West Valley Demonstration Project Information
Location
West Valley, New York
From 1966 to 1972, Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc., under contract to the State of New York, operated a commercial nuclear fuel reprocessing plant at the Western New York Nuclear Services Center. The plant reprocessed uranium and plutonium from spent nuclear fuel; sixty percent of this fuel was generated at defense facilities. Spent nuclear fuel reprocessing generated approximately 600,000 gallons of liquid high-level radioactive waste; this waste was stored onsite in underground tanks.
In 1980, the United States Congress passed the West Valley Demonstration Project Act (Public Law 96-368), which authorized the Department of Energy (DOE) to conduct a technology demonstration project to solidify the liquid high-level waste at the Western New York Nuclear Services Center. Under this act, DOE is also responsible for developing containers suitable for the permanent disposal of the solidified high-level waste at an appropriate Federal repository; transporting the containers to this repository; disposing of low level waste and transuranic waste generated by high level waste solidification; and decontaminating and decommissioning facilities used for the solidification. DOE is also responsible for dispositioning the spent nuclear fuel stored at the site.
In 1982, DOE selected vitrification as the treatment process for high level waste. This process solidifies and stabilizes nuclear waste by mixing it with molten glass. Pretreatment of the high-level waste began in 1988 and was successfully completed in 1995. DOE expects to complete the West Valley Demonstration Project by 2005.
During the period of residual contamination, as designated by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and as noted in the dates above, employees of subsequent owners and operators of this facility are also covered under the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act.
Alternative Names
- Nuclear Fuels Services, West Valley
- Western New York Fuel Services Center
Type of Facility
- Atomic Weapons Employer
- Department of Energy
Covered by EEOICPA
- Part B (AWE)
- Part B and Part E (DOE)
DOE
DOL
- Tracking your DOL Claim Status
- Advisory Board on Toxic Substances and Worker Health
- Ombudsman’s Office
- Resource Center
- DOL Case and Claim Statistics
- Site Exposure Matrix
- Circular 21-01: West Valley Demonstration Project Special Exposure Cohort (SEC) Class between January 1, 1969 and December 31, 1973
NIOSH
- Tracking your NIOSH Case Status
- Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health
- AWE Site Wide Documents
- NIOSH Case Statistics
- Special Exposure Cohort Status Table
- Petition 252: “All Atomic Weapons Employees who worked at the West Valley Demonstration Project in West Valley, New York, during the period from January 1, 1969, through December 31, 1973, for a number of work days aggregating at least 250 work days, occurring either solely under this employment or in combination with work days within the parameters established for one or more other classes of employees in the Special Exposure Cohort.”
- Work Site Information
Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Other Resources
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