Anytime 40,000 gallons of water flood a room, it’s an unpleasant mess. However, the hassle is compounded when the room is used to store nuclear waste.
The emergency operations center at the Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site was activated at 3 a.m. June 29 when a sprinkler head malfunctioned in Building 371. The room that was flooded was used to store low-level waste, according to Rocky Flats officials.
“We’re not sure what caused the malfunction,” Bill Badger, Rocky Flats spokesman, said of the sprinkler head. “We’ve replaced that sprinkler.”
The water flooded the room for approximately four hours. The water flooded outside the room but was diverted onto an outdoor dock, officials said. A makeshift barrier was assembled to prevent the water from flowing into a drainage system.
“We did several tests on the water that morning and did not find any radiation,” Badger said of the 40,000 gallons. “We’ve also sent out samples for testing, which we’ve gotten back. There was no contamination to the water.”
The water was disposed of in Building 374, which houses liquid waste.
Officials said there was no indication that the waste drums in 371 were breached. Badger said there was no danger to Flats workers or the surrounding community and that the only reason the emergency operations center was activated was to assemble manpower.
“At that time, there weren’t enough people on the site to deal with 40,000 gallons of water,” he said. “The only reason we activated it is that we needed more bodies there.”