Background

The Savannah River Site (SRS) facilities were constructed during the early 1950s to produce basic materials used in the fabrication of nuclear weapons, primarily tritium and plutonium-239. The nation's defense programs used these nuclear weapons. Five reactors were built on the site. The reactors produced nuclear materials by irradiating target materials with neutrons. Other facilities built were two chemical separation plants, a heavy water extraction plant, a nuclear fuel and target fabrication facility and waste management facilities. Production of nuclear materials for the defense programs was discontinued in 1988.

Since 1988, non-defense-related activities have continued at SRS. SRS has provided nuclear materials ...
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