Portsmouth Site Finishes Building 1 Million-Gallon Tank Ahead of Schedule

The disposal facility provides a cost-effective, reliable and on-site location for the safe disposal of an estimated 5 million cubic yards of debris and engineered fill from the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management mission at the site.

Workers customized the new tank to fit the designated space. The vessel is designed to store excess wastewater for an interim leachate treatment system. Leachate is water from rain and snowmelt.

With the addition of the tank, the next waste placement cell at the disposal facility can become operable.

"This additional storage tank is a critical component to allow the On-Site Waste Disposal Facility waste placement to proceed uninterrupted while the full permanent leachate treatment system plant is being built," On-Site Waste Disposal Facility Project Manager Jack Hughes said.

The interim leachate treatment system can process 400 gallons of water per minute. Initially, leachate water goes through pretreatment and then either to a water treatment facility or to the 1 million-gallon storage tank for future treatment.

-Contributor: Michelle Teeters