July 28, 2015

Los Alamos Wraps Up Mercury Contamination Cleanup Project

By ExchangeMonitor

The Energy Department’s Los Alamos Field Office in New Mexico has finished removal of mercury-tainted soil from the side of a canyon located on DOE land, the department’s Office of Environmental Management said on Tuesday. “We are committed to reducing the Laboratory’s historical footprint and intend to continue to make progress on environmental legacy cleanup,” Christine Gelles, the field office’s acting manager, said in a press release.

The legacy cleanup project was completed in about five weeks, roughly three weeks ahead of schedule, by the field office, management and operations contractor Los Alamos Nuclear Security LLC, and subcontractor Terranear PMC. In using a specialized telescoping crane and spider excavator to remove 160 cubic yards of mercury-contaminated soil from the rugged canyonside, the environmental and human health risks presented by the material have been addressed, according to the press release. The mercury was a leftover of work during the Manhattan Project and Cold War at the one-time Technical Area 32.

After being deposited into waste bags, the soil was removed from the canyon and transported to a DOE location in Los Alamos for the final “waste characterization,” the press release states. The material is subsequently due to be transported to a licensed disposal facility. “This cleanup project is the final step in transforming this site into property that can be used for economic development, which is beneficial in bringing new revenue to both the county and the school district,” said Los Alamos County Manager Harry Burgess in the release.

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