Oak Ridge Reservation Offsite Program

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The Oak Ridge Reservation Offsite Program consists of the Clinch River and Watts Bar Reservoir; the flood plain of the Lower East Fork Poplar Creek; a privately owned site in Knox County, three privately owned sites in Knoxville, Tennessee; and four privately owned sites in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, which were contaminated with hazardous materials from operations at the Oak Ridge Reservation and other sources. The Clinch River and Watts Bar Reservoir system, which encompasses 120 river miles in length and 17,600 hectares (44,000 acres) in surface area, is used for municipal and industrial water supplies, sport fishing, boating, swimming, tourism, and residential development. Lower East Fork Poplar Creek begins at Lake Reality (outside the east end of the Y-12 Plant on the Oak Ridge Reservation) and flows for approximately 22 kilometers (14 miles) through residential, commercial, agricultural, and open-use areas in the City of Oak Ridge. The Oak Ridge Reservation Offsite Program addresses environmental restoration at these and the privately owned sites. To view the Locality Map for the Oak Ridge Reservation Offsite Program, see the Oak Ridge Associated Universities Program site summary.

FACILITY MISSION

The mission of the Oak Ridge Reservation Offsite Program is to evaluate and, if necessary, remediate contamination at the subject sites as a part of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act activities at the Oak Ridge Reservation. The program has three main components: the Clinch River and Watts Bar Reservoir site, the Lower East Fork Poplar Creek site, and eight small areas collectively known as the Tennessee Regulated Sites. Public institutions or private organizations and individuals will continue to hold the sites, which are located outside the Oak Ridge Reservation boundaries.

The Oak Ridge Reservation Offsite Program sites were contaminated in part through the historical missions of the plants on the Oak Ridge Reservation. These sites include the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, one of the country's largest multidisciplinary and multiprogram laboratories and research facilities; the K-25 Site, the location of a gaseous diffusion plant that is now shut down; and the Y-12 Plant, which was historically involved in the production of nuclear weapons components. Past research, industrial, and waste disposal activities have caused the contamination at the sites outside of the Oak Ridge Reservation. Upgrades to systems, administrative controls, and onsite cleanups have eliminated or severely reduced the sources of the Department of Energy offsite contamination. The contaminants of concern include metals, organic compounds, and radionuclides received as effluents from facilities at the Oak Ridge Reservation as well as effluents from municipal and industrial water-treatment plants and runoff from agricultural, urban, and residential areas.

There are no nuclear material and facility stabilization, waste management, or landlord activities at these sites. The costs associated with characterizing, containerizing, and shipping waste at these sites are included within the scope of the Environmental Restoration program. Waste is shipped to the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the K-25 Site and the Y-12 Plant, and all costs associated with treatment, storage and disposal are included within the scope of the Waste Management programs at those sites. This waste may also be shipped to commercial vendors for treatment and disposal. Because the Department of Energy does not own the offsite properties, it is not responsible for landlord functions, and the Environmental Management program has no directly appropriated costs associated with these properties.

FUTURE USE

The Oak Ridge Reservation developed a reservation-wide strategy called Common Ground Process to provide a consistent land-use approach that accommodates the needs of stakeholders. This report assumes that the U.S. Government will manage much of the Oak Ridge Reservation as a single property for the life cycle of this estimate. However, land use for the offsite locations relies on current uses such as Agricultural, Industrial, and Residential. In many cases, this results in Industrial land use because of public access to the sites. Appropriate administrative controls are applied as a part of selected alternatives for site remediation. For example, the Lower Watts Bar Reservoir Project provides fish consumption advisories and monitors contaminant uptake in the ecosystem to ensure public safety. Feasibility studies evaluate cleanup alternatives for specific land uses and form the basis of the remediation objectives. See the Future Use Map located in the Oak Ridge Associated Universities site summary.

ENVIRONMENTAL RESTORATION

The 1992 Oak Ridge Reservation Federal Facilities Agreement specified the requirements jointly developed by the Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation to initiate the remediation of the Oak Ridge Reservation, as required by the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act. This agreement addresses several offsite locations, including the Clinch River/Poplar Creek, Lower Watts Bar Reservoir, and Lower East Fork Poplar Creek sites.

