UA nuclear testing site open for tours ahead of clean-up

The University of Arkansas is about to kick-start the second clean-up phase for a decommissioned nuclear test reactor owned by the school, but first it’s hosting an open house of the facility from 1-3 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 19, at the site in southern Washington County, near the unincorporated community of Strickler.

The contractor for the clean-up, a waste management company called Energy Solutions out of Salt Lake City, is hosting the tour along with the UA, and participants will learn about the planned methods to dismantle and properly dispose of materials at the facility.

The UA is offering the tour in an effort to address concerns from members of the public who live near the facility.

“In December we held a public meeting in Strickler about our SEFOR plans and promised the people that this will be an entirely transparent process,” Mike Johnson, UA associate vice chancellor for facilities, said in a press release. “We introduced the people from Energy Solutions, who presented the clean-up plan and answered questions for more than an hour. We promised to hold an open house in January, and we are making good on our promise.”

SEFOR, officially the Southwest Experimental Fast Oxide Reactor, was a 20-megawatt, sodium-cooled nuclear test reactor built in 1968 off Highway 265, 20 miles southwest of Fayetteville.

It was decommissioned and deactivated in 1974, its nuclear fuel and coolant removed, and the UA took ownership of the building a year later, using it as a research tool for its graduate students.

In 1986, the university stopped using the facility and instead served as caretaker for the property during the past 30 years, while continually seeking funding to properly and safely clean up the site.

The first phase of the clean-up process began in 2009 with the help of a $1.9 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy. Within that phase, Energy Solutions conducted a preliminary evaluation of the property and an action plan.

The second phase of clean-up was made possible by a $10.5 million DOE grant awarded in September. Phase two involves beginning to remove the remaining hazardous materials, demolish the buildings and return the site to green field conditions, according to the school.

The UA has applied for an additional grant from the energy department to complete a planned third phase. If funded, the third phase could be finished by the mid-2018, according to the school. All three phases combined are estimated to cost about $28 million.

Tours inside the facility are only open to individuals who are over the age of 18 and do not have mobility issues, according to the UA. Participants will be asked to sign a liability release and are not allowed to bring personal property inside, except for cameras.