1. What is Decommissioning?
Decommissioning is the term used to describe the process of safely taking apart (or deconstructing) the Reactor Facility and reducing residual remaining radioactivity to a level that permits termination of the operator license by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and potential use of that property for any purpose.
2. Is NASA Plum Brook Station being decommissioned?
No. Only the closed Reactor Facility is being decommissioned. Plum Brook Station (PBS) remains an important part of NASA Glenn Research Center , headquartered in Cleveland . There are five active test facilities at PBS: the Space Power, Spacecraft Propulsion, Hypersonic Tunnel, and Cryogenic Propellant Tank Facilities and the Cryogenic Components Laboratory.
3. Who is doing the work?
NASA has full responsibility for all aspects of decommissioning and ensuring it is done in a safe manner that protects human health and the environment. NASA utilizes contractors and subcontractors with specific expertise to accomplish certain tasks as needed. The NRC has oversight responsibility for the project.
4. What is being done during decommissioning?
During decommissioning, the following actions have taken, or are taking, place:
(a) All loose equipment and nearly all fixed equipment in the Plum Brook Reactor Facility (PBRF) has been removed for off-site disposal at a licensed facility.
(b) Buildings in the Reactor Facility are being completely decontaminated – including all their concrete and piping – such that they meet the cleanup criteria of reuse for any purpose. Some others may be demolished and the material removed, packaged and disposed of as low-level radioactive waste at a licensed disposal facility.
(c) NASA is conducting a complete survey – referred to as a Final Status Survey ( FSS ) – of the area and all remaining structures to ensure that all levels of radiation have been reduced to the cleanup level for so-called unrestricted use (safe enough to use the area for any other purpose). The FSS is a comprehensive field sampling and surveying process providing evidence that NASA has met the cleanup level that the NRC says will protect human health and the environment. This is the level which must be achieved before the NRC will terminate NASA's Radioactive Materials License. The NRC will also conduct a independent survey to verify that NASA has met its cleanup goal (See Question #11).
(d) Once NASA's Reactor Facility license is terminated by the NRC, the remaining buildings and all structures within the 27-acre area of the facility will be demolished to three feet below grade. The below-grade areas will be filled in, and the site returned to a natural state. NASA is currently discussing with the NRC the possibility of demolishing some buildings and structures before license termination.
5. What other work is being conducted?
Decontamination work has been completed in several PBRF buildings and structures. These include the Hot Lab Building (where analysis of experiments was conducted when the reactor was operational). Workers used a variety of tools and equipment to remove lightly contaminated concrete from surfaces in the rooms, then monitor the underlying concrete to make sure it meets project cleanup levels known as Derived Concentration Guidelines (DCGLs). Decontamination was also completed in the Services Equipment Building ( SEB ), the Hot and Cold Pipe Tunnels (which once held utility, air and water lines when the reactor was operational), the Sub-pile Room (which was at the bottom of the former reactor location); the Primary Pump House, which once held key components of the reactor's cooling system and the Fan House (which once held key components for the reactor's ventilation system) and in the Fan House and Waste Handling Building.
During decontamination activity, workers have also been able to clean and survey concrete slabs to “free-release” levels, allowing them to be made available for recycling. To date, NASA has been able to decontaminate more than 800,000 pounds of concrete and 100,000 pounds of steel, thus saving on packaging, shipping and disposal costs for material that would otherwise have been considered low-level radioactive waste.
6. What work remains to be done?
Clauss Construction, of Lakeville, CA. has been working since October 2008 on the Decontamination and Waste Disposal contract. Under this contract, work will be completed on all remaining major project tasks, such as decontaminating all buildings and structures, shipping packaged low-level radioactive waste and soil to licensed disposal facilities, cleaning up Pentolite Ditch and conducting all remaining FSS field work. . Since that time, Clauss and subcontractor SEC have been working to prepare a number of building and structures for the FSS . Also, in December, NASA and Clauss oversaw eight shipments of previously collected low-level radioactive waste to the Energy Solutions licensed disposal facility in Utah . NASA remains fully committed to safely completing decommissioning in a manner that protects the public, the workers and the environment, and achieving the goal of unrestricted release to terminate the existing NRC license. NASA plans on license termination by December 2010, with other site cleanup and restoration work complete by December 2011.
