|
This Client contracted with Envirocon to assist in organizing a team of companies to excavate, transport, and dispose of soils, building materials and debris containing chemicals, and metal and radiological process residuals from the former Sylvania Electric Products, Inc. (Sylvania) facility in Hicksville, New York, and to reconstruct the site.
Beginning in 1952, Sylvania manufactured nuclear reactor fuel elements, high temperature coatings, and composite alloys. Operations and manufacturing practices resulted in the release of radioactive elements and solvents to the environment. While most of these constituents were removed from the facility with the closure of manufacturing operations in 1966, residual concentrations remained.
Envirocon was offered a sole-source contract as the site manager, to write the work plan and coordinate the remediation efforts of the companies associated with the project. Envirocon was also responsible for surgical excavation performed inside two temporary structures. The work involved the excavation, packaging, and off-site disposal of radioactive (uranium & thorium) soil. The owner had multiple contractors on the site performing a variety of tasks including engineering, transportation, and disposal. In addition to performing the excavation work, Envirocon managed the entire site for the owner. This included the site excavation, the radiation safety program, the health and safety program, and project administration.
Work activities began in January of 2003 with the initial development of the project plans and operational procedures. In April of that year field construction activities began with the installation of steel sheeting and the construction of the temporary fabric structures over the first cells to be excavated. The entire site was laid out in small but deep areas of contamination called "cells". The depth ranged from 8 feet to as deep as almost 50 feet. The two fabric structures had to be disassembled and reassembled each time it was moved to cover a new cell. The process of moving the structures typically would take about two weeks. Envirocon engineers devised a method of putting the structures on rails so they could be moved in about four days, saving our client thousands of dollars in standby time.
Over 64,000 cubic yards of contaminated soils were removed under the air-controlled structures. The soil was screened for laboratory analysis, and then loaded into 20-ton bags (lift-liners) for sampling/characterization and documentation prior to loading onto flat bed trucks. Once the trucks were loaded, the bags were transported to the rail yard for transportation to the Envirocare Facility in Utah. Rail transport was handled by a specialty logistics firm which utilized gondola cars to accomplish this transportation across the country safely.
Workers were typically in Level "B" or "C" personnel protective equipment (PPE) throughout the remediation activities. Once field measurements indicated cleanup levels had been achieved, confirmation and verification samples were collected for laboratory analysis. The excavation was backfilled and compacted with clean fill.
Envirocon health and safety personnel developed and implemented the site specific Radiation Safety Program (RSP). This included all personnel dose monitoring and reporting. During Envirocon’s 2-year contract on site, there were no safety incidents.
|
