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Site A was a research facility near
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
where, during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, research on behalf of the
Manhattan Project The Manhattan Project was a research and development program undertaken during World War II to produce the first nuclear weapons. It was led by the United States in collaboration with the United Kingdom and Canada. From 1942 to 1946, the ...
was carried out. Operated by the University of Chicago's
Metallurgical Laboratory The Metallurgical Laboratory (or Met Lab) was a scientific laboratory from 1942 to 1946 at the University of Chicago. It was established in February 1942 and became the Argonne National Laboratory in July 1946. The laboratory was established i ...
, it was the site of Chicago Pile-2, a reconstructed and enlarged version of the world's first nuclear reactor,
Chicago Pile-1 Chicago Pile-1 (CP-1) was the first artificial nuclear reactor. On 2 December 1942, the first human-made self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction was initiated in CP-1 during an experiment led by Enrico Fermi. The secret development of the react ...
. The first
heavy-water reactor A heavy water reactor (HWR) is a type of nuclear reactor which uses heavy water (D2O, deuterium oxide) as a neutron moderator. It may also use this as the coolant, in the case of Pressurized heavy water reactor, pressurized heavy water reactors. D ...
,
Chicago Pile-3 Chicago Pile-3 (CP-3) was the world's first heavy water reactor. One of the first research reactors, it was constructed in 1943 at Site A, a research facility around ten miles from the University of Chicago campus in the city of Chicago. Joinin ...
, was also constructed at this site. Research was carried out under contract to the United States'
Office of Scientific Research and Development The Office of Scientific Research and Development (OSRD) was an agency of the United States federal government created to coordinate scientific research for military purposes during World War II. Arrangements were made for its creation during May ...
. After the war, the site became the first home of
Argonne National Laboratory Argonne National Laboratory is a Federally funded research and development centers, federally funded research and development center in Lemont, Illinois, Lemont, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1946, the laboratory is owned by the United Sta ...
, a federally funded research and development center. The site was returned to the public forest agency in 1956, but Site A, and a nearby site formerly used for the disposal of low-level radioactive waste, Plot M, continue to be managed and monitored by the
Department of Energy A ministry of energy or department of energy is a government department in some countries that typically oversees the production of fuel and electricity; in the United States, however, it manages nuclear weapons development and conducts energy-rela ...
's Office of Legacy Management as the Site A/Plot M Disposal Site and access remained limited for some time thereafter. The Site A/Plot M Disposal Site is located within Red Gate Woods in the Palos Forest Preserves, part of the
Forest Preserve District of Cook County The Forest Preserve District of Cook County is a governmental commission in Cook County, Illinois, that owns and manages land containing forest, prairie, wetland, streams, and lakes. These land holdings are primarily managed as undeveloped nat ...
. The site contains buried
radioactive waste Radioactive waste is a type of hazardous waste that contains radioactive material. It is a result of many activities, including nuclear medicine, nuclear research, nuclear power generation, nuclear decommissioning, rare-earth mining, and nuclear ...
from contaminated building debris, and the
Chicago Pile-1 Chicago Pile-1 (CP-1) was the first artificial nuclear reactor. On 2 December 1942, the first human-made self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction was initiated in CP-1 during an experiment led by Enrico Fermi. The secret development of the react ...
(CP-1/CP-2), and
Chicago Pile-3 Chicago Pile-3 (CP-3) was the world's first heavy water reactor. One of the first research reactors, it was constructed in 1943 at Site A, a research facility around ten miles from the University of Chicago campus in the city of Chicago. Joinin ...
(CP-3) nuclear reactors. "Site A" was an early
Manhattan Project The Manhattan Project was a research and development program undertaken during World War II to produce the first nuclear weapons. It was led by the United States in collaboration with the United Kingdom and Canada. From 1942 to 1946, the ...
code for the facility. "Plot M" was the code name used for the disposal ground. While buried remnants remain, substantial remediation has occurred at the site and it has been certified safe for ordinary public access by
Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...
and the EPA since the late 1980s. Memorial markers have been placed at Site A, and Plot M.