7. What is being done with the radioactive waste from the cleanup?
All the radioactive waste at Plum Brook Station (PBS) is low-level, and nearly all of it is dry and solid. Since decommissioning began in 2002, NASA has sent more than 10 million pounds of packaged LLRW and mixed waste to licensed disposal facilities in Utah and South Carolina . Most of these shipments involved lightly contaminated loose and fixed equipment, sent to the Energy Solutions. During 2003 and 2004, NASA made a total of six shipments of Class B and C waste, the higher of the low-level radioactive waste, to the Barnwell facility in South Carolina . By making these shipments, part of the process of removing the reactor internals and subsequently segmenting the reactor tank, NASA safely removed 99% of the radioactive inventory that existed on site before decommissioning began.
Additional waste transportation took place in 2005, when NASA excavated and packaged contaminated soils from the 27-acre Reactor Facility and adjacent areas located inside the PBS fence line. Workers placed the soil in strong, tight containers that were sent by truck to a rail facility in Willard , Ohio . They were then sent by train to Energy Solutions. During these operations, NASA safely shipped 10 million pounds of contaminated soil, while ensuring that what remained on site met required final cleanup levels.
In January 2008, NASA safely shipped mixed waste (seven cadmium-containing control rods, once used to govern the reactor's activity) - to the U.S Department of Energy's Nevada Test Site, near Las Vegas . The control rods had been in a temporary storage facility at NASA PBS while awaiting a disposal site for this so-called “mixed waste.” In March 2008, NASA began new shipments (to Energy Solutions), several tons of previously packaged low-level radioactive waste (LLRW), which had been in temporary storage at PBRF. This spring NASA shipped more than one million pounds of LLRW, while providing advance notification of each shipment to local emergency responders
8. What is NASA's cleanup goal for the Decommissioning Project?
By the time NASA expects to have its Reactor license terminated by the NRC (at the end of 2010), NASA will meet the NRC's cleanup level of 25 millirem for unrestricted use. Unrestricted use - also known as the Resident Farmer Scenario, means that someone could safely live on the site, eat all crops grown on the site and drink groundwater from the site. The land will remain under NASA control. Plum Brook Station has a number of active test facilities, which require NASA to maintain a large buffer area. NASA's plan is to keep control of the land after decommissioning has been completed and maintain it as part of the needed buffer zone.
9. How much of the project is complete?
More than 99% of the radioactive inventory that existed at the start of decommissioning has been removed. Overall, decommissioning is more than 90% complete.
10. What is the cost of Decommissioning? Is it on budget? On schedule?
NASA's original plan was to complete decommissioning by December of 2007, at an estimated cost of $160 million. Decommissioning began in March 2002 and, to date, NASA has removed over 99%of the radioactive inventory that existed at the start of the project. In July 2005, NASA notified the NRC that decommissioning field work would not be completed until the end of 2010 as the result of several unforeseen project challenges that occurred during the segmentation and removal of the reactor vessel and internals; and the need to refine the approach to decontaminating nearly four miles of embedded piping throughout the Reactor Facility. To date, NASA has expended about $160 million and estimates that the final project cost will be about $218 million.
11. How will NASA know if the site is really clean at the end of decommissioning?
NASA must perform the aforementioned Final Status Survey ( FSS ) over the entire site. NASA submitted an FSS Plan to the NRC in December 2004 and a revised Plan in May 2006. In August 2007, the NRC indicated its preliminary approval of the FSS Plan and formally approved it in March 2008. The FSS Plan includes an individual cleanup level for each and every individual isotope that exists at the Reactor Facility, such that when they are all added together, the total value does not exceed the overall site cleanup goal for unrestricted use. The Plan also details the number of samples to be taken in different areas throughout the 27-acre Reactor Facility, based on an area's potential or known radioactive contamination, which is essentially whether an area was considered to be “non-impacted” (for example, office spaces) or impacted areas (where radioactive materials were used or stored).
