Savannah River Slashes Waste as Costs Surge
While the site hits record milestones in waste reduction, a new federal audit reveals a $75 billion cost surge across the broader DOE complex.
Federal officials at the Savannah River Site (SRS) have reported a record reduction in radioactivity within the site’s legacy tank waste, marking a significant milestone in one of the nation’s largest environmental remediation efforts.
Since 2022, radioactivity in the underground storage tanks has decreased by 46 million curies. This reduction is more than double the amount removed during the preceding eight-year period. While natural radioactive decay accounts for a portion of the decrease, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) attributed 36 million curies of the reduction to active processing through liquid waste facilities.
The remediation process focuses on the removal of highly radioactive sludge containing radionuclides such as cesium and strontium. This material is treated at the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF), where it undergoes vitrification—a process that converts liquid waste into a stable glass form. The glass is poured into stainless steel canisters designed for long-term storage and disposal.
According to the EPA, vitrification is a preferred technology for stabilizing high-level radioactive waste because it locks dangerous isotopes into a solid matrix that resists leaching for thousands of years.
“The team at Savannah River is reducing the risk of the remaining waste and delivering on the Department’s commitment to accelerate cleanup,” said Tony Robinson, DOE-Savannah River acting assistant manager for waste disposition.
Despite these site-specific milestones, a March 2026 report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) suggests that broader fiscal challenges persist. The federal watchdog found that while capital asset projects have remained relatively stable, the cost for “operations activities”—recurring cleanup tasks like soil treatment and waste processing—has ballooned by roughly $75 billion across the DOE complex since 2022.
Locally, the surge in productivity is largely credited to the Salt Waste Processing Facility (SWPF). Following the installation of new cross-flow filters to increase plant capacity, the facility processed more than 10.6 million gallons of salt waste. Between August and December alone, crews processed more than 1.8 million gallons.
Contractors at the site are utilizing several emerging technologies to streamline the closure of the 33 million gallons of waste currently stored in underground tank farms. These include:
- Aerial Inspections: Using drones for tank sampling and inspection to reduce human radiation exposure.
- 3D Printing: Developing specialized sampling tools using additive manufacturing to shorten tank closure schedules.
- Offsite Analytics: Partnering with external laboratories to expedite the analysis of tank samples.
The waste at SRS is a byproduct of decades of nuclear material processing for national defense, medical programs and space missions. The Government Accountability Office has long monitored these efforts, noting that the stabilization of tank waste is the primary driver for reducing long-term environmental liability at the site.
However, the GAO report warns that technical success at individual sites is often hampered by systemic data gaps. The audit notes that the DOE’s Office of Environmental Management (EM) struggles with “reconciling data discrepancies” and maintaining complete documentation for its largest projects.
While Savannah River’s use of drones and 3D printing represents a move toward modern efficiency, the GAO recommends that EM improve coordination between headquarters and field sites to provide more accurate lifecycle cost and schedule data to Congress.
The current strategy prioritizes the removal of curies from multiple tanks before beginning the final “grouting” process, where empty tanks are filled with cement-like material to be permanently decommissioned.
About the Author
Jesse Jacobs is Assistant Editor of EPOnline.com.
