PIKETON, Ohio – The U. S. Department of Energy has issued the new Annual Site Environmental Report for the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant.

The Report includes the results from on-site and off-site environmental monitoring of air, water, and other pathways; describes actions to comply with environmental regulations; and discusses the overall environmental impacts of DOE activities on the area surrounding the 3,714-acre site. The Report does not cover environmental monitoring associated with the uranium enrichment facilities leased to the United States Enrichment Corporation.

"This report indicates that our activities had minimal environmental impact inside or outside facility boundaries," said Sharon Robinson, Portsmouth Site Manager for DOE.

Some highlights from the ASER:

1. Radiation exposures are well below national average and that permitted by law. The maximum radiation dose a member of the public could have theoretically received from contaminants released from the plant in 2000 was 2.9 mrem. This is based on monitoring from airborne radionuclides, radionuclides released to the Scioto River, the depleted uranium cylinder storage yards, and off-site sampling locations. As a comparison, a member of the public receives 300 mrem dose per year from natural background radiation and 2.5 mrem from a one-way cross-country airplane flight.
2. Environmental laws were followed. The site continues a superior record of compliance with environmental laws and had only two exceptions in 2000. The violations were a Notice of Violation from Ohio EPA concerning the statistical monitoring program at the X-735 and X-749A landfills, a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit exceedance for total suspended solids. Overall compliance rate for the year was 99.8 percent.
3. Environmental restoration projects were completed. Activities completed in 2000 included closure of the X-734 Landfill Area, capping of the X-231A/B Biodegradation Plots, and removal of the X-344D Neutralization Pit.
4. Thousands of pounds of waste were treated. In 2000, more than eight million pounds of wastes were treated and/or disposed from the site and more than 33,000 pounds of paper, cardboard, and aluminum cans were recycled. The site also received renewal of their Ohio EPA permit to store hazardous waste in two facilities at the site.

The ASER is prepared annually for distribution to the public, news media, and local, state, and federal agencies. The Report is published in two volumes - a summary document and a separate detailed data report. Both are available upon request at the Department’s Portsmouth Environmental Information Center by calling (740) 289-3317 or you may view the Report online at http://www.bechteljacobs.com/port/port-aser2000.htm.

-DOE-

R-02-007