FSS field work, undertaken by subcontractor SAIC, began in October 2007 in the Reactor Office and Laboratory Building . Since then work has also been conducted in the Service Equipment Building and the Sub-pile Room, the Cold Pipe Tunnel and the ATS Tunnel. FSS work is expected to continue through 2010. The results of the FSS will be submitted in a report to the NRC. Even after this exhaustive sampling effort is conducted, the NRC will conduct the Independent Verification Survey to confirm NASA's data and certify that the Reactor Facility Decommissioning has achieved the cleanup goal. This is being done by the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Engineering (ORISE). With this certification, the NRC will terminate NASA's Radioactive Materials License for the Reactor Facility.
12. What is radiation?
Radiation is the excess energy an atom emits to achieve stability. Emitting radiation is nature's way of reaching the right balance of protons and neutrons in an atom. So again, radiation is the excess energy emitted from an unstable atom until it reaches stability. There are three types of radiation (or ionizing radiation) emitted by radioactive elements, referred to as isotopes: alpha, beta, and gamma radiation. All three types are typically found in small amounts in radioactive waste. Gamma radiation has a lot of energy, enabling it to travel long distances through most materials except concrete or lead. Beta radiation contains less energy. It only travels up to 12 to 15 feet and can be shielded by an inch of glass, wood, plastic or metal. Finally, alpha radiation travels only a few inches and a sheet of paper or skin will block it.
Radiation occurs naturally in the environment; this is referred to as background radiation. Upon completion of decommissioning, radiation levels at the Reactor Facility site will have been reduced to background levels. Background radiation refers to the levels that occur naturally from sources such as the sun (cosmic rays), radon from the ground, and elements in soil, water and food. The only radiation remaining on site is at extremely low levels. The total amount of radiation an individual receives from background sources each year is 360 millirem.
13. Am I, or is my family, in danger of being exposed to radiation from this facility?
No. To date, more than 99% of the radioactive inventory that existed at the Reactor Facility before decommissioning began has been safely removed and disposed. Safety of the public, the workers and the environment continues to be NASA's number one priority for the Decommissioning Project. Strict health and safety procedures, the use of engineering controls during decommissioning, and monitoring workers and the environment continue to ensure that the public and the environment are protected . NASA has a comprehensive monitoring program to ensure that air, surface water, sediment and groundwater are safe. NASA samples the air in and around the Reactor Facility on a weekly basis – and sediment, groundwater and surface water monthly. NASA sends the samples to a certified off-site lab for analysis.
14. I worked at the Plum Brook Reactor Facility. Was I exposed to radiation?
Each person who worked at the Reactor Facility – whether as a NASA employee or contractor – was monitored as part of an overall radiological worker health and safety plan. These monitoring records are kept on file by NASA. These include personnel who worked at the facility in the 1960's and 1970's, as well as current and former Decommissioning Project staff, employees and contractors. In addition, every decommissioning employee who worked in areas where radiation was known to be present has undergone what is termed an annual “whole body count” to assess their exposure and ensure they remain within the limits established. To date, all personnel have been well below the legal limits for safe worker exposure. Only people who worked at the Reactor Facility may request and receive their records, in order to protect their privacy. If you have any questions about your records, please contact Keith Peecook, Decommissioning Program Manager, at (419) 621-3277 or Keith.M.Peecook@nasa.gov.