Three tributaries of the Clinch River, White Oak Creek, Bear Creek, and Poplar Creek (including the Lower East Fork Poplar Creek), transported much of the contamination at the river sites from the Oak Ridge Reservation facilities. Many different contaminants are present, ranging from radionuclides to heavy metals and organic chemical compounds. The contamination resulted not only from operations at the Oak Ridge Reservation, but also from industrial, urban, and residential sources as well as agricultural runoff within the Clinch River and Tennessee River drainages.

Known areas of contamination located outside the reservation are included under the Oak Ridge Reservation Offsite Program. Cleanup at the Oak Ridge Associated Universities and Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education is included in a separate program. Continued screening may discover additional areas of contamination outside of the Oak Ridge Reservation. These areas will be incorporated into the program in the future.

This report assumes that monitoring of the Clinch River and Lower East Fork Poplar Creek will continue long enough to permit assessment of the effectiveness of the remediation. The Department of Energy is not responsible for the long-term surveillance and monitoring of the private properties that comprise the unregulated sites.

This report assumes that waste generated by remediating of regulated sites will be shipped to the Oak Ridge K-25 Site or Y-12 Plant for storage, or to commercial facilities for treatment or disposal, depending on their composition and contamination. Soil excavated from the Lower East Fork Poplar Creek floodplain will be transported to a permitted landfill at the Y-12 Plant.

Similarly, the Department of Energy plans and works with appropriate plant sites to manage all waste generated from the Tennessee Regulated Sites. This report assumes that radioactive liquid waste will be treated at one of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory waste treatment systems. Mixed solid waste and radioactive waste unacceptable for treatment at Scientific Ecology Group will be treated at the K-25 Site, and radioactive materials acceptable at Scientific Ecology Group will be treated by that company under a subcontract with the K-25 Site. Any Toxic Substances Control Act waste will be treated as such at the K-25 incinerator or will be stored K-25 Site.

The Clinch River and Watts Bar Reservoir

ASSESSMENT

In 1989, the Clinch River and the Watts Bar Reservoir were placed on the Environmental Protection Agency's National Priorities List of contaminated sites. The contaminants include metals (mercury, lead, arsenic, selenium, and chromium); organic compounds (polychlorinated biphenyls, dioxin, and chlordane); and radionuclides (cesium-137, cobalt-60, tritium, and strontium-90). Cesium-137 is found in deep sediments within the channel, and polychlorinated biphenyls are present in fish. However, Department of Energy operations are not the only source of the polychlorinated biphenyls. The Clinch River and Watts Bar Reservoir receive effluents from facilities on the Oak Ridge Reservation as well as from municipal and industrial water-treatment plants and runoff from agricultural, urban, and residential areas.

The Clinch River Environmental Restoration program is a part of the Oak Ridge Reservation Offsite Program. It addresses the transport of waterborne contaminants that were released from the Oak Ridge Reservation from the mid-1940s to the present. Primary areas of investigation include Melton Hill Reservoir, the Clinch River from Melton Hill Dam to its confluence with the Tennessee River, the White Oak Creek Embayment, and the Watts Bar Reservoir.

The contaminants released from the Oak Ridge Reservation resulted from research, industrial, and waste disposal activities conducted at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the Y­12 Plant, and the K­25 Site. They include a variety of radionuclides, metals, and organic compounds. Some liquid waste is discharged to streams on the Oak Ridge Reservation that drain into Clinch River; however, much of the waterborne contamination is the result of seepage into the shallow ground water from old waste­storage pits and trenches. Preliminary human health risk screening, which used a variety of exposure pathways and nonconservative screening methods, identified the contaminants of concern in the river reservoir system. Polychlorinated biphenyls were identified as contaminants of concern through fish ingestion. The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation issued a fish consumption advisory for Melton Hill Reservoir and the Clinch River arm of Watts Bar and other area reservoirs. Poplar Creek is posted by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, which advises against fish consumption and water contact because of mercury, metals, and organic chemical contamination. Arsenic, chromium, mercury, selenium, zinc, cesium-137, and cobalt-60 pose risks only if deep-channel sediments are dredged and used for agriculture.

