Three environmental science undergraduate students at Colorado Mesa University (CMU) in Grand Junction, Colorado, presented their senior capstone project to an audience of U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Legacy Management (LM) officials in December 2020, including LM Director Carmelo Melendez and Deputy Director Peter O’Konski.

Bill Frazier, site manager of LM’s Grand Junction, Colorado, Disposal Site (GJDS), introduced the students — Ben DeNardo, Micah Hightower, and Sara Jurca. The three conducted research throughout their fall semester on the regulatory guidance governing the closure of the GJDS and LM requirements for site closure.

LM has managed the GJDS since 2003, conducting routine site inspection and maintenance, records-related activities, and stakeholder support. The GJDS currently holds 4.5 million cubic yards of contaminated material and has room to hold an additional 230,000 cubic yards under the Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act (UMTRCA). GJDS was previously approved to remain open until capacity is reached or until 2023, whichever comes first. As a part of the 2020 OMNIBUS spending bill, an extension was approved and the GJDS is now scheduled for closure in 2031.

“While legislation approved on Dec. 27, 2020, extended the disposal cell closure until 2031, the findings of the research project will remain a relevant and valuable resource as LM continues closure plans focused on the new date,” said Frazier.  

LM’s existing relationship with CMU opened the door for the capstone project, when CMU approached Kirk Roemer, LM Strategic Partner (LMSP), with the idea of a project focused on the GJDS. With an eye toward 2023, LM tasked the CMU capstone students with a complex set of questions: “What is required for closure of the GJDS? Does LM need a closure plan according to U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) guidance, or are the current LM documents, including the Interim Long-Term Surveillance Plan, Site Completion Report, and Final Design Plan, sufficient?”

Freddy Witarsa, an assistant professor of environmental science and technology at CMU and the advising professor on the capstone project, was excited to see his students begin to utilize all they’ve learned in his classes.

“The project allowed the students to apply skills that they were taught during their undergraduate careers and allowed them to do so in a way that is impactful,” said Witarsa.