[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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