Certification of the Radiological Condition of the Herring-Hall- Marvin Safe Company Site in Hamilton, Ohio, 1995

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Certification of the Radiological Condition of the Herring-Hall-

Marvin Safe Company Site in Hamilton, Ohio, 1995

AGENCY: Office of Environmental Management, Department of Energy (DOE).

ACTION: Notice of Certification.

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SUMMARY: DOE has completed remedial actions to decontaminate the

Herring-Hall-Marvin Safe Company site in Hamilton, Ohio. Formerly, the

property was found to contain quantities of residual radioactive

material resulting from activities conducted by contractors for DOE's

predecessors, the Manhattan Engineer District (MED) and the Atomic

Energy Commission (AEC). Radiological surveys show that the property

now meets applicable requirements for use without radiological

restrictions, and the docket related to cleanup activities is now

available.

ADDRESSES: The docket is available from:

Public Reading Room, Room 1E-190, Forrestal Building, U.S. Department

of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20585

Public Document Room, Oak Ridge Operations Office, U.S. Department of

Energy, 200 Administration Road, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831

Lane Public Library, 300 N. Third Street, Hamilton, Ohio 45011

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: William E. Murphie, Acting Director,

Office of Eastern Area Programs, Office of Environmental Restoration

(EM-42), U.S. Department of Energy, Germantown, Maryland 20874, (301)

903-2328 Fax: (301) 903-2385.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Department of Energy (DOE), Office of

Eastern Area Programs, the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action

Program (FUSRAP) Team, has conducted remedial at the Herring-Hall-

Marvin Safe Company site in Hamilton, Ohio, as part of FUSRAP. The

objective of the program is to identify and remediate or otherwise

control sites where residual radioactive contamination remains from

activities carried out under contract to the Manhattan Engineer

District/Atomic Energy Commission (MED/AEC) during the early years of

the nation's atomic energy program or from commercial operations

causing conditions that Congress has authorized DOE to remedy. In June

1994, the site was designated for cleanup under FUSRAP.

The Herring-Hall-Marvin Safe Company, intermittently from the 1940s

to the early 1950s, machined natural (not depleted or enriched) uranium

metal slugs from rolled stock under subcontract to prime MED

contractors Dupont and the University of Chicago. Records indicate that

two work orders were performed at the site in 1943 in support of the

MED and one in 1951 for the AEC. The uranium machining was relatively

small scale and appears to have been conducted during brief periods.

The available records indicate that MED/AEC work performed at the site

was discontinued by August 1951.

The structure is a large, roughly rectangular building

(approximately 300,000 ft\2\), constructed mostly of concrete. The

interior is primarily an open design with few walls and a

[[Page 64073]]

support structure of columns and beams with cross braces. High bays are

offset by rows of windows at the ceiling. Early site documents used for

the original radiological survey noted that uranium was machined on

lathes in the large machine room on the first floor of this section of

the building. A portion of the first floor is currently occupied by

Union Paper Company. The remainder of the building is unoccupied and is

used for storage.

On August 29 and 30, 1988, and April 24, 1989, radiological surveys

were conducted at the request of DOE and with the consent of the

property owner. The results of the radiological surveys revealed no

radionuclide concentrations in excess of the applicable DOE criteria

for air and soil on the first floor, and no beta or gamma radiation

above background could be detected. Consequently, the site was

eliminated from consideration under FUSRAP.

Later interviews with individuals formerly associated with the site

revealed that uranium machining operations for MED also occurred in the

southeastern corner of the building in a section with three floors,

accessed by a stairwell and an elevator. Uranium was machined on the

third floor in a room with concrete columns. Radiological surveys

performed in 1988 and 1989 did not include that area of the building

because it has not been previously identified as an area where uranium

operations had taken place. A third radiological survey, conducted by

Oak Ridge National Laboratory in 1993, identified uranium in portions

of the floor and walls of the 9,000-square-foot third floor area. Also,

it was determined from historical records that MED and/or its agents

exercised significant control over the fabrication process and that MED

had an on-site representative during some operations. In June 1993, the

property was designated for remedial action by FUSRAP. Remedial action

was conducted at the site from December 1994 to March 1995.

Post-remedial action surveys have demonstrated and DOE has

certified that the subject property is in compliance with DOE

radiological decontamination criteria and standards. The standards are

established to protect members of the general public and occupants of

the properties and to ensure that future use of the properties will

result in no radiological exposure above applicable health-based

guidelines. Accordingly, this property is released from FUSRAP.

The certification docket will be available for review between 9:00

a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday (except Federal holidays) in

the DOE Public Reading Room located in Room 1E-190 of the Forrestal

Building, 1000 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20585.

Copies of the certification docket will also be available in the DOE

Public Document Room, U.S. Department of Energy, Oak Ridge Operations

Office, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, 37831, and in the Lane Public Library,

300 N. Third Street, Hamilton, Ohio, 45011.

DOE, through the Oak Ridge Operations Office, Former Sites

Restoration Division, has issued the following statement:

Statement of Certification: Herring-Hall-Marvin Safe Company Site in

Hamilton, Ohio

DOE, Oak Ridge Operations Office, Former Sites Restoration

Division, has reviewed and analyzed the radiological data obtained

following remedial action at the Herring-Hall-Marvin Safe Company Site

in Hamilton, Ohio. Based on analysis of all data collected, including

post-remedial action surveys, DOE certifies that any residual

contamination on the site falls within current guidelines for use

without radiological restrictions. This certification of compliance

provides assurance that reasonably foreseeable future use of the site

will result in no radiological exposure above current radiological

guidelines established to protect members of the general public as well

as occupants of the site.

Property owned by William Burchfield, 1550 Grand Boulevard,

Hamilton, Ohio 45011.

Issued in Washington, D.C., on November 25, 1996.

James M. Owendoff,

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Environmental Restoration.

[FR Doc. 96-30707 Filed 12-2-96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6450-01-P