15. There have been reports about Plum Brook being contaminated. Is this true?
There is no contamination in the surface water of Plum Book. As part of ongoing Decommissioning Project work, NASA has been conducting characterization of on-site and off-site locations to check for any possible radiation. In August 2005, using extremely sensitive detection equipment, NASA detected trace amounts of radioactive material in some areas of Pentolite Ditch and Plum Brook, the stream into which permitted discharges of water flowed from the reactor during operations. Two isotopes (cesium 137 and cobalt 60) were detected in sediment (silt) samples in decreasing amounts for a mile in Pentolite Ditch.Between August 2005 and January 2008, NASA took more than 3,100 samples from an area extending along Plum Brook to East Sandusky Bay , including the mouth of Plum Brook, ponds near Plum Brook and a floodplain wetland . While there were a few levels found above background, none of the samples represented any health concern to residents, workers or children in the area . Extensive sampling also determined that the drinking water in Sandusky Bay is safe. Since early 2006, NASA has worked with Sandusky hydrogeologists, Haag Environmental, to determine where sediment may have traveled since the reactor was operational. Haag Environmental took and analyzed more than 1,000 samples (of the 3,141 total), again confirming that none of the levels found posed any health concern .
NASA has reported all findings to federal and state and agencies, including the NRC and the Ohio Department of Health-Bureau of Radiation Protection (ODH). The NRC and ODH are reviewing the information collected. In October 2008, NASA published a fact sheet on all sampling results. It is posted on the Fact Sheet page on this Website, along with two previous sheets (in January and April 2006). NASA remains committed to protecting the health of the public, workers and the environment throughout decommissioning. The project will not be completed until any actions that need to be taken in off-site areas are completed, and all federal and state agencies have concurred.
In 2008, NASA closely examined land uses along Plum Brook. This work was conducted to see how people could come into contact with cesium, and NASA developed a series of what are termed “exposure scenarios.” Each scenario looked at possible exposure pathways, such as direct exposure, inhalation, sediment ingestion and vegetable consumption (from a nearby garden specific to the off-site area. how people might come into contact with the cesium in off site areas of Plum Brook in ways that would be different from the assumed Resident Farmer scenario for the reactor site. [ T he Resident Farmer scenario assumes that a family could live at the former reactor site, drink its groundwater and grow crops there - and be exposed to no more than 25 millirem of radiation per year.]
NASA considered the possible dose someone might get by gardening (Suburban Gardener), as a Brookside resident, Country Club Maintenance Worker, as a Natural Area Recreation Day User, and as a child playing in Plum Brook . The analysis showed that the “highest “exposure scenario resulted in an estimated dose of 0.17 millirem per year above normal background radiation levels in northern Ohio (for the Brookside Resident Scenario). NASA must ensure that at the end of the Reactor Facility Decommissioning, nobody is exposed to a dose of an additional 25 millirem per year above this background level.
Throughout decommissioning, NASA has taken a prudent approach to keep any exposure to radiation as low as is reasonably achievable, a standard known as ALARA. This standard may result in NASA conducting some spot cleanup (likely requiring only shovels and buckets) in a few easily accessible off-site areas. Throughout decommissioning, NASA has taken a prudent approach to keep any exposure to radiation as low as is reasonably achievable, a standard known as ALARA. This standard may result in NASA conducting some spot cleanup (likely requiring only shovels and buckets) in a few easily accessible off-site areas.
NASA presented its characterization and analysis results at a public meeting held by the NRC on September 3, 2008 at the Huron Public Library. The NRC subsequently approved NASA's cleanup approach, which will ensure that both on and off site of the NASA Plum Brook Station Reactor Facility, there will be no additional dose of 25 millirem above background at the end of the decommissioning. NASA will continue to update the community on the project's cleanup efforts, both on site and off site.
16. Is this radiation the result of the Decommissioning Project?
No. During decommissioning there has never been any release of radiation, or any air, water, sediment or groundwater samples that registered above background radiation levels. NASA implemented a number of engineering controls and other safety precautions to prevent any release of radiation to the air, water or groundwater during decommissioning. We have over seven years of ongoing monitoring data that shows there have been no changes to the environment as a result of decommissioning. The low levels that have been found are the result of permitted water discharges that occurred during normal Reactor Facility operations (1961-1973).
