Overview
- Workers discovered at least four wasp nests with radiation levels ten times above federal limits on the 800 km² Savannah River Site between early July and early August.
- The Department of Energy removed each contaminated nest as radioactive waste and maintains that no underground tank leaks or health risks have been detected.
- Savannah River Site Watch director Tom Clements criticized the DOE report as incomplete and called for independent testing of tanks and surrounding soil.
- Edwin Deshong of Savannah River Mission Completion reaffirmed that the nests pose no danger to workers, residents or the environment.
- The site stores over 34 million gallons of liquid nuclear waste in 43 aging underground tanks, some with known hairline cracks, prompting concerns over long-term containment.