Fluor Idaho completes waste processing project

Fluor Idaho has completed cleanup of radioactive sludge spilled during a breach of four storage drums there last year.

There were no injuries or external release of radioactive materials during the incident at the Accelerated Retrieval Project (ARP) facility. Up until the time of the accident, crews had safely processed and repackaged more than 9,500 drums of radioactive and hazardous waste at the ARP V.

The Department of Energy’s Environmental Management has directed Fluor Idaho to plan the closure of the ARP V plant and focus on waste processing operations at the nearby ARP VII facility. That plant also has extensive air filtration and reverse airflow systems.

Fluor Idaho is scheduled to safely complete the processing and repackaging of 2,800 drums of radioactive sludge waste at ARP VII late next year. The drums are being processed for out-of-state disposal.

Workers at ARP VII recently finished reducing the size of large, contaminated legacy waste boxes and debris and repackaging them for shipment to permanent disposal facilities.