DOE EM manager Jay Mullis updates Oak Ridge council on cleanup milestones, reactors removed and sludge strategy

Jay Mullis, manager of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management for the Oak Ridge Reservation, briefed the council on cleanup progress and program priorities, saying “Tomorrow, we're celebrating completion of all the soil cleanup,” and describing recent reactor removals and changes to plans for treating tank sludge.

Mullis said the ETTP soil cleanup milestone clears acreage for reuse and that, with a recently inked NRDA settlement, the program is starting turnover of additional property to the community. “We're gonna start the turnover of 86 as well,” he said, and added that much of the remaining acreage already has been requested or designated for future use.

Why it matters: completion of large‑scale soil cleanup and property turnover creates opportunities for reuse and economic development while shifting long‑term cleanup tasks toward groundwater decisions and targeted remediation. Mullis pointed to sustained federal funding increases and congressional support as key enablers for that progress.

Mullis outlined several program highlights: removal and shipment of multiple reactor vessels (including a low‑intensity test reactor and a pool reactor), demolition of excess facilities, and collection of hazardous legacy materials. He said three reactors were removed in a little less than a year and a half with no incidents, and described plans to eventually make the Graphite Reactor accessible to the public.

On radiological materials and isotope work, Mullis described downblending of U‑233 inventory and a separations partnership with Isotek that extracts thorium and actinium precursors used in targeted alpha therapies. He said that material shipping and disposition follow established waste pathways to Nevada or, if unavailable, to WCS in Texas.

On the previously proposed large Soilage (sludge) Processing Facility, Mullis said DOE decided not to pursue a single, multi‑billion‑dollar centralized plant because of cost, technical and schedule risks. “I made the recommendation that we kill the project for the facility,” he said, clarifying that the decision does not halt work to address sludge hazards. Instead, Mullis told council that UCOR will deliver a strategic plan (targeted for October–November) to close data gaps, propose nearer‑term tank‑side and portable technologies, and identify immediate contractor actions to chip away at the hazard sooner than waiting for a major new construction project.

Mullis said the decision is informed by tests using surrogate materials at a non‑radioactive test facility at ORNL and by the mixed track record for very large treatment plants elsewhere in DOE. He asked contractors to prioritize sampling additional tanks and to perform detailed system health evaluations to confirm tank safety; he contrasted Oak Ridge’s stainless‑steel, double‑walled monitored tanks with single‑shell tanks that have leaked at other sites.

Mullis also addressed mercury remediation at Y‑12 and other West End sites: teams have collected roughly seven tons of mercury from COLEX systems and placed it in secure on‑site storage, and a mercury treatment facility is being sited to intercept flows at Outfall 200 and treat them before discharging to East Fork Poplar Creek. Mullis said UCOR’s performance on that project has improved since taking it over and noted the groundwater field demonstration to validate models is on track to begin by mid‑December.

Mullis closed by pointing to the NRDA settlement and public‑facing program plans and progress reports the office publishes. The next steps he identified include contractor delivery of the sludge strategic plan, continuing groundwater demonstrations, completion of mercury treatment components, and phased turnover of cleaned parcels to the community.

At the council meeting conclusion, Mullis invited follow‑up: he offered to return with staff or to arrange deeper briefings on specific technical topics if council members requested them.

Sources: Presentation and answers by Jay Mullis to the Oak Ridge City Council work session (DOE Office of EM manager for Oak Ridge).