THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, January 4, 1997 TAG: 9701040348
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY SCOTT HARPER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: 86 lines
The Navy will start building a large, $16.5 million nuclear repair center this month at the Norfolk Naval Base, officials said Friday.
The concrete-encased facility, complete with airtight doors and radiation shielding, will replace five ships, known as tenders, that for years have serviced atomic-powered submarines and aircraft carriers at the world's largest naval base.
Once finished in October 1998, the center will assume the day-to-day duties of maintaining nuclear warships and removing their low-level radioactive wastes for disposal elsewhere - except now, this delicate job will be done from land instead of from another ship.
Four of the tenders, with a combined crew of 5,600 people, are being decommissioned as part of military downsizing. The fifth tender will be deployed overseas in 1999, Navy officials said.
No jobs are in jeopardy because of the cost-cutting moves, as crews will be reassigned to new posts, many in Norfolk, officials said.
The new nuclear facility, to be built on a vacant parking lot on the banks of the Elizabeth River, will require about 604 civilian and military employees. The work force will come from existing personnel, according to the Navy.
An environmental study of the project forecasts few human risks and little ecological threat. But earth moving and construction activity should cause some short-term damage to the Elizabeth River, the study concluded.
In addition, an anticipated rise in truck traffic around the center likely will cause a slight increase in air pollutants that cause smog, according to the study.
The Virginia chapter of the Sierra Club, which closely watches and often fights proposed nuclear projects in Hampton Roads, is not opposed to the new center.
But the club's nuclear-issues specialist, Robert Deegan, himself a retired naval officer, expressed concern that so little public information has been released about the center and its proposed radiation safeguards.
``I don't criticize the Navy's selection here; it's an important project,'' said Deegan, a Virginia Beach resident. ``I just wish the Navy had been more forthcoming with their planning, costs and protections. They usually are very upfront about any new construction project, but not here.''
Navy officials responded that a press release was issued when the environmental study was completed and that a legal notice ran in the local newspaper.
Still, the Navy does not mention the word ``nuclear'' in describing its new center; it's technically referred to as a ``P-318 Controlled Industrial Facility.''
Deegan said he only found out about the project after reading the fine print in the legal notice.
The center will encompass two buildings, nearly 25,000 square feet of space, and include sophisticated protections, according to Navy plans.
All doors will be designed with gaskets to control air leaks, and the floors will be made of impermeable concrete. No drains or pipes will be built underground that could carry spilled radioactive material to the open environment, according to the plans.
Employees entering the radiological work station, where nuclear warship parts and materials are handled, will be required to wear dosimetry devices, which monitor radiation levels.
As with the tenders, the center also must package low-level nuclear wastes - such as radiated gloves, tools, rags and scrap metal - from atomic subs and carriers. The wastes are later trucked to a special storage site in Barnwell, S.C.
The environmental assessment ran computer models for potential impacts from a fire that consumed radioactive materials and a spill of atomic liquids that reached neighboring waters. The fire was deemed the more serious threat.
But based on proximity to homes and people, and when safeguards at the nuclear center were factored in, the assessment scored the fire as a ``very low risk.''
In both accident scenarios, the assessment said that drinking water might have to be suspended during a cleanup, that about 3 acres of surrounding land might be temporarily contaminated; some naval ships might be tainted and would require cleansing; and plants and animals near the site ``would experience no long-term impacts.''
Tidewater Construction Corp. has been awarded the Navy contract for building the new center. Work is expected to begin this month. ILLUSTRATION: Color Map
Norfolk Naval Base
Area Shown: Possible site of nuclear maintenance facility.
[For complete copy, see microfilm]
KEYWORDS: NORFOLK NAVAL BASE NUCLEAR REPAIR FACILITY