History

The site was acquired with the intention that it should become home to a plutonium production pilot plant. It was desired that the site be within commutable distance of Chicago, but for reasons of safety and security, should not be too close to the city. During a horseback ride in early 1942, the head of the Metallurgical Project, Professor
Arthur Compton Arthur Holly Compton (September 10, 1892 – March 15, 1962) was an American particle physicist who won the 1927 Nobel Prize in Physics for his discovery of the Compton effect, which demonstrated the particle nature of electromagnetic radiati ...
, identified a suitable site in what was then known as the Argonne Forest Once an estimate of the required land was available, the way was clear for the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is the military engineering branch of the United States Army. A direct reporting unit (DRU), it has three primary mission areas: Engineer Regiment, military construction, and civil wor ...
to lease of land from the forest preserve district, which was done in August, 1942. However, very soon afterwards, it was found that the scale of operations would require a larger site, and plans for the pilot site were moved to
Oak Ridge, Tennessee Oak Ridge is a city in Anderson County, Tennessee, Anderson and Roane County, Tennessee, Roane counties in the East Tennessee, eastern part of the U.S. state of Tennessee, about west of downtown Knoxville, Tennessee, Knoxville. Oak Ridge's po ...
. Shortly after the December 1942 demonstration of the first self-sustaining chain reaction at the
University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...
, the research group led by
Enrico Fermi Enrico Fermi (; 29 September 1901 – 28 November 1954) was an Italian and naturalized American physicist, renowned for being the creator of the world's first artificial nuclear reactor, the Chicago Pile-1, and a member of the Manhattan Project ...
needed to move to the larger, more remote laboratory campus. The first reactor, CP-1, was disassembled and moved to Site A in March 1943, enlarged by shielding and reconfigured it was redesignated, Chicago Pile-2. In May 1944 the laboratory first operated a second,
heavy water Heavy water (deuterium oxide, , ) is a form of water (molecule), water in which hydrogen atoms are all deuterium ( or D, also known as ''heavy hydrogen'') rather than the common hydrogen-1 isotope (, also called ''protium'') that makes up most o ...
-moderated reactor, CP-3 on the site.


Site decommissioning

Argonne National Laboratory Argonne National Laboratory is a Federally funded research and development centers, federally funded research and development center in Lemont, Illinois, Lemont, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1946, the laboratory is owned by the United Sta ...
obtained an even larger, permanent site in Du Page County in 1947 and began moving its operations out of Site A to the new site. The two reactors operated until 1954, conducting reactor research and production of
tritium Tritium () or hydrogen-3 (symbol T or H) is a rare and radioactive isotope of hydrogen with a half-life of ~12.33 years. The tritium nucleus (t, sometimes called a ''triton'') contains one proton and two neutrons, whereas the nucleus of the ...
. Decontamination and demolition of the buildings began in 1955. The reactors were defueled and the concrete shell for CP-3 was imploded and buried. In 1956 the property was returned to the forest preserve. Two granite monuments mark Site A and Plot M. The Site A marker reads:
The world's first nuclear reactor was rebuilt at this site in 1943 after initial operation at the University of Chicago. This reactor (CP-2) and the first heavy water moderated reactor (CP-3) were major facilities around which developed the Argonne National Laboratory. This site was released by the laboratory in 1965 and the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission then buried the reactors here.
The Plot M marker reads:
CAUTION—DO NOT DIG Buried in this area is radioactive material from nuclear research conducted here 1943–1949. Burial area is marked by six corner markers 100ft from this center point. There is no danger to visitors. U.S. Department of Energy 1978
Plot M was a dump for
low-level radioactive waste Low-level waste (LLW) or low-level radioactive waste (LLRW) is a category of nuclear waste. The definition of low-level waste is set by the nuclear regulators of individual countries, though the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) provides ...
generated at the site between 1943 and 1949. Initially buried in trenches, later in steel bins, the waste included
tritium Tritium () or hydrogen-3 (symbol T or H) is a rare and radioactive isotope of hydrogen with a half-life of ~12.33 years. The tritium nucleus (t, sometimes called a ''triton'') contains one proton and two neutrons, whereas the nucleus of the ...
,
uranium Uranium is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol U and atomic number 92. It is a silvery-grey metal in the actinide series of the periodic table. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons. Ura ...
, and fission products in various forms including contaminated equipment, animal carcasses, and solids. In 1949 the burial of waste at the site was halted, and the dump was covered with grass until 1956, when a concrete cover was installed to protect the landfill from rainwater. Surveillance of the site since the demolition in the 1950s has found small amounts of
soil contamination Soil contamination, soil pollution, or land pollution as a part of land degradation is caused by the presence of xenobiotic (human-made) chemicals or other alteration in the natural soil environment. It is typically caused by industrial activit ...
with uranium and fission products, and some wells in Red Gate Woods had tritium concentrations as high as in the late 1970s. In April 1998 the fence separating Site A from the rest of Red Gate Woods was taken down after a DOE determination that the risk to the public while enjoying the forest preserve is minimal.


Location

Site A is located near . Plot M is located near .


See also

* Sag Bridge, Illinois


References


External links


Forest Preserves of Cook County Red Gate Woods: ‘Site A’Site A/Plot M, Illinois, Decommissioned Reactor Site Fact Sheet
- Department of Energy Legacy Management {{DEFAULTSORT:Site A Plot M Disposal Site Radioactive waste repositories in the United States Manhattan Project sites Argonne National Laboratory Geography of Cook County, Illinois