Savannah River Site begins transition back to normal operations amid coronavirus crisis

• By Colin Demarest cdemarest@aikenstandard.com
• May 27, 2020

The Savannah River Site on Wednesday began its gradual shift back to normal operations, a significant undertaking that suggests local executives and the U.S. Department of Energy believe the novel coronavirus crisis is being combated properly there.

Site officials and contractors, according to an afternoon online notice and an Energy Department spokesperson, are taking a deliberate, "phased approach" when it comes to the restoration or resumption of work – a strategy previously disclosed by the site and other independent reports.

The return-to-normal calculus, featuring three gated phases, includes the consideration of available health data, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and White House guidance, remaining state and local restrictions related to the highly contagious virus, and facility readiness.

Exactly when the return to normal will be complete is not clear. A cluster of new coronavirus cases at SRS, among other factors, would jeopardize the recovery.

The nuclear-waste-and-weapons reserve south of Aiken transitioned weeks ago to essential mission-critical operations. The pivot dramatically reduced the volume of work done at the site as well as the amount of people physically reporting for work. (National security ventures, like the tritium mission, were prioritized and sustained.)

Construction of Saltstone Disposal Unit 7, a massive tank meant to permanently store millions of gallons of processed radioactive waste, was suspended in early April. Work on Saltstone Disposal Units 8 and 9, at different, comparably earlier stages, was also paused. A coronavirus scare halted Surplus Plutonium Disposition project construction for 14 days, as well.

Work on the disposal units can begin again in "phase one," authorized for Wednesday, according to the Energy Department spokesperson. Phase one work, the spokesperson elaborated, "should generally require low amounts of PPE," or personal protective equipment.

The Savannah River Site, a sprawling Energy Department complex, employs roughly 10,000 people, about one-third of whom live in Georgia.

The site's downturn earlier this year coincided with stay-at-home orders issued by Republican Govs. Henry McMaster and Brian Kemp of the Palmetto and Peach states, respectively. Those orders, and other restrictions meant to stymie the spread of the novel coronavirus, have since been lifted.

Nineteen cumulative cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, have been reported at the Savannah River Site. The latest case was disclosed Wednesday morning; the first case at the site was logged in late March. Thirteen site employees have fully recovered and returned to work.

More than 10,600 cases of COVID-19 had been confirmed in South Carolina as of Wednesday evening. State health officials have attributed 184 cases to Aiken County.

"As SRS proceeds with a measured approach to increase operations," the Energy Department spokesperson said, "we will continue to monitor and assess local conditions and local restrictions and adjust the pace and scope of activities as necessary."

The Savannah River Site's Wednesday afternoon online update described the contemporary work environment as "changed, and workers will receive information on these changes as they return to their work locations."

To hamper the spread of the 2019 coronavirus, which emerged in China's Hubei province months ago, the Savannah River Site instituted physical distancing, chemical cleaning, sanitization and temperature check regimens, among other protections. Thousands of face masks and face shields were crafted at the the Containment Fabrication Facility, which typically produces radiological containment huts and other gadgets and gear.

Colin Demarest covers the Savannah River Site, the U.S. Department of Energy, the National Nuclear Security Administration and government in general. Follow him on Twitter: @demarest_colin