Throughout the summer of 2003, each of the 6 buildings that were part of a contaminated 13-acre site making up the former hazardous waste management facility were safely taken down, piece by piece, in a controlled demolition. The concrete-slab foundations of the buildings were then decontaminated to established cleanup objectives, as determined by extensive post sampling and walkover surveys.

The debris from the controlled demolition was taken off Laboratory property by rail car to a licensed disposal facility in Utah.

The first building to be taken apart was Building 483, a lean-to structure that once served as a storage location at the facility. Rather than demolished, this building was reused at the Collider Accelerator Division.

Workers take apart Building 483 of the former hazardous waste management facility. Building 483 once served as the Laboratory’s storage facility of drummed waste to be shipped offsite.

Demolition crews take apart the landmark incinerator at the former hazardous waste management facility during the summer of 2003.

The next cleanup action for the 13-acre site will be the excavation of approximately 10,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil and below-grade storage structures, scheduled for August of 2004. Earlier estimates had projected the removal of as much as 36,000 cubic yards of soil. Results of an extensive supplemental investigation conducted in 2003 have provided data that suggests it is likely that only 10,000 cubic yards of soil will require excavation.

Following the removal of the soils, the entire site will remain under institutional control for 50 years.

A new rail spur was constructed during the fall of 2003 to support the removal of the soils. The new route for the removal of construction waste allows workers to perform the excavation and transport of contaminated soils in a fully contained area, further reducing risk to employees or visitors.

A new rail spur was constructed in the fall of 2003 to support the cleanup of the former hazardous waste management facility, and other projects

To maximize resources and safety, the new rail spur and available controlled space at the former hazardous waste management facility will be utilized by another cleanup project at Building 811, also scheduled to begin during the summer of 2004.

The former hazardous waste management facility was used from the 1940s to 1997 for processing, treating, and storing Brookhaven's radioactive and hazardous wastes before transport and off-site disposal. As a result of several accidental releases during operations at the facility, soil and structures in this area became contaminated.

HWMF Wetland

Cleanup at the former hazardous waste management facility includes a shallow, seasonally-ponded wetland, approximately three-quarters of an acre in size, located at the western end of the facility. As a result of runoff from the facility, the wetland has been contaminated. Soil in this area contains elevated levels of cesium-137.

Cleanup of the ponded area is scheduled for the summer of 2004

This wetland is a breeding ground of a state-endangered species, the tiger salamander. The Laboratory will conduct excavation and restoration activities in this area very carefully in order to minimize the impact to the tiger salamander. During the late summer and early fall of 2004, when all adult and sub-adult tiger salamanders have left the wetland area, approximately 30 cubic yards of contaminated soil will be excavated, and replaced with a clean fill. The treated area will then be revegetated.