Army Corps awards $350-million Clean-up Contract for Shallow Land Disposal Area
Public meeting planned for May 24 at Parks Township Fire Hall
Contract Award
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District announced today the award of a $350-million contract for the clean-up of radiological waste at the Shallow Land Disposal Area in Parks Township near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The Army Corps is authorized to clean up radioactive waste at the Parks Township Shallow Land Disposal Area, or SLDA, site under FUSRAP, the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program.
The Army Corps awarded the contract to Jacobs Field Services North America, Inc. from Oak Ridge, TN.
The Pittsburgh District will now issue a task order to Jacobs to begin development of site work plans in coordination with the Army Corps and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and other agencies as necessary. This process could take a year to accomplish and will detail safety protocol; site and security operations; material removal, storage and transport processes; staffing requirements; emergency response plans; and project oversight.
Removal of radiological waste material is estimated to begin in 2019 pending completion of work plans, funding and weather.
Public Meeting
The Pittsburgh District will hold a public meeting from 6 p.m. – 9 p.m., Wednesday, May 24 at the Parks Township Volunteer Fire Department Hall, 1119 Dalmation Drive, Vandergrift, Armstrong County, PA 15690. District staff and supporting agencies will present an update on the air and water monitoring results, the contract status, site activities, funding and other issues of public interest.
Background
The SLDA, encompassing 44 acres of privately owned land, is located approximately 23 miles east-northeast of Pittsburgh in Armstrong County, Pennsylvania. It is on the right bank of the Kiski River, a tributary of the Allegheny River, near the communities of Apollo and Vandergrift. Radioactive waste disposal operations were conducted between 1960 and 1970 at the site.
As part of work done under Atomic Energy Commission contracts, low-level radioactive materials were produced, primarily for fuel for nuclear powered submarines and power plants. Disposal operations were conducted by the firm NUMEC, Nuclear Materials and Equipment Corporation, in the early 1960s. In 1967, ARCO purchased stock in NUMEC. In 1971, ARCO sold the stock of NUMEC to Babcock & Wilcox which has changed to BWX Technologies. BWX Technologies is the current owner of the Parks Township Shallow Land Disposal Area.
For more information, visit the Army Corps’ SDLA website: www.lrp.usace.army.mil; hardcopy documents related to the study, site testing, and removal plans are available online and at the Apollo Library, 219 North Pennsylvania Avenue, Apollo, PA 15613-1397. Due to its size, the Corps' Remedial Investigation study is available on disc upon request.
For additional information, please contact the Public Affairs Office at 412-395-7500 or email: celrp-pa@usace.army.mil.