This
summer, cleanup was completed at a three-acre site at the U.S. Department of
Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory.
The site, known as the ash
pit, was located in the southern part of the Laboratory. Prior to 1963,
some Laboratory waste was incinerated, as was the practice in that era.
Ash and slag from a solid waste incinerator that operated from 1943 to
1963 was dumped into the pit.
The principal contamination sources in the ash pit were bottom ash from
the incinerator and coal ash. Contaminants of concern included metals such as
zinc, lead, and copper. Also found
were low concentrations of radionuclides, at levels typical of incinerated ash.
The Record of Decision requires the ash to be covered with soils at least
12 inches deep. The southern
portion of the area, however, had ash and slag on the surface.
The northern portion has a road and grass-covered fire break. The cleanup
called for some tree removal, backfilling to even out the grade, placement of 12
inches of top soil to cover the ash, and reseeding the area with native grasses.
By late July, the soil was in place and the depth was verified.
Native grasses, including rye and switch grass, were then sown into the
new, clean topsoil layer.
The cleanup work completed this summer represents the final remedy for the ash pit and is consistent with the Operable Unit I Record of Decision agreed to with the regulators. This area will continue to be monitored.