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Environmental Cleanup
Past nuclear production and research activities at Oak Ridge's federal government facilities created a legacy of environmental contamination that the government is now committed to cleaning up.
Only a small proportion of the federal land was ever actually used in production and research, and residual environmental contamination is present on less than 10% of the federal land. The public does not have access to these areas, and none of the contamination has been found to pose an imminent hazard to the health and safety of the public.
The federal government accepts responsibility for past contamination and is committed to anextensive effort to stabilize and clean contaminated sites. In those few instances where contamination was present beyond federal boundaries, site investigations and any necessary remedial actions have received top priority.
East Fork Poplar Creek Cleanup Story
Beavers, frogs, crayfish, and raccoons are at home along East Fork Poplar Creek, which winds through the heart of the city. When it was discovered that Cold War defense production activities had released mercury into East Fork Poplar Creek and its floodplain, it was feared that the creek and floodplain posed a serious
contamination threat.
The U.S. Department of Energy hired independent experts to conduct exhaustive studies of the mercury contamination and a thorough evaluation of the risks it posed. DOE invited extensive public participation in the study process. Over the course of a year, citizen volunteers attended numerous meetings, reviewed the data, perused the scientific literature, and quizzed the experts from DOE and from state and federal environmental and health agencies. The studies led to a finding that the mercury remaining in floodplain soils was in a stable chemical form that is not taken up by animals or plants, and therefore poses very little risk to human health or the ecosystem. As a result, only a few acres of undeveloped land were excavated to remove mercury.
Links for more information on the U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge environmental remediation activities:
DOE Oak Ridge Environmental Management
East Fork Popular Creek case study
contamination threat.
The U.S. Department of Energy hired independent experts to conduct exhaustive studies of the mercury contamination and a thorough evaluation of the risks it posed. DOE invited extensive public participation in the study process. Over the course of a year, citizen volunteers attended numerous meetings, reviewed the data, perused the scientific literature, and quizzed the experts from DOE and from state and federal environmental and health agencies. The studies led to a finding that the mercury remaining in floodplain soils was in a stable chemical form that is not taken up by animals or plants, and therefore poses very little risk to human health or the ecosystem. As a result, only a few acres of undeveloped land were excavated to remove mercury.
Links for more information on the U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge environmental remediation activities:
DOE Oak Ridge Environmental Management
East Fork Popular Creek case study
Oak Ridge Environment Index
Protective settings & natural landscapes
Clean air, Clean water
Greenbelts, arbouetum, and lakefront
Evnironmental Commitment
Environmental cleanup
For more information
Index of other EQAB pages
Prepared by: Environmental Quality Advisory Board
Prepared by: Environmental Quality Advisory Board
