: the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission; the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency; the State of Ohio Disaster Services Agencies; the Public Utility Commission of Ohio; the Ohio Department of Transportation; the Ohio Department of Public Health; the Madison County Department of Health; and the City of Columbus Department of Health.

The Battelle nuclear facilities currently operate under a Nuclear Regulatory Commission license for possession of Special Nuclear Material. In 1993, Battelle submitted a revised Decommissioning Plan, and the Chicago Operations Office submitted a Financial Assurance Certification to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Release criteria are consistent with the project's Technical Basis Documents for surface and volumetric releases, as described in the Nuclear Regulatory Commission-approved Decommissioning Plan.

In 1990, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued an Environmental Assessment/Finding of No Significant Impact, authorizing the Department of Energy to initiate plans for the Battelle Columbus Laboratories Decommissioning Project. This estimate assumes that no significant changes will be made to this document.

There are no current or planned activities related to remedial actions or stabilization at the Battelle Columbus Laboratories. No long-term surveillance and monitoring activities are planned once decommissioning activities are completed at the Battelle sites.

All costs associated with the treatment, storage, and disposal of waste generated by decommissioning activities at the Battelle Columbus Laboratories are included within the scope of the Environmental Restoration program estimate.

King Avenue and West Jefferson Sites

ASSESSMENT

The facilities at both King Avenue and West Jefferson present potential risks to onsite staff and to public safety, health, and the environment because of their aging building systems and their proximity to the population. Surveillance and monitoring activities are essential to ensure adequate containment and site control until decommissioning has been completed and the sites are released. Battelle conducted surveys of workers involved in the historical work that occurred in each building. From this survey, Battelle produced a "red and blue" book that documented areas of suspected contamination in each building. Battelle is using this assessment as a foundation on which to base its plans for more formal characterization work. Prior to starting physical decommissioning in each building, Battelle performs a comprehensive physical and radiological survey to verify the type, extent, and location of contamination.

Battelle has performed preliminary assessments of all affected buildings. The assessments enabled Battelle to establish radiological controls and develop a baseline plan for decontamination efforts. The estimated remaining square footage to be decommissioned totals approximately 50,685 square meters (545,000 square feet) 4,185 square meters (45,000 square feet) at the King Avenue site, and 46,500 square meters (500,000 square feet) at the West Jefferson site. The total encompasses over 300 rooms and areas at both sites.

The type and extent of contamination varies from building to building, depending on the nature of the nuclear research performed. Most contamination in laboratory and metal fabricating areas at the King Avenue site is due to uranium, thorium, and associated resultant products. The West Jefferson site, the location of a large hot cell facility and a decommissioned research reactor, was contaminated by transuranic, mixed fission products, and activation products. All buildings containing radioactive materials have been evaluated through a project hazard assessment and have been shown to pose low risk to workers and the public, with appropriate controls. These controls include radiation monitoring equipment, health physics oversight, area postings, active ventilation systems, personnel monitoring, and operating fixed and portable instrumentation to detect and measure radiation.

Characterization of the King Avenue site and associated external areas is essentially complete. This estimate assumes completion of decontamination activities at the this site in FY 1996.

Battelle has also completed preliminary characterization at the West Jefferson site. As part of the ongoing surveillance and monitoring program, Battelle has established the parameters for the areas to be decommissioned. Based on this preliminary assessment, Battelle has established radiological controls and developed a baseline plan for decommissioning efforts. As necessary, further characterization of the West Jefferson site will be performed under the West Jefferson decommissioning element. The project's Radioanalytical Laboratory will not have the onsite capabilities to perform tasks, such as complex matrices, chemical identifications, or chemical acceptance requirements as outlined in the Environmental Protection Agency's Test Methods for Evaluating Solid Waste or the Hanford Waste Acceptance Criteria . Therefore, Battelle will arrange for offsite contractors to perform specialized sample analyses, such as the Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure. This estimate assumes that the offsite laboratories performing the analyses will dispose of any associated waste.

An integrated radiological characterization program plan will continue at the West Jefferson site. It includes characterization, radiological analysis, chemical analysis, and completion surveys. In 1989, preliminary characterization identified four distinct areas external to affected buildings as requiring some level of remediation. This remedial effort will be conducted as part of formal decommissioning activities. This report assumes that decommissioning activities at the West Jefferson site will begin in FY 1997 and continue through FY 2002.

DECOMMISSIONING

Decommissioning activities at Battelle Columbus Laboratories include pre-decommissioning surveillance and monitoring, task coordination and management, assessment, characterization, relocation of equipment and furnishings, decontamination of equipment and facilities, decontamination and/or remediation of contaminated soils surrounding facilities, post-decontamination inspections, compilation of certification documents, and preparation of release documents. Decommissioned properties and/or facilities will be returned to Battelle for use without radiological restrictions. Therefore, no long-term surveillance and monitoring of the properties or facilities is required. This report assumes that decommissioning activities can be performed using commercially available, existing technology.

