Independent Verification
States and the federal government have relied on ORAU’s capabilities at more than 500 contaminated U.S. sites. We ensure that no corners have been cut and that the remediation work is properly completed.
We don’t do cleanup—we make it better. Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) is the leading group that verifies decontamination and decommissioning (D&D) contractors’ efforts and ensures that they meet the criteria that a site is ready for release.
Our independence is our stock-in-trade. We perform independent verification and report our results, regardless of outcome. An integral aspect of Department of Energy (DOE) decommissioning plans, independent verification focuses on the adequacy and effectiveness of cleanup.
Independent evaluation of final site conditions involves validation of the cleanup contractor’s final status survey procedures, results, and documentation. The independent verification survey is not a replacement or supplement to the final status survey—it serves to validate the final status survey prior to releasing these lands/facilities for public use. To provide an unbiased analysis of the D&D process, ORAU uses a combination of field and laboratory capabilities to control all aspects and phases of the survey process. Our team of qualified radiological experts follows systematic procedures to collect samples using a field instrumentation arsenal of:
- Global Positioning Systems
- Handheld Radiation Detectors
- Floor Monitors
- Pressurized Ionization Chambers
- Spectrometers
Each sample brought to the laboratory is carefully analyzed and should field examination indicate that contaminants remain above acceptable levels, our job is to make recommendations to bring the site into compliance.
I am confident that the cleanup contractor was thorough; why do I need independent verification? There are many benefits to the independent verification of D&D projects.
Verification:
- Offers a cost-effective way to provide assurance that the site was successfully remediated to the risk-based release criteria.
- Supports stakeholder education on cleanup issues, particularly related to final surveys and future site use.
- Provides consistency among the various decommissioning projects scheduled for a particular site.
- Helps ensure that D&D plans and reports are technically sound.
- Provides balance to the contractor’s goal of minimizing project costs without adversely impacting cleanup schedules.
- Helps to prevent an improper release of property that is not in compliance with federal environmental and radiation protection standards.
- Greatly enhances credibility and builds public trust in environmental cleanup activities.
Tell me more about ORAU’s reputation in independent verification. ORAU’s experience and status in the field of independent verification is unmatched. Since 1980, ORAU has built a reputation of superior service and unbiased reporting that has taken experts to major verification projects in 42 out of the nation’s 50 states, as well as the District of Columbia. Our experienced staff of health physicists, certified health physicists, and nuclear engineers have participated in major verification projects including:
- Fernald Closure Project
- Miamisburg (Mound) Closure Project
- Ashtabula Closure Projects
- Rancho Seco Nuclear Power Plant
- East Tennessee Technology Park Zone 1 and Zone 2
- Rocky Flats Closure Project
- Brookhaven National Laboratory Environmental Restoration
- Columbus Environmental Management Project (Battelle)
- Connecticut Yankee Nuclear Power Plant
- Maine Yankee Nuclear Power Plant
- Yankee Rowe Nuclear Power Plant
- Argonne National Laboratory D&D Project
- Trojan Nuclear Power Plant
- Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP)
We have performed independent verification at locations across the country and are capable of handling your project, no matter how large or small.
Our staff of qualified radiological professionals have visited more than 500 site locations.