The Watts Bar Reservoir is the first Tennessee River impoundment located downstream of the Oak Ridge Reservation. The Tennessee Valley Authority's Watts Bar Dam, completed in 1942, is situated at Tennessee River river mile 530.5. The reservoir receives inflow from both the Tennessee and Clinch rivers. This area consists of that portion of the reservoir that extends from Tennessee River river mile 567.5 at the mouth of the Clinch River at Kingston to Watts Bar Dam.

The Clinch River is the source of Oak Ridge Reservation contaminants in Watts Bar. The Watts Bar dam was completed before the start of operations at the Oak Ridge Reservation. The reservoir acts as an efficient trap for sediments and any associated particle-reactive contaminants that have accumulated in the bottom of Watts Bar over the years. The contaminants of concern and exposure pathways are the same as for the Clinch River, with polychlorinated biphenyls in fish posing the greatest risk to human health. The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation issued a fish consumption advisory for Watts Bar Reservoir. A fish consumption advisory also is in effect for Fort Loudon and Tellico Reservoirs located upstream of Watts Bar and Oak Ridge. Because of dilution by the Tennessee River and the greater area of the reservoir as compared to the Clinch River, sediment containment concentrations are generally lower in the Watts Bar Reservoir than in the Clinch River. Human health risk analyses indicate that contaminants in reservoir sediment pose a risk only if deep channel sediments are dredged and the dredged material is used on agricultural land. An Interagency Agreement between Department of Energy, the Tennessee Valley Authority, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the State of Tennessee for sediment controls was completed in FY 1995.

The first phase of the characterization of the Clinch River/Watts Bar Reservoir system has been completed, and Phase 2 is ongoing. Under Phase 2, water and sediment and pore water samples were collected for toxicity testing. Toxicity tests using Ceriodaphnia and fathead minnows were conducted in August 1994. Sediment samples were used for mussel toxicity tests. The Record of Decision will have two parts. The Clinch River and Watts Bar system was divided into two operable units in order to accelerate the schedule for the Lower Watts Bar Lake Record of Decision. The Record of Decision for the Lower Watts Bar Reservoir was submitted to the regulators on June 2, 1995; the Record of Decision on the Clinch River/Poplar Creek is expected in FY 1997.

REMEDIAL ACTION

Based on the proposed Record of Decision, this report assumes that the Lower Watts Bar Reservoir will require No Further Action. The assumed final actions for the Clinch River will be a long-term assessment of the effectiveness of remediation at the Oak Ridge Reservation. The report assumes that the institutional controls and monitoring will continue until at least FY 2019. Any waste generated from the assessment and monitoring activities will be taken to the Oak Ridge National Laboratory for management and are included in that site's Waste Management program costs estimates.

Lower East Fork Poplar Creek

The Lower East Fork Poplar Creek extends from the outfall at Lake Reality at the Y­12 Plant boundary downstream to the stream's confluence with Poplar Creek. The Lower East Fork Poplar Creek site consists of the 22-kilometer (14-mile) stream and an associated 260-hectare (650-acre) floodplain; it flows through Residential, Commercial, Agricultural, and open-use areas in the City of Oak Ridge.

In 1952, the Y-12 Plant began production-scale separation of lithium isotopes, which required the use of millions of kilograms of mercury. This process resulted in the release of 108,000 to 212,000 kilograms (239,000 to 470,000 pounds) of mercury into East Fork Poplar Creek between 1953 and 1983. More than 20 tributaries and treated effluent from the Oak Ridge Sewage Treatment Plant flow into the creek. Although the primary mercury discharges from the Y-12 Plant were eliminated in 1963, mercury continues to be released in East Fork Poplar Creek from the Y-12 Plant and secondary sources (e.g., building drain systems, sewers, and connecting lines). The current release is approximately 20 grams (0.7 ounces) per day, a reduction from 100 grams (3.5 ounces) per day in 1985. Portions of the sewers were relined in 1986 and 1987 to reduce mercury contamination. Efforts continue at the Y-12 Plant to further reduce mercury discharges (e.g., decommissioning, the Reduction of Mercury from Plant Effluent project, and remediation of mercury-use areas). The Y-12 Plant's Environmental Restoration program is responsible for the surface water in East Fork Poplar Creek. Releases are regulated under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit for the Y-12 Plant.

