Fernald restoration: ecologists and engineers integrate restoration and cleanup
As cleanup workers excavate pits and tear down buildings at the Fernald site in southwest Ohio, site ecologists are working side-by-side to create thriving wetlands and develop the early stages of forest, prairie, and savanna ecosystems to restore natural resources that were impacted by years of site operations. In 1998, the U.S. Department of Energy-Fernald Office (DOE-FN) and its cleanup contractor, Fluor Fernald, Inc., initiated several ecological restoration projects in perimeter areas of the site (e.g., areas not used for or impacted by uranium processing or waste management). The projects are part of Fernald's final land use plan to restore natural resources over 904 acres of the 1,050-acre site. Pete Yerace, the DOE-FN Natural Resource Trustee representative is working with the Fernald Natural Resource Trustees in an oversight role to resolve the state of Ohio's 1986 claim against DOE for injuries to natural resources. Fluor Fernald, Inc., and DOE-FN developed the ''Natural Resource Restoration Plan'', which outlines 15 major restoration projects for the site and will restore injured natural resources at the site. In general, Fernald's plan includes grading to maximize the formation of wetlands or expanded floodplain, amending soil where topsoil has been removed during excavation, and establishing native vegetation throughout the site. Today, with cleanup over 35 percent complete and site closure targeted for 2006, Fernald is entering a new phase of restoration that involves heavily remediated areas. By working closely with engineers and cleanup crews, site ecologists can take advantage of remediation fieldwork (e.g., convert an excavated depression into a wetland) and avoid unnecessary costs and duplication. This collaboration has also created opportunities for relatively simple and inexpensive restoration of areas that were discovered during ongoing remediation. To ensure the survival of the plant material in heavily disturbed soils, Fernald will use techniques such as large-scale soil amendment, drainage modifications, and specially designed plant mixes during restoration. While these techniques have helped ecologists manage the early phases of restoration at Fernald, they will be critical to the long-term success of restoring heavily remediated areas of the site.
- Research Organization:
- Fernald Environmental Management Project, Cincinnati, OH
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC24-01OH20115
- OSTI ID:
- 811181
- Report Number(s):
- FEMP-2600; TRN: US200609%%768
- Journal Information:
- Radwaste Solutions, Journal Name: Radwaste Solutions
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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