Groundwater data pave the way for Environmental Management Disposal Facility at Oak Ridge

August 13, 2026, 3:26PMNuclear News
Technicians monitor groundwater levels in wells at the site of the future Environmental Management Disposal Facility in Oak Ridge, Tenn. (Photo: DOE)

Results of a two-year study of groundwater levels at the site of the planned Environmental Management Disposal Facility (EMDF) in Oak Ridge, Tenn., have been released, revealing that the levels fell at a slower-than-expected rate. The collection of data on groundwater levels during two wet seasons, conducted by the Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management and the contractor United Cleanup Oak Ridge, formed the core of a groundwater field demonstration study which will help inform the final design of the EMDF landfill.

ORNL crews remove reactor as part of a major deactivation project

August 15, 2024, 12:02PMRadwaste Solutions
Teams use a 20-ton overhead crane to move the lower reactor vessel of the Oak Ridge Research Reactor into a cask for eventual shipment and disposal. (Photo: DOE)

Team members at Oak Ridge National Laboratory achieved a milestone with the removal of a lower reactor vessel, according to a U.S. Department of Energy news release.

Workers with the Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management (OREM) contractor UCOR successfully lifted and removed the lower reactor vessel from the Oak Ridge Research Reactor, also known as Building 3042.