[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 233 (Tuesday, December 3, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64072-64073]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-30707]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Certification of the Radiological Condition of the Herring-Hall-
Marvin Safe Company Site in Hamilton, Ohio, 1995
AGENCY: Office of Environmental Management, Department of Energy (DOE).
ACTION: Notice of Certification.
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SUMMARY: DOE has completed remedial actions to decontaminate the
Herring-Hall-Marvin Safe Company site in Hamilton, Ohio. Formerly, the
property was found to contain quantities of residual radioactive
material resulting from activities conducted by contractors for DOE's
predecessors, the Manhattan Engineer District (MED) and the Atomic
Energy Commission (AEC). Radiological surveys show that the property
now meets applicable requirements for use without radiological
restrictions, and the docket related to cleanup activities is now
available.
ADDRESSES: The docket is available from:
Public Reading Room, Room 1E-190, Forrestal Building, U.S. Department
of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20585
Public Document Room, Oak Ridge Operations Office, U.S. Department of
Energy, 200 Administration Road, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831
Lane Public Library, 300 N. Third Street, Hamilton, Ohio 45011
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: William E. Murphie, Acting Director,
Office of Eastern Area Programs, Office of Environmental Restoration
(EM-42), U.S. Department of Energy, Germantown, Maryland 20874, (301)
903-2328 Fax: (301) 903-2385.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Department of Energy (DOE), Office of
Eastern Area Programs, the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action
Program (FUSRAP) Team, has conducted remedial at the Herring-Hall-
Marvin Safe Company site in Hamilton, Ohio, as part of FUSRAP. The
objective of the program is to identify and remediate or otherwise
control sites where residual radioactive contamination remains from
activities carried out under contract to the Manhattan Engineer
District/Atomic Energy Commission (MED/AEC) during the early years of
the nation's atomic energy program or from commercial operations
causing conditions that Congress has authorized DOE to remedy. In June
1994, the site was designated for cleanup under FUSRAP.
The Herring-Hall-Marvin Safe Company, intermittently from the 1940s
to the early 1950s, machined natural (not depleted or enriched) uranium
metal slugs from rolled stock under subcontract to prime MED
contractors Dupont and the University of Chicago. Records indicate that
two work orders were performed at the site in 1943 in support of the
MED and one in 1951 for the AEC. The uranium machining was relatively
small scale and appears to have been conducted during brief periods.
The available records indicate that MED/AEC work performed at the site
was discontinued by August 1951.
The structure is a large, roughly rectangular building
(approximately 300,000 ft\2\), constructed mostly of concrete. The
interior is primarily an open design with few walls and a
[[Page 64073]]
support structure of columns and beams with cross braces. High bays are
offset by rows of windows at the ceiling. Early site documents used for
the original radiological survey noted that uranium was machined on
lathes in the large machine room on the first floor of this section of
the building. A portion of the first floor is currently occupied by
Union Paper Company. The remainder of the building is unoccupied and is
used for storage.
On August 29 and 30, 1988, and April 24, 1989, radiological surveys
were conducted at the request of DOE and with the consent of the
property owner. The results of the radiological surveys revealed no
radionuclide concentrations in excess of the applicable DOE criteria
for air and soil on the first floor, and no beta or gamma radiation
above background could be detected. Consequently, the site was
eliminated from consideration under FUSRAP.
Later interviews with individuals formerly associated with the site
revealed that uranium machining operations for MED also occurred in the
southeastern corner of the building in a section with three floors,
accessed by a stairwell and an elevator. Uranium was machined on the
third floor in a room with concrete columns. Radiological surveys
performed in 1988 and 1989 did not include that area of the building
because it has not been previously identified as an area where uranium
operations had taken place. A third radiological survey, conducted by
Oak Ridge National Laboratory in 1993, identified uranium in portions
of the floor and walls of the 9,000-square-foot third floor area. Also,
it was determined from historical records that MED and/or its agents
exercised significant control over the fabrication process and that MED
had an on-site representative during some operations. In June 1993, the
property was designated for remedial action by FUSRAP. Remedial action
was conducted at the site from December 1994 to March 1995.
Post-remedial action surveys have demonstrated and DOE has
certified that the subject property is in compliance with DOE
radiological decontamination criteria and standards. The standards are
established to protect members of the general public and occupants of
the properties and to ensure that future use of the properties will
result in no radiological exposure above applicable health-based
guidelines. Accordingly, this property is released from FUSRAP.
The certification docket will be available for review between 9:00
a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday (except Federal holidays) in
the DOE Public Reading Room located in Room 1E-190 of the Forrestal
Building, 1000 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20585.
Copies of the certification docket will also be available in the DOE
Public Document Room, U.S. Department of Energy, Oak Ridge Operations
Office, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, 37831, and in the Lane Public Library,
300 N. Third Street, Hamilton, Ohio, 45011.
DOE, through the Oak Ridge Operations Office, Former Sites
Restoration Division, has issued the following statement:
Statement of Certification: Herring-Hall-Marvin Safe Company Site in
Hamilton, Ohio
DOE, Oak Ridge Operations Office, Former Sites Restoration
Division, has reviewed and analyzed the radiological data obtained
following remedial action at the Herring-Hall-Marvin Safe Company Site
in Hamilton, Ohio. Based on analysis of all data collected, including
post-remedial action surveys, DOE certifies that any residual
contamination on the site falls within current guidelines for use
without radiological restrictions. This certification of compliance
provides assurance that reasonably foreseeable future use of the site
will result in no radiological exposure above current radiological
guidelines established to protect members of the general public as well
as occupants of the site.
Property owned by William Burchfield, 1550 Grand Boulevard,
Hamilton, Ohio 45011.
Issued in Washington, D.C., on November 25, 1996.
James M. Owendoff,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Environmental Restoration.
[FR Doc. 96-30707 Filed 12-2-96; 8:45 am]
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