United States Enrichment Corporation

“Removing Radioactive and Hazardous Material”

What is the most effective way to remove and transport radioactive and hazardous material from a depleted uranium processing facility?

MWH is handling that responsibility for the United States Enrichment Corporation (USEC) at the Starmet CMI facility in Barnwell, South Carolina. The original owners of this depleted uranium processing facility went bankrupt a few years ago.

This action led South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC) to issue an emergency and administrative order ceasing all facility operations. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency named the facility a Superfund site, and funded a project to remove the materials and cleanup the site.

MWH was retained by USEC to remove all waste materials used in processing UF6 to UF4 on or after July 28, 1998 – and transport it to an Envirocare waste disposal facility in Utah. Together with subcontractor Duratek, MWH is handling everything from site administration and material handling to DOT shipping compliance and material transportation activities.

Toxic Waste Inventory

The former uranium processing facility created a waste inventory that includes 20,000 metric tons of waste, including:

• UF4
• CaF2
• MgF2
• Heat treating salt
• Waste uranium metal
• Dry active waste (DAW)
• Dried sludges
• Acidic waste
• Waste oil
• Lab waste including hexane/nitric acid extracts.

Most material is either UF4 or CaF2 solids packaged in 55-gallon drums. Other waste materials include:

• Empty drums
• DAW in drums or unpackaged
• Various liquid chemicals such as HF, KOH, Ca(OH)2
• Scrubber solutions
• A roll-off container of CaF2
• Two heeling cylinders of UF
• Miscellaneous other residues from the former conversion process