Cleanup efforts from Manhattan Project underway at ORNL sites [Video]

The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management is working to clean the environmental footprint left behind by the Cold War. This includes cleaning contaminated land in East Tennessee caused by the Manhattan Project. 

The Office of Environmental Management (EM) is leading the charge. The program’s work is active in Tennessee and across 11 states. According to EM, this is the largest environmental cleanup program in the world. Leaders at EM are responsible for decontaminating 107 sites across the country. 

Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management is focused on cleaning contaminated land in Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Y-12 and East Tennessee Technology Park.

The Manhattan Project in Oak Ridge

The Manhattan Project was a top-secret World War II government program to develop the first atomic bombs. The project was carried out at three secret sites across the United States: Haford, …