Fixes are planned this year for a massive Savannah River Site nuclear processing plant, a U.S. Department of Energy spokesperson said Friday.
The approximately 65-year-old H-Canyon will likely undergo roof repairs this summer, according to the spokesperson.
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H-Canyon is the nation’s only currently operating hardened nuclear chemical separations facility. H-Canyon is more than 1,000 feet long – longer than three football fields combined – and more than 70 feet tall.
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On Dec. 2, 2018, less than a tea cup of radiation-contaminated water was discovered in a first-floor H-Canyon personnel corridor, which is usually contamination free or “clean,” the spokesperson said.
The water had leaked through an “undetectable crack” in the H-Canyon roof, into a radioactive processing area, and ultimately into the clean area, according to both the spokesperson and a related incident report, which was finalized Jan. 16.
The area where the water was found was blocked off, and the water was removed, according to the report. Follow-up inspections were conducted, as well. No further contamination was discovered, according to the report.
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“The contamination level found in the small amount of liquid was very low,” the spokesperson continued. “The whole-body dose rate from the liquid detected was significantly less than the level that one would see on an airplane flight at 35,000 feet.”
Read more at Roof repairs scheduled for nuclear processing facility at SRS, spokesperson says
