Radioactivity lingers at Oak Ridge sewer plant
OAK RIDGE, Tenn. (AP) – Evidence of radioactive pollution lingers at the Oak Ridge sewage treatment facility, and it’s not clear when the problem will be resolved.
The Knoxville News Sentinel reports the radioactive pollution was discovered in early 2014, and was blamed on technetium-99 that had migrated from a demolition project at the federal government’s K-25 uranium-enrichment plant on the other side of the Clinch River. The radioactivity reportedly didn’t pose a health threat, but it prompted cleanup actions.
About 75,000 gallons of radioactive sludge have been removed from the facility. URS-CH2M Oak Ridge spokeswoman Anne Smith says it’s “premature” to estimate when the facility will be back to “normal operating parameters.”
Smith says URS-CH2M Oak Ridge will either remove contaminated piping before demolition begins or seal the equipment with foam to keep the contamination in place.