The decommissioning approach for buildings at the King Avenue site follows a generic flow. Prior to starting decommissioning activities in each building, Battelle performs a comprehensive physical and radiological survey to verify the type, extent, and locations of contamination. Workers then remove and decontaminate surfaces and laboratory equipment containing residual radioactive material. This is accomplished through scrubbing, washing, and scraping surfaces, and removing the loosened contaminated residues, such as concrete dust and soil. After workers complete this process, they dismantle and remove any contaminated equipment, such as gloveboxes, hoods and blowers.

Decommissioning work at the West Jefferson site will begin with removing contaminated equipment, followed by scrubbing and washing, or applying strippable coatings and foams to remove contamination from the surface. Contamination embedded in the surfaces or present in cracks will be removed by mechanical processes, such as high-pressure water jets or scraping surfaces using a machine called a scabbler.

Battelle conducts the pre-decommissioning surveillance and monitoring program for each site building or area before it initiates decommissioning operations. Once decommissioning begins, job-site radiological and safety controls replace periodic surveillance.

Decommissioning activities at both the King Avenue and West Jefferson sites, mechanical processes, such as scraping, chipping, and vacu-blasting, may remove up to a quarter inch of floor and wall surfaces. In addition, contaminated subfloor drains at both sites will be removed through trenching, and contaminated soils will be exhumed. Cleaning equipment used for these activities incorporate systems that filter liquids and capture and contain dust and particulates created during operations.

Contaminated waste at both King Avenue and West Jefferson are classified, characterized, packaged, and shipped via a certified commercial carrier to Department of Energy-approved treatment and/or disposal sites. Once all waste is shipped, Battelle conducts and documents final radiation surveys. An Independent Verification Contractor then certifies that the site is suitable for use without radiological restrictions. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission currently accepts the results of these surveys. The project's Technical Basis Documents fully describe release criteria.

Waste management operations at the Battelle Columbus Laboratories are currently scheduled to be completed along with decommissioning operations in FY 2002. Radioactive waste generated by decommissioning activities is considered to be owned by the Department of Energy for the purposes of disposal, and will be shipped to approved treatment and/or disposal facilities. However, hazardous and sanitary waste is the responsibility of Battelle's corporate operations, and associated costs are not included in the estimates of Department of Energy liability. Since Battelle does not treat any waste types onsite, all project waste is shipped to appropriate facilities for treatment, as necessary, prior to disposal. Battelle has no current or future plans to construct treatment, storage, or disposal facilities at its site locations.

This report assumes that 714 cubic meters (964 cubic yards) of low-level waste, will be shipped to the Hanford facility in Washington State.

Battelle is also using the Scientific Ecology Group, Inc., a waste volume reduction contractor located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, to reduce the volume and the associated cost of low-level waste disposal. This estimate assumes that Battelle will transport less than 10 percent of low-level waste to the Scientific Ecology Group, Inc. for compaction, and then send it to the Hanford facility for disposal.

Battelle Columbus Laboratories does not have a Resource Conservation and Recovery Act storage permit and, therefore must ship all low-level mixed waste offsite for treatment, storage, and/or disposal within 90 days of generation. The proposed amended Site Treatment Plan, required under the Federal Facilities Compliance Act, was approved by the State of Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. The plan identifies waste streams and volumes, and selects options for treatment at offsite facilities. This estimate assumes that 92 percent, or 12 cubic meters (16 cubic yards), will be sent to the Hanford facility, and that 8 percent, or 1 cubic meter (1.3 cubic yards), will be shipped to Envirocare through FY 2002.

Transuranic waste will be generated during the course of decommissioning of the JN-1 Hot Cell Facility at the West Jefferson site. Nearly all transuranic material in the hot cells derived from examining spent fuel and, therefore, requires remote-handling techniques. Based on waste characteristics, volumes, geographic location, and historical linkages, the National Transuranic Waste Program has matched small quantity generators of transuranic waste with larger Department of Energy storage sites. Using this process, the National Transuranic Waste Program has assigned the Battelle Columbus Laboratories Decommissioning Project as a generator, to the Oak Ridge Laboratories, as a receiving site. This report assumes that Battelle will ship 95 cubic meters (128 cubic yards) of transuranic waste to the Oak Ridge National Laboratory for storage through FY 2001.

Following the physical decommissioning work, the Department of Energy and Battelle will negotiate a restoration payment for Battelle's effort to return the decommissioned buildings so that they meet, at a minimum, Occupational Safety and Health Act standards and current building code requirements. This cost estimate includes an allowance for the restoration effort in each building.

