Beech Island company gets SRNS contract

The Beech Island small business Grade South has been awarded a $6.3 million contract by Savannah River Nuclear Solutions for closure of the P-Area's Ash Basin and a nearby outfall at the Savannah River Site.

Work on the closure of the ash basin, an unlined 25-acre containment basin that received coal from the early 1950s to early 1990s from a coal-fired powerhouse that generated steam and electricity, is expected to begin immediately and continue until July 2011, according to an SRNS press release.

"The Recovery Act program at SRS has provided a real opportunity for smaller businesses to provide the Site with skills and expertise that are unique to small specialty contractors," said Greg Ryan, SRNS procurement manager of the Recovery Act Portfolio.

The crew will place stockpiled materials into the basin by layers 10 to 12 feet deep, compact each layer, cap the basin with four inches of soil, and cover it with sod, giving it a dome shape to allow for runoff. The 5-acre outfall, located to the north of the basin, will have contaminated soil removed from it, which will be replaced by soil and sod.

Grade South President and CEO Scott Stephens plans to place 24 union employees to work as laborers, a carpenter, a cement mason, operators and teamsters with the project, according to the release.

"The project will have different phases. It will vary the whole time, and as the project progresses, we will fill the staffing needs," said Stephens.

ARRA contracts add to the more than $155 million in contracts SRNS has already directed to area businesses, according to the release.

"SRS continues to direct procurement opportunities to local small businesses, a commitment that is putting Americans across the Central Savannah River Area to work," said Ryan.

Contact Anna Dolianitis at adolianitis@aikenstandard.com.