Savannah River Site security has been given direction to take appropriate action if a drone flying above the site presents a threat, an official at the South Carolina facility told a local advisory board on Monday.
“Protocols are in place for engagement and I don’t really want to say anything else about that,” according to Michael Mikolanis, Department of Energy SRS assistant manager for infrastructure and environmental stewardship. “But the hazard has been assessed and there are protocols in place for security to engage a drone that is deemed as posing a threat.”
Members of the SRS Citizens Advisory Board (CAB) said they aren’t satisfied with the progress made to date in securing the site from drone flyovers since the first of 12 sightings was reported nearly one year ago.
From June 19 to July 22, 2016, SRS employees reported a dozen drone sightings over sensitive areas of the site. Officials say the drones present a security and safety concern because no one knows who is flying them, or what information that person might be trying to obtain. “They could be used to drop an explosive device,” CAB member Susan Corbett said during a board meeting Monday. “So this is our risk here.”
DOE spokesman Monte Volk added that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has listed SRS on the National Airspace System, which establishes the site as a national security area. That listing means pilots cannot fly lower than 2,000 feet above SRS and are asked to voluntarily avoid the site.
