Savannah River Site Health Effects Subcommittee (SRSHES) Meeting

Meeting Minutes
March 13, 2003

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Ms. Jane Perry, the SRSHES liaison representing the Georgia Division of Public Health, introduced Ms. Mary Beth Reed of New South Associates (NSA). Ms. Reed is the primary author of Savannah River Site at Fifty (SRS-50). The >600-page high-quality book was released in June 2002 and contains outstanding maps, graphics and other visual images. The book can be easily read by diverse audiences. The American Cultural Resources Association recognized SRS-50 with the 2002 award for the nation's best product. The award is given to projects that represent outstanding research and a commitment to the nation's cultural resources.

Ms. Reed distributed a copy of SRS-50 for the members to review since the book provides a historical framework for SRSHES's future activities. SRS-50 is a historical narrative that examines a unique culture and technology within 20th century American history. The SRS plant changed the surrounding area and created a new identity in some aspects. For example, the SRS plant served as an affirmative action program and introduced the Republican Party in some SRS counties. SRS-50 is framed in an anthropological format in which an oral history, archival research, historical photographs, maps and other information are chronologically presented. One of the most important features of the book is a detailed production history when SRS was a plant instead of a site.

SRS-50 is divided into the following sections. Part 1 is the history of atomic energy; the establishment of the Atomic Energy Commission; predecessors to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) at SRS; the history of DuPont at SRS; and biographies of SRS personnel. This section is complimented by SRS's premier collection of 20th century black and white historical photographs. NSA hopes the photographs will be maintained by the National Archives for viewing by researchers and the public. DOE has asked to use portions of part 1 as training materials for new employees.

Part 2 is a chronicle of the construction era; a description of engineering achievements; and an overview of SRS cultural impacts. SRS shifted the economical focus in the area from agriculture to industry and became the major employer in South Carolina. Part 3 is a history of the technology. Parts 4 and 5 are summaries of SRS's transition and the establishment of Westinghouse. These sections cover the 1980s-1990s and contain the least amount of historical information. However, parts 4 and 5 provide a basic framework for researchers to fully chronicle SRS's environmental history in a future book. SRS-50 contains an index, chronology, full citations and topography maps illustrating SRS communities, but no alphabetical bibliography was developed for the book. The appendix contains a listing of cemetery locations where burials were relocated.

Although NSA reviewed the Saturday Evening Post, Time Magazine and other secondary materials, SRS's tremendously informative newspapers were a critical data source for the book. In 1989, DuPont donated a collection of materials on SRS and other DOE sites to the Hagley Museum. These items were eventually indexed and served as NSA's major data source in developing SRS-50. Unlike Hanford, Oak Ridge and other sites in the DOE complex, SRS had a surrounding community and received a fair amount of media attention. DOE plants were previously established in secrecy.

In terms of post-publication activities, NSA is currently consulting with South Carolina to identify locations that can appropriately house and maintain SRS artifacts collected for the book. Efforts are being made to partner with local repositories that can exhibit these historical items. Plans are also being made to consult with the South Carolina historic preservation officer to preserve artifacts in historical buildings at SRS. This process will include large-format photography, additional historical research of a technical nature, and instructions to operate buildings far into the future. Some of these properties are eligible for the National Register, but are being threatened by a federal undertaking. Many facilities scheduled for destruction contain a tremendous amount of information that should be documented.

Ms. Reed emphasized the importance of submitting historical items to repositories to ensure artifacts are properly archived and preserved. In addition to SRS-50, she distributed newspaper articles, photographs, cultural artifacts and other SRS historical items for the members to review. She was pleased to announce that SRSHES is referenced in the book in Chapter 20. This section describes SRS's interaction with CDC contractors, the public and other groups. Instructions on ordering SRS-50 from the Government Printing Office (GPO) were included in the briefing books, but Ms. Perry gave members a copy on CD-ROM.

Mr. Waters expressed concern with efforts to preserve historical buildings at SRS. Over the past few years, a major focus of the Citizens Advisory Board (CAB) has been to de-commission, decontaminate and destroy facilities that are no longer used, but are extremely expensive to maintain. Ms. Reed clarified that the preservation effort is focused on retaining valuable historical information rather than actual buildings. DOE is aware of this initiative and is beginning to take action on the preservation plan. She pointed out that this activity is not intended to and should not interrupt CAB's efforts.

Mr. Lockridge asked about the percentage of classified historical materials unavailable to NSA. Ms. Reed replied that DOE required security clearances in 1998 for NSA to review historical materials and conduct research onsite. However, all historical SRS documents DuPont donated to the Hagley Museum were available to review. NSA realizes that certain information from any DOE site will not be published in materials to be released to the public.

After the September 11th terrorist attacks, DOE deleted specific facility locations, building materials and other information originally scheduled to be included in the book. Overall, Ms. Reed was confident that SRS-50 provides a sufficient historical narrative of SRS's production and its impact on public policy and other DOE sites. Ms. Drye inquired about efforts to announce the book to the public. Ms. Reed mentioned that DOE issued several news releases and advertised the book through GPO. SRS-50 will also be reviewed in journals. Dr. Bustos recessed the meeting for a break from 9:50 a.m.-10:24 a.m.