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2006-11-01 News Release

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Environmental cleanup of uranium production plant complete

Fluor advises the United States Department of Energy that environmental cleanup and restoration of the former Fernald uranium production plant is complete.

The contractor responsible for the environmental cleanup and restoration of the 1,050-acre former Fernald uranium production plant, Fluor Fernald, presented the United States Department of Energy (DOE) with its declaration of physical completion on October 29, 2006. The DOE owns the site, which played a critical role in the U.S. nuclear weapons program, and is now reviewing the submittal to validate the reasonableness of Fluor Corporation's, that provides services on a global basis in the fields of engineering, procurement, construction, operations, maintenance and project management, Fluor Fernald's declaration.

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The massive environmental cleanup was carried out in accordance with Records of Decision developed by U.S. and Ohio EPA, DOE and local communities. The Records of Decision are legally binding agreements that directed site cleanup and established final remediation standards for each part of the project.

Fluor - Fernald Closure Project Cincinnati, OH. photo: Fluor

Contamination from the Fernald uranium foundry and machining operations first made national headlines in the mid-1980s. Local citizens were outraged by the extent of off-site contamination, which worked its way into drinking water wells. Initial plans to tackle the cleanup came with a steep price tag. A 1992 government report forecast a projected completion date in 2019 at a cost of $12.2 billion. The announced completion reduces some 12 years off that schedule with a final cleanup cost for activities performed under Fluor's scope of work totaling approximately $4.4 billion.

Major components of the work performed by Fluor Fernald and its teaming subcontractors - Jacobs Engineering, Nuclear Fuel Services and EnergySolutions included:

-- Maintaining an exceptional safety record over the life of the entire cleanup project;

-- Removing, treating and shipping off-site radioactive waste from three large concrete silos, eliminating the largest source of radon gas in the world;

-- Dismantling 323 buildings including 10 major uranium production complexes and administrative structures;

-- Excavating and shipping 1 million tons of waste from six waste pits;

-- Building an on-site disposal facility to hold 3 million cubic yards of low-level contaminated dirt and debris from facility demolition;

-- Treating a 225-acre plume of uranium contamination in the underlying Great Miami Aquifer;

-- Removing more than 100,000 drums of waste and 31 million pounds of uranium product from the site; and

-- Designing, building, operating and dismantling more than $300 million in waste treatment and handling infrastructure.

Fernald is one of the largest environmental restoration projects ever completed. However, its legacy may be DOE's and Fluor's success in healing fractured communications channels with local citizens, workers and regulators after decades of secrecy during the Cold War. DOE and Fluor Fernald worked closely with U.S. and Ohio EPAs, the Fernald Citizens Advisory Board, the Fernald Residents for Environmental Safety & Health (FRESH), local elected officials and plant neighbors to determine the extent of contamination, develop cleanup plans and carry them through to the end of the project. Reminders of the cleanup operations that will remain after closure include a water treatment plant to pump and treat remaining levels of uranium contamination in the Great Miami Aquifer until the drinking water standard is met, likely to take 10 years, and a 110-acre on-site disposal facility which securely holds building debris and contaminated soil in between thick liners and caps consisting of strong synthetic material, clays, heavy rock and clean soil.

"I thought this day would never come," said Lisa Crawford, who has served as president of Fernald's primary watchdog group FRESH for 22 years and co-chaired of the Fernald Citizens Advisory Board. "We were all very upset about what plant operations did to our community. But we saw that DOE and Fluor were just as committed to fixing what had happened as we were. Over time we came to trust each other. We didn't always agree, but they opened the process to us, they listened and even followed our guidance when we proposed a better way. Fluor and DOE delivered on their promise of site closure. Together, we made a difference!"

Ohio EPA Director Joe Koncelik agrees, "The progress made at Fernald would not have been possible without the effective partnership of informed citizens, a committed contractor and strong regulatory oversight."

Following soil cleanup, environmental engineers developed nearly 400 acres of woodlots, 327 acres of prairie, more than 140 acres of open water and wetlands and 33 acres of savanna to restore the property to an undeveloped park with an emphasis on wildlife and education. In late 2007, the DOE Office of Legacy Management plans to open an education center near where Fernald's infamous silos once stood. The center will offer a place for visitors to learn about the history of the Fernald property from its first inhabitants all the way through environmental restoration and beyond.

"Fernald is unique compared to other DOE cleanup sites because we had to design and build huge radioactive waste handling and processing facilities and greatly expand site infrastructure before clearing the way for plant demolition.," said Fluor Fernald Project Director Con Murphy. "Our workers achieved what many thought impossible, safely finishing the cleanup in 2006. This is a good day for the DOE, Fluor and our team, and a great day for the community and environment."

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