Direct Program Management/Support

Department of Energy staff manage the Battelle Columbus Laboratories Decommissioning Project onsite. The Ohio Field Office currently manages the contract with Battelle.

The Environmental Restoration program management represents cross-cutting activities that do not directly support specific operations or projects. It provides for overall project management (i.e., planning, reporting information, and managing resources to accomplish project goals, budgets, and schedules) of the project decommissioning effort in compliance with Departmental requirements.

In addition to program management, this estimate also includes activities such as quality assurance, personnel training, document development and control, and records and data management. It also includes reporting that is related to regulatory permitting, requirements definition, and order/code compliance, and outreach efforts under the project public participation plan and provisions for Department support contractor oversight activities.

Ensuring compliance with pertinent environmental regulations and laws is an important management function. This includes guidance on regulations and policy, and staff training, as well as compliance tracking. Other important management functions include operations integration to establish and maintain performance expectations, measurements and reports, performance tracking, and developing and maintaining plans and procedures.

The waste minimization program tracks the amount of waste generated at each site and encourages the use of waste reduction methods. Opportunities for preventing pollution include increasing recycling efforts and ensuring the affirmative procurement of recycled products. Battelle has made a corporate commitment to pollution prevention through membership in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's "Waste Wise" program.

DESCRIPTION OF PERSONNEL

Current Composition

Approximately 171 Full-Time Equivalents are currently working on the Battelle Columbus Laboratories Decommissioning Project. The composition includes personnel in the following categories: general managers, executives, floor supervisors; general administrative workers, secretaries and clerical workers; administrators and other professionals; engineers; technicians; and crafts workers. The following table identifies the breakdown of the current composition of the Battelle Columbus Laboratories Decommissioning Project staff.

*The projections for Full-Time Equivalent employees are based on FY 1996 planning baselines (see Reader's Guide).

Site Management Structure

The performing organizations currently under the Battelle Columbus Laboratories Decommissioning Project site management structure include the Office of Environmental Management, the Ohio Field Office, the prime contractor (Battelle), and the support contractors (Aguirre Engineers, Inc.).

The manager, Ohio Field Office, is responsible for field management of the Battelle Columbus Laboratories Decommissioning Project. The manager has delegated authority for executing the project to the Director, Columbus Area Office.

Battelle functions as the Decommissioning Operations Contractor. Consistent with guidance from the Department, Battelle selects staff and subcontractors to plan, direct, and perform the decontamination activities. Battelle also identifies and procures subcontracts when detailed decontamination plans are completed for each building. Subcontracts are generally firm-fixed-price and bid competitively. Battelle uses various subcontractors to perform basic technical support services such as physical decontamination, health physics, and radiation protection. In addition, Battelle has entered into contracts with a number of other companies, such as Scientific Ecology Group, Inc., Oak Ridge, Tennessee; Westinghouse Hanford Company, Richland, Washington; and Envirocare of Utah, to support its waste management operations.

Aguirre Engineers, Inc. provides support services to the onsite Department of Energy personnel in the areas of project and records management, technical decontamination and decommissioning, control systems, technical reviews, other analyses and evaluations, and administrative services. In addition, Aguirre arranges for other specialized matrix support, as required under their Cost Plus Fixed Fee basic operating contract with the Department. The current contract's projected period of performance is through September 1998.

Future Full-Time Equivalent Needs

The Full-Time Equivalent Composition Table on the proceeding page represents the specialties that the project will need in the outyears to accomplish the project's main objective, which is to return the contaminated facilities to their owner, Battelle, in a suitable condition for use without radiological restrictions. This estimate assumes that the Full-Time Equivalent mix on the Battelle Columbus Laboratories Decommissioning Project will not change significantly over the remaining duration of the project.

FUNDING ESTIMATE

The following tables present estimated funding information for the Battelle Columbus Laboratories.

COMPARISON WITH PREVIOUS ESTIMATE

In terms of total cost estimates, the information provided in the previous Baseline Environmental Management Report for the project is generally consistent with this year's submittal. Lower level changes, which have occurred since the previous submittal, tend to offset each other's impact to total cost estimates.

The FY 1995 estimate was based on the funding profile portrayed in the project's approved baseline. Under this baseline profile, the completion of the King Avenue decontamination and decommissioning was scheduled for FY 1997 and the completion of the West Jefferson decontamination and decommissioning was scheduled for FY 2000. However, this funding profile was significantly changed during the past year. This resulted in a more aggressive campaign for the completion of King Avenue's decontamination and decommissioning and a substantially reduced funding profile available to complete the project's West Jefferson work. Therefore, the FY 1996 estimate shows an early completion of the King Avenue decontamination and decommissioning in FY 1996, with a delay in the completion of West Jefferson decontamination and decommissioning to FY 2002. Because of the refined approach, life-cycle costs for the site have been reduced by 14 percent.