The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has approved Sequoyah Fuels’ plan to dispose of contaminated materials in an on-site cell, a plan opposed by some residents near the Gore-area plant.

John Ellis, Sequoyah Fuels president, said the NRC approved the plant’s on-site disposal site Monday, “after 16 years and two months.”

The plant, which at one time processed uranium to use in fuel rods for nuclear power plants, was closed in 1993 after it was found that portions of the plant and groundwater were contaminated.

Sequoyah Fuels and its parent company, General Atomics, have been working to meet the requirements to close the plant ever since.

Ellis said Tuesday that the proposed on-site disposal cell will cover about 11 acres in the center of the property, which is about 60 acres now. The completed cell will cover about 17 acres, including its slopped sides, and will be about 50 feet tall.

Ellis said disposal procedures have already begun, and some contaminated property has been prepared for disposal by being bagged.

“The surface clean up will take about five years,” Ellis explained.

He explained the company hopes to hire local contractors to prepare contaminated materials for disposal in the cell, and the company will train workers how to handle the contaminated materials — which range from the buildings themselves to the soil and groundwater — on how to safely handle the materials.

The disposal is expected to cost General Atomics about $28 million, Ellis said, and the NRC has approved the five-year disposal plan for financial reasons, so that the disposal may be paid for over that time period.

After all contaminated materials have been placed in the cell, Sequoyah Fuels must continue to monitor the cell’s performance for three to five years. At that time, the property, including the disposal cell, will be deeded over to the U.S. Department of Energy, which will continue to monitor the cell.

“My objective,” Ellis said, “is to do as much as we can with local contractors. We will hire them then run them through our training program so they may go and do the work.”

Ellis said that, ironically, Sequoyah Fuels recently had to dispose of some uranium- contaminated asbestos. Sequoyah Fuels hired a Broken Arrow company to remove and dispose of the asbestos.

“Actually, the removal of the asbestos had more stringent requirements than the uranium requirements,” Ellis said, adding workers, completely covered in hazardous-materials clothing, had to shower off before removing the clothing, then had to take a second and third shower at the end of the work day.

The 11-acre site for the disposal cell is ready, Ellis said. The cell will be all above ground. First, he explained, a clay base will be laid down and the base will be covered by an impermeable synthetic liner. The liners are to keep runoff from the cell from contaminating the ground and groundwater. After the liners are in place, the contaminated materials will be placed in the cell.

Ellis said even contaminated buildings will be collapsed and placed in the cell. He explained that the skins of the buildings will be removed, and the collapse of the structure will then take place.

“All the buildings, the equipment, the soil — everything gets collapsed and put in there,” Ellis said.

After all contaminated waste materials are in the cell, they will be covered by a clay cap, and another synthetic cover. Uncontaminated dirt and grass will complete coverage of the cell.

The disposal of contaminated materials in the on-site cell will be done in several phases, Ellis said.

When finished, Ellis quipped, “…it will look like one of the Spiro Mounds.”

Ellis said he plans to stay at Sequoyah Fuels throughout the disposal and monitoring of the disposal cell.

“I intend to stay here for the five-year reclamation and the three to five years we monitor the cell,” Ellis said.

Ellis said the task of disposing of contaminated materials and monitoring the disposal area will be done when the NRC “says we’re done.” Then the property will be deeded to the U.S. Department of Energy.

He said he is hoping the process “optimistically, will take 10 years.”

He added, “There will be things come up, as we move along, that we’ll have to deal with. We’ve done some things already and we’re going to keep moving along at a pace we can afford.”

In previous hearings on Sequoyah Fuels’ intention to disposal of contaminated materials in the on-site cell, several area residents voiced their objections to the cell.

Ed Henshaw, an area resident and former Sequoyah Fuels employee, said there is no way to be sure the on-site “radio-active waste dump” will not leak and contaminate ground water as well as the nearby Illinois and Arkansas Rivers.

About an environmental impact statement, Henshaw told NRC officials at a meeting last year that consequences of the on-site cell are being ignored.

The impact statement was released last year.

In a press release the NRC reported, “The environmental impact statement is part of the NRC’s review of Sequoyah’s proposed surface reclamation and groundwater corrective actions. The (environmental) report concludes that impacts of the proposed actions on the physical environment and nearby communities would be small, while impacts on land use are classified as moderate.”

The press release stated that the NRC staff assessed the impacts of the proposed action and its alternatives on public and occupational health, air quality, water resources, waste management, geology and soils, noise, ecology resources, land use, transportation, historical and cultural resources, visual and scenic resources, socioeconomics, accidents and environmental justice. The report also analyzed and compared the costs and benefits of the proposed action, the press release stated.

Ellis said Tuesday that opponents of the on-site disposal cell may again seek an audience with the NRC to oppose the on-site cell, but there are no other recourses for the opposition as far as he knows.

“The way I understand it, this is the final word,” Ellis said. “The state and the Cherokee Nation withdrew their objections to the disposal plan.”

Ellis said the NRC does have a hearing process for concerned citizens who may call for a review.

Ellis said the civil lawsuit between the county and Sequoyah Fuels over ad valorem taxes is continuing.

He said, “We had a trial about a year ago, and the attorneys for both sides just recently submitted their briefs to District Judge Jeff Payton.”

He explained that District Judge John Garrett, in a previous trial, found on behalf of the county, but that ruling was appealed and the State Appeals Court sent the lawsuit back to district court to be retried.

In the lawsuit, the county alleges Sequoyah Fuels is not paying the amount of ad valorem taxes owed. Sequoyah Fuels argues that the property taxed is contaminated and useless, not worth the amount taxed.

Sequoyah Fuels continues to pay the ad valorem tax levied, but that money is placed in an interest-bearing escrow account until the lawsuit is settled.

Ellis said the account now has over $2 million. Most of that money will go to the Gore School System when the suit is settled.