[Photostory 3: ADITL] Joseph Walker Tours the Savannah River Mission Completion Liquid waste process at the Savannah River Site

Savannah River Mission Comletion (SRMC) employees are testing for radiation on their hands and feet before going on a tour around the Savannah River Site - the nuclear site owned by the US Department of Energy.

During this tour, the group heads to the Defensive Waste Processing Facility, where SRMC take liquid waste, decontaminates it, turns it into a solid, and stores it. While this shows a day, lets dive more into the special guests that is the reason for this tour.

Joseph Walker next to the radioactive control barrier. Walker is from the Department of Energy, taking a tour with SRMC to see all they do for the environment while cleaning liquid waste while also celebrating the finishing of Salt Disposal Unit 11 construction.

Walker with SRMC employees as they explain the intricacies of the DWPF process. DWPF takes a percentage of the liquid waste, turns it into glass and stores it until storage is later created for it permanently.

The tour group being shown the vehicle that transports the glass into its storage position. The glass is stored in cylindrical canisters that are then stored away in a warehouse.

Walker asking questions to the guide about the vehicle. The chances of getting radiation from your phone in your pocket is more likely than getting radiation from the chemical cleaning processes of nuclear waste.

The group heads through DWPF and over to the next part of the tour into a meeting to discuss the progress of the liquid waste reduction mission with SRMC. 

The building we are looking at is the Defense Waste Processing Fecility. This building is major in the liquid waste cleaning processes. The employees here with the technology clean almost 20 gallons a minute with projections going to 25 gal/min by 2027 reaching the missions goal of reduction of liquid waste by 2031.

Walker meets with President of SRMC Tom Burns. “You guys have something here that is really special,” said Walker. “In my years at DOE, the liquid waste contract has never done as good as in the present.”

Post the meeting, the crew heads into a warehouse that tests out technology to be used in the liquid waste mission. 

The tour group wears eye protection in preparation for the presentation to begin that shows the most recent  evolution of technology to progress SRMC’s mission to reduce the liquid waste in aging waste tanks at the Savannah River Site.

Robert Flannigan is head engineer over the drone facility. These drones are used to fly into the waste tanks  to view the inside, take samples and explore to ensure the safety of the workers at SRMC.

Walker and Flannigan with the tour group are enjoying watching the drone in use while Flannigan expands on the impact these drones have to the mission. “Engineers are here everyday to make technology to take the load off of people who work in the field. These drones not only do the job, but they protect others from potential risk of radiation.

Walker and the group headed to the SDU closure ceremony. This is the event where SRMC and the DOE celebrate the construction being finished on each SDU — SDUs hold a percentage of the decontaminated nuclear waste in a solid form to best protect the environment.

Two members of the group Tasha De Rienzo and Jack Habersham, of SRMC walking up to the ceremony. These ceremonies are held at Saltstone — the main hub for the construction of the SDUs.

SRMC and DOE officials from left Tom Burns, Eric McCloud, Derrek White and Walker speaking to the tour group on the status and honor that has been achieved at SRMC and the conclusion of building SDU 11. “To be here with you all is a giant step in history and an even bigger step in protecting the environment,” said White.

The tour group as they attend the closing ceremony. The reason SDU closure is a huge achievement is because the size of modern SDUs are about the size of a professional football field stadium for reference if these units were water tanks, they could comfortably fit eight whale sharks.

Walker speaks to the crowd. “It is a privilege to be here with you to day to celebrate this great accomplishment,” said Walker. “SDU 11 is only the beginning to the end of this environmental crisis and today you people are apart of something bigger than all of us— the betterment of tomorrow.”

Walker with other SRMC and DOE officials from left White, Burns, Walker, and Smith. Walker places the 11th seal of completion onto the podium with all the other completed SDU seals.

Walker and fellow DOE looking ahead to the future of making the community and environment a safer place by reducing the liquid waste on the Savannah River Site.