Other contaminants in the flood plain of the creek include heavy metals, radionuclides, polychlorinated biphenyls, and polychlorinated hydrocarbons from past operations at Department of Energy's Y-12 Plant. Other contaminants are present in the sediments.

During 1982 and 1983, the City of Oak Ridge constructed the Sewer Line Beltway near Lower East Fork Poplar Creek. It contains over ten miles of sanitary interceptor sewers and force mains. In certain instances, East Fork Poplar Creek flood plain soils were used to provide topsoil. However, the city did not keep records to document the backfill procedures and locations.

ASSESSMENT

In accordance with the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, and the 1992 Federal Facilities Agreement, a Remedial Investigation and a Feasibility Study were conducted and a proposed plan was developed. This report assumes that all assessments for the Lower East Fork Poplar Creek will be completed by FY 1996.

REMEDIAL ACTION

The selected remedial action in the Record of Decision, issued in May 1995, is to excavate and dispose of soils with mercury concentrations greater than 400 parts per million in a permitted landfill at the Y-12 Plant on the Oak Ridge Reservation. Approximately 7,600 cubic meters (9,956 cubic yards) of soil will be excavated. A small area of wetland will be remediated and restored. Clean borrow soil will be needed to fill the excavation. Implementation of this alternative may involve removing vegetation and soils, grading excavated areas, and controlling surface runoff. In addition, surveillance and monitoring will be performed regularly after remediation is complete. Remediation is scheduled to be completed in FY 2005.

Excavated contaminated soil will be loaded into standard dump trucks and transported to the Y-12 Plant for disposal. The soil will then be deposited in an existing, Subtitle D landfill at the Y-12 Plant that will have leachate collection capabilities. If necessary, any leachate collected will be pre-treated before release. The project uses the existing capacity, leachate monitoring, and pre-closure and post-closure monitoring programs to accommodate the contaminated environmental media.

Tennessee Regulated Projects

The Tennessee Regulated Projects in the Oak Ridge Reservation Offsite Program include eight privately owned sites. These projects are not conducted under the Federal Facility Compliance Act and are not regulated by the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act or the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. However, the Department of Energy has entered into agreements with the State of Tennessee to perform work at some of these properties to remedy Department of Energy-related issues or to volunteer technical and financial assistance.

The Tennessee Regulated Projects consist of sites at Atomic City Auto Parts in Oak Ridge; a rail spur owned by CSX Transportation, Inc., in Oak Ridge; the Solway Drums Site in Knox County; Western Sewage Digester, an abandoned sewage digester owned by and located in the City of Oak Ridge; Oak Ridge Tool-Engineering in Oak Ridge; and three David Witherspoon, Inc. sites in Knoxville.

ASSESSMENT

In the past, Atomic City Auto Parts received surplus government materials from Oak Ridge Reservation facilities operated by the Department of Energy and its predecessor agencies. This auto salvage yard is privately owned and operated and is listed as a Tennessee Superfund site. Studies at Atomic City Auto Parts have detected the presence of heavy metals, solvents, polychlorinated biphenyls, organic chemicals (dioxin and furan), and radioactive materials. The site is currently regulated under a consent order between the Department of Energy and the Tennessee Department of the Environment and Conservation. The primary waste assumed from the Atomic City Auto Parts project is Resource Conservation and Recovery Act/low-level waste/Toxic Substances Control Act aqueous liquid, soil, debris and wood. This baseline report assumes that activities will generate approximately 511 cubic meters (669 cubic yards) of low-level mixed aqueous liquid, 48,150 cubic meters (63,077 cubic yards) of soil (mostly hazardous), 6 cubic meters (8 cubic yards) of sanitary debris and 4,985 cubic meters (6,530 cubic yards) of wood, of which only 381 cubic meters (499 cubic yards) is low-level mixed waste (the remaining is sanitary). This estimate assumes that this waste is being sent to the Waste Management program at the Oak Ridge K-25 Site for treatment and disposal.

