Savannah River Site
In addition to the activities that are common among all EQC districts, the Lower Savannah District operates two programs that are specifically focused on the Savannah River Site.
Federal Facility Agreement Site Evaluation Program
DHEC, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) have entered into an agreement for conducting environmental investigations and remediation at the Savannah River Site (SRS). This agreement, known as the Federal Facility Agreement (FFA), governs the corrective/remedial action process from site investigation through site remediation in accordance with guidelines set forth under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). Ted Millings is the FFA Manager in the Lower Savannah EQC District office.
Environmental Surveillance and Oversight Program
The Agreement In Principal (AIP) program, established in 1989, enables states that host Department of Energy (DOE) facilities to improve their oversight monitoring and emergency preparedness capabilities at each DOE site. The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) began participating in this program in 1992 and created the Environmental Surveillance and Oversight Program (ESOP) in 1995. Through regulatory programs and agreements such as the AIP, DHEC works with DOE to assure South Carolina citizens that their health, safety, and environment are being adequately protected. Releases to the environment from past operations and activities at the Savannah River Site (SRS) created the need for expanded monitoring by the State. In addition to historical releases, current and future DOE missions at SRS (DOE-SR) will necessitate continued surveillance by DHEC. Through the AIP, ESOP was established as an independent evaluator of DOE-SR non-regulatory environmental monitoring programs. The activities of the ESOP are designed to provide the public with an independent source of information on the effectiveness of the DOE-SR's monitoring activities. To accomplish this, ESOP conducts technical reviews of the DOE-SR's monitoring programs and collects data through an independent monitoring network around the Site. Oversight monitoring activities involve air, groundwater, surface water, drinking water, fish, game animals, aquatic insects, edible and non-edible vegetation, soil, milk, and oversight monitoring and support sampling for various radiological constituents. Surface water sources are also sampled and analyzed for non-radiological constituents. ESOP continues to provide oversight monitoring and support at selected Federal Facility Agreement (FFA) and Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) clean up site. For more information about this program, contact Kim Newell at (803) 641-7670.