17. Do the off-site levels pose any threat to the health of wildlife or pets?
No, NASA has been monitoring the environment for over 30 years – including the entire time the Reactor Facility was operating. In all that time, there was never anything found offsite that was above the levels allowed, or that would have posed a hazard to wildlife. Based on the initial results in Plum Brook, we collected, across the Station, tissue and bone samples from deer within Plum Brook Station – the only wildlife that would have accumulated the isotopes. Specifically, a total of 23 liver samples (for cesium) and four bone samples (for strontium) were collected from deer during the annual Plum Brook hunts in fall 2005, and all results showed that the deer had not ingested any radiation. We shared these results with regulatory agencies and the public.
NASA and Haag Environmental also studied the possible effects of cesium on fish and found that: (1) cesium does not accumulate in fish muscle tissue; (2) what is termed the “bioconcentration factor” for is cesium is not as high as it is for PCB and mercury; and (3) cesium does not stay in the body as long. NASA conducted sampling on fish caught off Pelee Island in Lake Erie and compared the results with fish collected from the old Waste Effluent Monitoring System pit near Pentolite Ditch, where storm drains collect before leaving PBRF. Test results showed that the fish near Pentolite Ditch were not collecting cesium or cobalt at a rate that would be any cause for public concern.
18. Have there been any accidents during Decommissioning?
As in any major construction job, avoiding accidents and worker safety is always key. To date, we have had only two lost time accidents since decommissioning started – over 1.5 million project work hours – and these were not radiation-related incidents. [The injuries were a minor back strain and ankle sprain] In fact, NASA has kept levels of radiation exposure to workers at about half of the anticipated level of “dose” for the project.
19. What safety precautions are in place to protect workers, the public and the environment in the event of severe weather?
NASA has a number of procedures in place to ensure the safety of the public, decommissioning workers and the environment. No decommissioning work that generates dust is undertaken when possible severe weather is forecast and workers will not operate outdoor mobile cranes in high winds. The Decommissioning Project has an emergency generator system to provide power when needed. Finally, Plum Brook Station Security maintains a communications center, which receives and passes on severe weather alerts and storm coverage, and the Decommissioning Project also has weather radio access.
20. How many employees are currently working on the Decommissioning Project? How many are residents of Erie County?
There are about 50 employees currently working on the Decommissioning Project. Employee levels have varied according to the work being done on the project. The number of employees is expected to increase this coming spring, as work under the Decontamination and Waste Disposal contract increases. Generally, about one-fourth to one-third of Decommissioning Project workers have been Erie County residents.
21. Has NASA utilized local businesses and contractors?
Since decommissioning began in 2002, NASA has utilized a number of local businesses including: Affiliated Environmental Services; Associated Suppliers; Feick Contractors, Inc; Firelands Corporate Health Center; Flex Tech; Foster Chevrolet; Fresch Electric; Hammer-Huber Shoes and Clothes; John Hancock & Associates; Lowes; O.E. Meyer Co.; Quality Farm and Fleet; Sears Roebuck; and Universal Equipment and Supply. In addition, other Ohio businesses have been utilized, including All Erection & Crane (Cleveland); Crane Pro Services ( Toledo ); Dust Free Enviro ( Findlay ) and Inland Water of Ohio (Cleveland) among many others. Since 2006, NASA has also extensively utilized the services of Haag Environmental (of Sandusky ) and expects to utilize other local businesses as the project moves toward completion.
22. NASA has allowed annual deer hunts at Plum Brook Station. Does the Decommissioning Project pose any threat to hunters?
No. All 27 acres of the Reactor Facility remain fenced off and the area is regularly patrolled by Plum Brook Station security. Neither animals nor humans can get inside the facility and NASA has taken a number of steps to prevent the release of radiation from the facility. There is one other area onsite where we have small amounts of radiation in the streambed and we have posted this area as not accessible. Given the findings of trace levels of two isotopes in Plum Brook in 2005, NASA took samples of deer tissue and bones during the annual, managed deer hunt at Plum Brook Station, to ensure that there was no “uptake” by deer from residual radiation. These results show that area deer have not been affected.
