US Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Environmental Management (EM) crews have demolished seven structures that make up the Q-Complex at the Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory (KAPL) in Niskayuna, New York, and returned the restored site to the Office of Naval Reactors for redevelopment. The project began in 2023.
KAPL is a government-owned, contractor-operated research and engineering facility for naval nuclear propulsion work. The Schenectady Naval Reactors Office oversees KAPL operations. The Knolls Site in Niskayuna is engaged in research and development for the design and operation of naval nuclear propulsion plants. KAPL designs nuclear reactor plants for US Navy submarines.
The Q-Complex at the KAPL included seven buildings, several of which were used to support reactor component assembly and testing, prototype assemblies and mock-ups, and storage of clad uranium fuel. Subsequent uses of these buildings included laboratory, radiological training and office space, and general storage.
“EM is honoured to assist Naval Reactors with transforming legacy facilities like the Q-Complex into opportunities in support of Naval Reactor’s critical national security mission,” said Marty Krentz, federal project director of the EM Consolidated Business Center (EMCBC) New York Project Support Office, which, with contractor North Wind Site Services completed restoration of the complex.
Below-grade remediation of the Q-Complex footprint required removal of concrete slabs, concrete and treated-wood piers, concrete pits, contaminated soil and piping, and several obsolete utility systems. EM crews removed about 15,000 cubic yards of material from the Q-Complex footprint for disposal in approved regulated waste facilities. Below-grade remediation refers to the process of applying waterproofing membranes and systems to a building’s foundation walls that are below ground level to prevent water, moisture, and contaminants from entering.
It was the first clean-up project to be completed under an agreement between EM and the Office of Naval Reactors. The agreement tasks EM with performing deactivation, decommissioning, removal and remediation of legacy environmental liabilities at Naval Nuclear Laboratory sites.
