A Summary of Classified Solid Wastes at ORNL

This summary is based on a detailed report, Assessment of Classified Waste Information for CERCLA Decisions at Melton Valley and Bethel Valley Watersheds, ORNL/ER-411. This report gives the status of available information on the classified wastes disposed at ORNL. The report is impressive in its detail and contains about two hundred and fifty references. The report is reassuring for the following reasons:

The descriptions of these materials have been previously described in unclassified ORNL environmental restoration reports.

No better waste management documentation exists that could provide better information for restoration purposes.

The amounts of fissile materials is small, dispersed and was carefully disposed.

There is no evidence of unknown SNM disposals.

Detailed records were not kept for the early disposals but any threat to the environment should have revealed itself in the ground water test wells.

Some records show exaggerated amounts of U-235.

Solid Waste Disposals at ORNL WAGS

Characteristic of WAG	1[1]	2	3	4[2]	5	5N & 6
Unclassified description	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
No better documentation	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Fissile Amounts	Small	Small	Small	Small	Known	Known
Accountable Amounts of SNM Materials	No	No	No	Small[3]	Small	Known
Detectable in Ground Water	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

Notes:

Materials removed to WAG 2 and 3

Records destroyed in fire

Exact location unknown