FRANKFORT, Ky. (Oct. 16, 2012) – The state is seeking an engineering firm to design the final cap for the Maxey Flats Project (MFP), a low-level radioactive waste landfill in Fleming County, Ky.
The Energy and Environment Cabinet (EEC) initiated a request for proposals (RFP) and it has been issued through the Kentucky Finance and Administration Cabinet.
“The design leading to construction of the final cap at the Maxey Flats Project is the next critical step in ensuring the long-term protectiveness of the facility,” said EEC Secretary Len Peters.
From 1963 to 1977, under authorities granted by the U.S. government, Kentucky licensed private operators to dispose of low-level radioactive wastes from military ships and facilities, hospitals, universities, corporations, etc., at the Maxey Flats Project.
A total of six commercial low-level radioactive waste disposal facilities have operated in the U.S. Only two remain in operation today.
[pullquote_left]From 1963 to 1977, Kentucky licensed private operators to dispose of low-level radioactive wastes from military ships and facilities, hospitals, universities, corporations, etc., at the Maxey Flats Project.[/pullquote_left]
The Maxey Flats Project is located in northeastern Kentucky on the southern border of Fleming County, approximately nine miles northwest of the city of Morehead. The MFP consists of the original 280 acres and approximately 550 acres of buffer zone area. The restricted area consists of approximately 60 acres, of which more than 55 are covered with a geomembrane liner.
During MFP’s commercial operation, an estimated 4.7 million cubic feet of material were disposed that contained approximately 242,000 kilograms of source material (consisting of uranium and thorium or ores containing them), 2.4 million curies of byproduct materials, and 431 kilograms of special nuclear material (plutonium and enriched uranium).
To assure proper closure and management, the state has maintained the site since commercial operations were discontinued.
Cleanup of the site
The remedial investigation and feasibility study of MFP’s cleanup began in March 1987. Between December 1988 and November 1989, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Emergency Response solidified 286,000 gallons of tanked leachate (radioactive contaminated trench water) because of significant leakage from the metal tanks; then from March 1991 to September 1992, EPA Emergency Response disposed of the solidified leachate blocks in an underground on-site trench and installed 30 acres of a temporary above-ground plastic, impermeable liner to prevent infiltration of rain into the waste trenches.
After lengthy negotiations lasting from June 1992 until June 1995, two consent decrees arranged for cost allocation and for the performance of the remedial design and remedial action. After the required public comment periods, the first of two major cleanup phases (leachate removal and disposal, building demolition, on-site disposal and other items) began immediately thereafter.
Construction of the reinforced concrete bunkers (for disposal of solidified radioactive leachate and other contaminated materials) was completed, and approximately 750,000 gallons of leachate were removed from the landfill during dewatering operations, which were discontinued in the fall of 2000.
Construction of an interim cap to prevent water infiltration with a perimeter drainage system that includes the groundwater interceptor channel was completed. To verify the drainage system does not negatively impact erosion rates, erosion monuments were installed to monitor erosion.
MFP is now ready for the final cap.
Request for proposals information
Firms interested in designing the final cap are encouraged to review the RFP and associated documents here. The state’s procurement process will be used to select the winning firm, tentatively by January 2013.
For more information, contact:
General Procurement Information:
Kelly Hawkins, CPPB
Phone: 502-564-4414, ext. 239
Email: [email protected]
Division of Engineering and Contract Administration Contact:
Paul Gannoe, Division of Engineering
Phone: 502-564-3155, ext. 240
Email: [email protected]
Agency Contact:
Scott Wilburn, Division of Waste Management
Phone: 606-783-8680
Email: [email protected]
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