Energy Department makes corrections at radioactive waste processing facility

September 14, 2012
By Jeremy Carroll

Courtesy, Energy Department Workers check piping prior to the startup of the Integrated Waste Treatment Unit in eastern Idaho.

The Energy Department and its cleanup contractor have launched a series of corrective actions at a site in Idaho that processes liquid radioactive waste.

An incident in June caused the new waste treatment facility to shut down, but no radioactive material was released during the incident.

The Integrated Waste Treatment Unit in eastern Idaho is intended to process 900,000 gallons of liquid radioactive waste, and turn it into a solid for disposal. The liquid is being stored in underground tanks at a former Cold War nuclear reprocessing facility, the Energy Department said.

"We are taking deliberate steps to safely startup the Integrated Waste Treatment Unit facility and promptly process the entire 900,000 gallons of liquid waste," said Jim Cooper, Energy Department manager for the Idaho cleanup project.

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