Oak Ridge, Community Learns About Cleanup Progress, 2027 Priorities
Submitted by Ryan Getsi
October 14, 2026, 11:10 p.m.

More than 60 people attended the open house at the Oak Ridge Conference Center. Image by United Cleanup Oak Ridge

OAK RIDGE, TN - The Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management (OREM) and cleanup contractor United Cleanup Oak Ridge (UCOR) recently hosted a community open house to showcase cleanup progress and outline priorities for 2027.

More than 60 people attended the event featuring poster stations staffed by experts from OREM and UCOR who explained how current cleanup reduces environmental risks, supports national security and scientific missions, expands land reuse opportunities and even converts legacy materials into cancer treatment isotopes.

“The progress highlighted during this event shows how each cleanup project builds on the next,” said Morgan Carden, Y-12 National Security Complex portfolio federal project director. “We’re removing risks today while positioning Oak Ridge for what comes next — new national security capabilities, scientific discovery and economic development.”

Community members get an update about different cleanup projects on the Oak Ridge Reservation. Image by United Cleanup Oak Ridge

The team showed how OREM and UCOR strategically remove aging Manhattan Project and Cold War infrastructure at Y-12 to clear space for modern national security missions. Workers have already cleared more than 20 acres of land for reuse, with nearly 600,000 square feet of facilities to be demolished by the end of 2026. Crews are deactivating an additional 875,670 square feet of buildings to ready them for demolition. Upcoming efforts include demolishing the 210,000-square-foot Beta-1 facility in 2027 following six years of preparation, as well as future takedowns of Alpha-4 and Beta-4.

The Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) station outlined progress on Isotope Row, a set of 10 former isotope production buildings built in the 1950s, all scheduled for demolition by the end of 2026. Additional work planned for next year includes demolishing the former Radioisotope Development Laboratory and completing preparations for removing the final hot cell in Building 3026. Crews are downsizing equipment, packaging legacy radiological materials and removing hazards across six ORNL facilities to reduce risks and prepare them for future demolition.

One station focused on uranium-233, OREM’s highest priority ORNL project. Three-fourths of Oak Ridge’s uranium-233 inventory has been removed as workers use a new processing glovebox that avoids significant costs and schedule delays. A newly installed onsite analytical laboratory also enables faster processing and supports production of isotopes used in cancer treatment research.

A federal project director shares progress on the Environmental Management Disposal Facility. Image by United Cleanup Oak Ridge

Attendees learned about ongoing transformation at the East Tennessee Technology Park, where OREM has transferred 2,555 acres for community and private sector use, with roughly 185 acres remaining in the transfer pipeline. To date, redevelopment has attracted about $10 billion in investment and created an estimated 2,500 jobs.

Experts also described operations at the Transuranic Waste Processing Center and progress on the Environmental Management Disposal Facility (EMDF). With a two-year groundwater study completed, crews are preparing for site grading, utility extensions and support facility construction in 2027, ahead of full EMDF construction beginning in 2028.

“Collectively, community members walked away knowing more about how the work underway now is setting the stage for another significant year of cleanup progress in 2027,” said UCOR Project Enterprise Manager Carrie Wolfe.