Nuclear Waste Cleanup: DOE's Cleanup Plan for the Paducah, Kentucky Site Faces Uncertainties and Excludes Costly Activities

Abstract

We are pleased to be here today to discuss the Department of Energy's (DOE) efforts to clean up its Paducah, Kentucky, uranium enrichment plant. Recent allegations that past activities at the plant endangered the health of employees led to renewed interest in DOE's efforts to clean up the site-efforts that began in 1988, when contamination was discovered in the drinking water wells of residences near the plant. Allegations include the improper disposal of hazardous and radioactive materials, release of contamination into streams and drainage ditches, and exposure of workers to radioactive materials. In an October 1999 report on Paducah, DOE found that limited progress has been made in cleaning up the source areas of contamination at the site, such as landfills, waste burial grounds, and waste and scrap piles.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 27, 2000
Accession Number
ADA378921

Entities

People

  • Gary L. Jones

Organizations

  • United States Government Accountability Office

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Buildings And Structures
  • Cemeteries
  • Contamination
  • Drinking Water
  • Electronic Mail
  • Environment
  • Environmental Management
  • Environmental Pollutants
  • Environmental Protection
  • Groundwater
  • Hazardous Materials
  • Materials
  • Nuclear Energy
  • Nuclear Reactions
  • Radioactive Materials
  • Surface Waters
  • United States

Fields of Study

  • Environmental science

Readers

  • Defense Financial Management and Audit.
  • Environmental Engineering.
  • Nuclear Non-Proliferation and International Security