European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - November 23, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Savannah River nuclear Plant critics charge the dangerous Dinosaur could become America s chernobyl by United press International keep in the Pines near Aacen. S c. The Savannah River Plant quietly a cranked out ammunition for the us nuclear Arsenal for More than three decades. More than just a nuclear factory. Ine giant Plant is a Symbol of ils origins in the 1950s, when Tho atomic age dawned and the paranoia of the cold War set in the u 5 department of Energy still operates Srp in a shroud of secrecy Lor National Security reasons and is no subject 1o regulation by any outside Agency such As the nuclear regulatory commission which monitors All commercial nuclear plants in the United Stales Wilh aging readers no containment domes tons of High level radioactive waste stored in underground tanks growing environmental concerns and the tear of another chernobyl the Plant has been criticized As a dangerous Dinosaur capable of lashing out Tatally and unexpectedly what Srp represents is a microcosm of the crisis that s affecting the entire nuclear weapons program said Robert Alvarez director of the environmental policy Institute s nuclear weapons and Power project which recently concluded a find your study on the Savannah Plant these facilities were built under a Dilfer enl system of standards and Sheie s been a Tai Luro to modernize them they be opera led tinker such secrecy they be not been subject to outside pressures for improvement so now they re stuck living in the nuclear Stone  Arthur Dexter a physicist at Savannah River for 28 years before retiring and becoming an outspoken critic of the Plant agreed with the chernobyl incident. I saw the very sort of thing thai could happen Here he said tha department of Energy which owns the Savannah Plant bristles at such charges Doe officials Pool to a safety record that includes no major Accident s. And to Back up systems designed to select and head Oil any potential disasters. Any hysteria generated by watchdog groups the officials say. Is unwarranted. We re saying whal Weka Tahere is  said Clif Webb a Doe spokesman at the plan. America s first plutonium production reactors were Buill during world War ii in Hanford. Wash. With International tensions running High and the nuclear race on president Truman in 1950 commissioned a new atomic project and hed Dupont to design build and operate it it would become the Savannah River Plant and Dupont still operates the facility for the government the atomic Energy commission looked at More than 100 Sites before settling on the Piney property of South Carolina across the Savannah River from Augusta a the commission was drawn to the area among other reasons or its great number of creeks Esler is hooded to Cool the re actors and ils isolated location this South online Plant has been making nuclear weapon Tor Nan than Tho tto Victot. Up Plum Workman Curtta corp it up let i finding mod by Monitor. Page 16 the stars and stripes sunday november 23. 1986 although the land was largely Rural two Small towns and dozen of scattered Homes inhabited a area destined to become a nuclear Plant. Ellenton. With a population of 600. Sold out to the Federal government moved up the Road and reincorporated As new Ellenton. The residents of Dumbarton a town of 231, went their separate ways and the town disappeared except for traces of roads and driveways that dead end into Woods. Today the Savannah River Plant is a massive operation covering 300 Square Miles off limits to the Public. Heavily armed guards protect Plant entrances. Motorists Are timed As they drive along state Road 125, which passes through Srp property and Are warned not to Stop. The reservation remains in a mostly natural state. Herds o dear Are so Large thai controlled Hunts arc held twice weekly in season. Other wildlife including alligators abound in Man made lakes where scalding water from the reactors is allowed to Cool. Harvests of Pine Trees on the property bring is million a year. However periodic Clearing of the land has left 1 far from Barren. Dog officials Ligure they have replanted 200 million Pine seedlings Over the years. Spread about the site Are five nuclear reactors three Are operating one is being repaired and one has been shut Down Stonco 1964 and iwo tank  where 51 underground Lanks House 33 million Gallons of High level radioactive liquid sludge and Salt Srp is America s principal producer of the Basic materials of nuclear weapons plutonium and tritium which Are shaped into Gray Metal buttons the size of hockey pucks and shipped to Rocky Flats colo., where the weapons Are made although Srp often is referred Loas a bomb Taylory no bomb has Ever been assembled there in appearance the Srp reactors Are drab Gray buildings thai would pass for factories of any kind. Most notably there Are no containment Domos the Bubble like Cavers that distinguish commercial nuclear Power plants the Lack of containment domes is a big Par i of Iho rouble As Public interest groups see it. The outcry has grown louder site the Accident at the dome less soviet Power reactor in chernobyl which led to nuclear fall Cul Over much of the soviet Union and Europe. All commercial reactors in the United states have containment domes airtight structures designed to prevent the escape of radioactive contaminants into the atmosphere in the event of an Accident. The reactors at Srp operate without such domes instead they employ a less secure confinement system thai consists of filters that could trap some but not All. Radioactive gases. Government officials say confinement is surf Iciel because their reactors do not operate at the High temperatures and pressures Lound in commercial reactors. In addition the chernobyl reactor used Graphite As a coolant while Srp reactors Are cooled by heavy water an extract from regular water that Doe officials claim allows them to operate More efficiently and safely. Then there s the Mailer of Cost. Doe officials estimate containment domes Lor the existing Srp reactors would Cost $2 billion each. We be had our reactors studied and looked Al Post chernobyl said the Doe s Webb. A we did t feel they were Sale to operate we would t to operating right now some Public interest groups and nuclear experts do not buy the confinement theory and say Doe is putting at risk the 16.000 Plant workers and 700,000 people who live within 60 Miles of the Plant. Fred Christensen an Engineer at Srp for 26 years before retiring in 1981, said accidents Are possible within in Srp reactor that could destroy the confinement system but would be contained in a containment  Bui All this misses the main Point Christensen said. If Here s a Chance of an Accident you want containment because ii provides the most Protection Lor the Public. I Haven t heard anyone differ from this View unless they draw paychecks from government  besides the Issue of containment domes there is