Preliminary site survey report for the Sacandaga site, Glenville, New York

Of the numerous original buildings, only Building P, the Critical Assembly Building, remains standing. Front and rear views of the small, concrete block building are shown. The remaining structure is situated on /approximately/51 acres of land, most of which is covered by a heavy growth of trees and brush. An abundance of rubbish and dismantled structural materials is strewn throughout the site. It is estimated that the total inventory of radioactive materials in the site included /approximately/300 kg of uranium in the form of solid metal discs, /approximately/8 mg of plutonium on platinum discs covered with plastic, and /approximately/3 mg of radium sealed in a radium/beryllium source. Both /sup 238/U and /sup 235/U in solid metal form were used in experiments for breeder reactor studies. This type of assessment typically involves a two-stage process. The first part consists of a site visit and preliminary scoping survey to verify that no radiological hazard exists at a specific site, and to collect sufficient data to plan the second part of the process--the more comprehensive radiological survey. The preliminary radiological scoping survey discussed in this report was conducted. Compared to the large size of the property, the survey was limited in scope, including only the 5--6 acres enclosed within the fence and concentrating on those areas having the greatest possibility of containing residual radioactive material. 3 refs., 8 figs., 3 tabs