The Solway Drums Site (also known as the Roscoe Fields Property) is a privately owned site in a rural residential area in Knox County. Its owner improperly stored approximately 265 drums of various oils and solvents reportedly purchased from the Union Carbide Corporation when Union Carbide managed the Oak Ridge Reservation. The presence of these drums at Solway was reported to the Department of Energy on February 23, 1994. The drums are presently in storage at K-25 Site waste management facilities.

The Western Sewage Digester was part of the sewage treatment system that served the Y­12 Plant and the west side of the City of Oak Ridge from 1942 until it was abandoned in 1982. A preliminary analysis of liquid samples found uranium. The Department of Energy has agreed to assist the City of Oak Ridge by characterizing the contents of the digester to identify proper disposal. The primary waste from the Western Sewage Digester project is assumed to be sanitary construction debris (concrete) and liquid low-level waste. The Department of Energy plans to provide financial assistance to the City of Oak Ridge in dewatering the contents of the digester. The dewatered sludge will be disposed of at the Y-12 Landfill. This report assumes that concrete from the destruction of the tank will be sent to a municipal landfill.

Oak Ridge Tool-Engineering is an active precision machine shop located in Oak Ridge. The shop currently possesses four large milling machines purchased from Union Carbide from the Y-12 Plant. Oak Ridge Tool-Engineering was approached by another local company, Quadrex (now known as American Ecology), to perform machining on an item with one of the four machines: the Giddings and Lewis horizontal boring mill. Before Oak Ridge Tool-Engineering began work, Quadrex surveyed Oak Ridge Tool-Engineering's machine and determined that it was radioactively contaminated above background levels. The Tennessee Division of Radiological Health allowed Oak Ridge Tool-Engineering to decontaminate the machinery prior to performing the work and to store the generated waste at Quadrex because Oak Ridge Tool-Engineering does not have a radioactive materials license. The Tennessee Division of Radiological Health performed a frisking of the Giddings and Lewis machine and one of the two Niles vertical turret lathes (the fourth machine is a King vertical turret lathe). Levels of radioactivity above background level were detected, but a more comprehensive survey is needed to determine whether levels exceed Nuclear Regulatory Commission limits. The primary waste from the Oak Ridge Tool-Engineering project would be low-level waste metal. This estimate assumes that disposal of this waste will not be required.

David Witherspoon, Inc. operated three sites on Old Maryville Pike in south Knoxville, where it accepted scrap metal and other materials from many sources. Several of these materials are alleged to have originated from facilities owned by the Department of Energy. Some of the scrap metal at the site is contaminated with radionuclides. All three sites are listed as Tennessee Superfund sites and are subject to State Superfund regulations.

The Witherspoon site at 901 Old Maryville Pike is known as Witherspoon Recycling. It was a metal recycling business for many years and was permitted by the Tennessee Division of Radiological Health to accept radiologically contaminated metal from many sites, including the Department of Energy in Oak Ridge; Paducah, Kentucky; and Portsmouth, Ohio. Many violations of the permits occurred over the years, and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation Superfund Office eventually forced the operator to cease operations. The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation recently completed a Remedial Investigation at the site. The primary waste assumed from the Witherspoon site at 901 Old Maryville Pike is low-level debris and low-level mixed soil.

Two other Witherspoon sites are located at 1620 Old Maryville Pike. One, known as the Screen Arts Site, is named after a company that once leased the property. A September 1990 State inspection of the site determined that it did not warrant placement on the National Priorities List because it posed no imminent threat to human health and the environment. However, the inspection did determine that the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation Superfund Office should perform further investigations because samples showed detectable levels of contaminants around the site, particularly in the "yard area."

The second site at this address, the Witherspoon Landfill, is located behind the former Screen Arts Building. For many years it accepted waste from a variety of industries, including the Department of Energy. In 1993, the State ordered Mr. Witherspoon to cease using the site and to submit plans to close out the landfill properly. Closure was completed in 1974. From 1974 to 1990, subsequent investigations by the State indicated maintenance problems and violations, and a 1990 visit found evidence of surface contamination and exposed drums of waste either at or near the supposedly closed landfill. The landfill closure included a sedimentation basin, which may require investigation. A general sampling of the area indicates the presence of contaminants, and the integrity of existing monitoring wells is questionable. Since the scope of work that the Department of Energy will perform at this site has not been defined, no waste volumes have been estimated. They will be added when the additional scope is added to the life-cycle baseline.