23. Does the community have a say in the project?
Yes. NASA has been working closely with the community and will continue to do so throughout the life of the Decommissioning Project. In 1999, before the start of decommissioning, we interviewed nearly 30 residents of Erie and Huron Counties - to get their insight into NASA, nuclear reactor and public safety and trust issues. We conducted additional interviews in 2001 – along with conducting a series of community focus groups in 2002.
An important part of NASA's plan to inform and involve the community during decommissioning is the Community Workgroup, formed in 1999. The Workgroup serves as a vehicle for two-way communication between NASA and the larger community
throughout the life of the project. Workgroup members are men and women who live and work in Erie and Huron Counties and are active in a variety of community activities and professions, including educators, environmental community members and area public health and safety officials. The Workgroup's three meetings each year are open to the public. NASA provides updated information on decommissioning and responds to community questions and concerns at each meeting. To date, 35 Workgroup meetings have been held at a dozen locations in Erie County . Eahc is advertised in area newspapers and via Public Service Announcements on local radio stations. The next Community Workgroup meeting will be held on Tuesday, March 3, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. The meeting will be held at the Erie County Commission Chambers, located at 247 Columbus Avenue , in Sandusky . The meeting is open to the public.
NASA has also held a Community Information Session each year (in October) since 1999, to talk a bout decommissioning and share progress made - and to provide information on other activity at PBS. NASA advertises these sessions in Erie and Huron County newspapers, via PSA 's, and in press releases and interviews with local media outlets. This information is also included on the What's New page of this Website and our 24 hour, toll-free Information Line at 1-800-260-3838 .
In addition, NASA has established a Community Information Bank ( CIB ) at the BGSU Firelands Library. Visitors can review the Decommissioning and Community Relations Plans, project newsletters and fact sheets, Public Service Announcements, articles on decommissioning, minutes of Community Workgroup meetings and other materials. The CIB includes sheets on which visitors can make comments.
24. What will happen to Plum Brook Station?
Plum Brook Station remains an active NASA testing facility. Each of the five Plum Brook test facilities is available to all of the NASA centers and also to customers in government and the private sector, both domestic and international. The Space Power Facility ( SPF ) at Plum Brook Station will be used to conduct integrated environmental testing of the Orion crew exploration vehicle, the eventual successor to the Space Shuttle. Extensive modifications to the facility have been taking place and are expected to continue through 2011. The tests are designed to demonstrate the ability of Orion hardware to meet specified performance standards in simulated environmental conditions such as those experienced during launch, in-orbit operations and re-entry. Thermal, acoustic and mechanical vibration - and electromagnetic compatibility testing - will be conducted on Orion's full assembly. Testing is expected to continue until 2014.
25. Isn't there another “cleanup” project taking place at Plum Brook Station?
Yes, but this project is not related to the Decommissioning Project. During World War II, the land on which Plum Brook Station is situated was home to an Ordnance Facility that produced TNT for the war effort. Another division of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is conducting a cleanup of non-radiological contamination on the site, under the Formerly Used Defense Sites (FUDS) Program. This includes any non-radiological contamination that might exist in the reactor area, such as the Pentolite production lines and the Pentolite waste lagoon. The Ordnance Works cleanup occasionally involves the shipment of soils and other material to local landfills. While this cleanup project is not related to NASA or the Decommissioning Project, USACE keeps NASA informed of the cleanup and has instituted a Restoration Advisory Board (RAB). Some members of the RAB had also been members of the Decommissioning Community Workgroup. Information on the Plum Brook Ordnance Works (PBOW) project may be obtained by calling this toll-free number: 1-800-822-8413 (ask for Lisa Humphreys or Frank Albert).
26. What if I have other questions?
Call NASA's 24-hour, toll-free Decommissioning Information Line at 1-800-260-3838 and leave us a message by pressing Option 4 on the menu. We check the line daily. You may also call Sally Harrington, Public Affairs Specialist at the NASA Glenn Research Center , at 216- 433-2037 or E-mail her at s.harrington@grc.nasa.gov . In addition, people are invited to visit the mailbox on this Website to leave messages and to take part in our brief interactive survey.
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