The Department of Energy has entered into an agreement with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation to lead investigation activities at Witherspoon Recycling and the Witherspoon Landfill and to reimburse the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation for work performed by that State Agency at the Screen Arts Site.

All characterization and remediation work at the CSX rail spur site was completed in FY 1994. No further action will be performed at this site.

REMEDIAL ACTION

The Department of Energy has entered into an agreement with the State of Tennessee to remove waste presently stored at American Ecology (formerly Quadrex), survey the machines at Oak Ridge Tool to determine if the level of decontamination meets the Tennessee Division of Radiological Health limits, perform any required decontamination, and dispose of all waste generated from decontamination.

The Atomic City Auto Parts Consent Order calls for a two-phase cleanup action involving constructing support facilities for the second phase of remedial action and removing contaminated materials. All waste generated at the site will be sent to the Waste Management program at the K-25 Site for disposal. The first phase of the Atomic City Auto Parts cleanup action is completed. Completion of Phase 2 remedial action is scheduled for FY 2005.

Remediation at the CSX site included removing cesium-137 contaminated rock, soil, ties, and rails. The contaminated soil and rock were relocated to the K-25 Site. The contaminated ties and rails were sent to a commercial vendor for incineration and smelting, respectively.

The Tennessee Department for the Environment and Conservation shipped 265 drums and 66 boxes of soil excavated from the area of the Solway Drum Site to the K-25 Site. Their contents had been characterized for shipping purposes only. The waste was placed in compliant storage at the K-25 Site, after completing characterization.

The contents of the Western Sewage Digester were remixed with mixer pumps and will be dewatered with the dry sludge being sent to the Y-12 Landfill. The Department assumes that the concrete walls and floor inside the digester do not have contaminant levels warranting removal from the site. The City of Oak Ridge will likely demolish the abandoned digester and send the construction debris (concrete) to a municipal landfill.

The Department of Energy was named a potentially responsible party and removed mill tailings and scrap metal from Witherspoon Recycling in 1986 and 1987. In 1992, it removed approximately 250 drums of contaminated soil and other items. In January 1995, the Department removed approximately 35 cubic meters (46 cubic yards) of metal equipment intended for shipment to a commercial facility such as Scientific Ecology Group. This report expects that the remaining debris and contaminated soil will be removed from the site.

The Department has transferred characterized waste from the Tennessee Regulated Project sites into compliant storage. The Environmental Restoration program will provide transportation of approximately 511,767 liters (135,031 gallons) of radioactive liquid to the Oak Ridge National Laboratory as part of the remedial action at the Atomic City Auto Parts site. Liquid waste is also expected from the David Witherspoon and Oak Ridge Tool-Engineering sites. Because the waste generated from the Tennessee Regulated Sites is being transferred to the K-25 Site, costs associated with ultimate disposal of this material are included within the scope of the K-25 Site Waste Management program estimate.

Long-Term Surveillance and Monitoring

All costs associated with long-term surveillance and monitoring are included as one line item in this estimate. Monitoring the condition of the Clinch River and Watts Bar Reservoir will continue to permit a long-term assessment of the effectiveness of remediation of the Oak Ridge Reservation. The Watts Bar Reservoir Monitoring and Assessment Plan was submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency, the State of Tennessee, and other agencies on June 7, 1995. This report assumes that long-term surveillance and monitoring of the Clinch River and Watts Bar Reservoir will continue until FY 2020.

Appropriate monitoring (sampling and analysis) of the identified areas in the Lower East Fork Poplar Creek flood plain will also be conducted to ensure the effectiveness of remediation. The Department of Energy will monitor to detect any future residential use of the shallow soil and horizon ground water. If such use does occur, the Department of Energy will mitigate, as appropriate, any risk associated with such use. However, the cost for this mitigation is not included in this estimate. This report assumes that long-term surveillance and monitoring of the Lower East Fork Poplar Creek will continue until FY 2030.

Direct Program Management/Support

Program management through technical integration and contract-management functions provides essential technical support, administrative integration, and oversight to environmental restoration programs. The goal of this support is to ensure proper identification, characterization, remediation, and revitalization of contaminated sites. It is also ensures a consistent and integrated waste management strategy across the Oak Ridge Reservation Programs. It includes business management; technical programs; technical oversight; senior management, community relations, and Environmental Management integration. These costs and activities are included in the Oak Ridge Operations Office section of this report.

Technical oversight includes the oversight of ground-water programs, risk assessments, records management, health and safety, and quality assurance to ensure consistency across the Oak Ridge Reservation and technical program integration.

Also included in program management are the senior management personnel for the Environmental Management programs and the support groups that provide community relations and program integration support. These staffs provide for an integrated environmental management program for Oak Ridge and support such activities as preparing this report and coordinating stakeholder and public involvement. Also included are strategic planning, personnel management and training, interaction with advisory boards, and administrative support.

The program has made a concentrated effort to reduce the cost of Program Management. It has eliminated overlapping areas of management and activities and it has also replaced business systems that required extensive personnel hours with electronic data bases and reporting systems.

DESCRIPTION OF PERSONNEL

Current Composition

The Department of Energy employs 172 contractor Full-Time Equivalents in Oak Ridge to oversee the Offsite Program and to help coordinate with the rest of the Operations Office and are presented by skill mix in the following table. The employees of Lockheed Martin Energy Systems, the managing and operating contractor, are engineers, scientists, technicians, managers, construction craft persons, operators, laborers and general workers, administrative professionals, and general administrative workers. Because there are no waste operations facilities at three sites, the only operators are those involved in remediation. The Department of Energy contracts to Jacobs Engineering and Foster Wheeler, both of which predominantly employ scientists and engineers, and MK-Ferguson, the construction contractor. Lockheed Martin subcontracts to a variety of engineering, consulting, and site investigation firms, including several small disadvantaged businesses under the Small Business Administration "8a" set aside program. The federal Full-Time Equivalents are presented in the Oak Ridge Reservation site summary.

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

Site Management Structure

Lockheed Martin Energy Systems, Inc. is the integrating contractor for the environmental restoration activities at the Oak Ridge Reservation. The company integrates its own work activities as well as those of the Department of Energy prime contractors for technical support, engineering and construction, and its own subcontractors for site remedial investigation work.

The Lockheed Martin Energy Systems contract has recently been extended for an additional two years, through March 1998. The new performance-based contract includes objective performance measures, greater use of incentive contract provisions, and increased accountability. Under the new contract, Lockheed Martin's earnings will be based on a combination of performance metrics, cost reductions, incentive projects, and award fee. It is expected to result in significant streamlining and reduction of costly and excessive administrative activities for both Lockheed Martin and the Department of Energy. In that contract, Lockheed Martin has committed to incentive contracting; therefore, as part of contract reform, an increasing number of the Lockheed Martin managed activities will be task order contracts. The primary features of these task order projects are as follows: contracting companies function as a team, the Department of Energy and the team negotiate terms of the project; the team collects an incentive fee for finishing under budget, but absorbs a percentage of any cost overrun; the Department of Energy shares risk of cost overruns; and streamlined bid specifications simplify the process and reduce cost estimates.

Future Full-Time Equivalent Needs

This estimate assumes that the number of Full-Time Equivalents supported by the Environmental program Management will remain fairly stable until FY 1999 through 2001. During that timeframe, remediation work on the Lower East Fork Poplar Creek will be ongoing, and personnel will be predominately construction workers and engineers. Following FY 2005, the work will revert to long-term surveillance and maintenance activities performed by technicians and general workers.

FUNDING ESTIMATE

The following table presents estimated funding information for the Oak Ridge Reservation Offsite Program.

COMPARISON WITH PREVIOUS ESTIMATE

There has been a 30 percent reduction in the overall cost of the Oak Ridge Offsite Program since the release of the FY 1995 Baseline Environmental Management Report. This reduction can be attributed to the remedial approach for the Lower East Fork Poplar Creek, the Atomic City Auto Parts Project, and the completion of other activities. Furthermore, program management costs for this program now appear in the Oak Ridge Operations Office and Y-12 Plant program management cost estimate.