b'C H A P T E R 22J U M P I N G T H E F E N C Etion well, an end to shipments from Although the Fluor Report had been the pond. The tritium would evaporateRocky Flats, and an end to breeder completed in 1980, the IDO managed into the air with the water. IDO said thereactors in general. Environmental to delay for nearly three years a deci- project had cost $800,000. 31degradation and the production of sion on the injection well. The gover-weapons were two faces of the same nors staff characterized the IDO as Possibly for the first time, an Idahoissue. Sam Day, the editor of the stubborn. In May 1983 Charles governor had been the ceremonial fig-Progressiveand the featured speaker, Williams left the IDO, and DOE urehead to dedicate a new project at theobserved that the breeder reactor, appointed Troy Wade to take his place. Site. The environmental networkbecause of its ability to make plutoni- At last, things began to move faster and regarded the closing of the well as aum, probably represents the greatest with more amity. 30 victory for the citizens of Idaho, appar-danger beyond nuclear war itself to the ently not concerned with the fact thatfuture and welfare of humankind. On February 9, 1984, Governor John the tritium would henceforth dilute andAnother speaker asserted that the INEL Evans stood near the Chem Plant in his undergo radioactive decay in the airwas the home and playground for the overcoat against the chill weather and instead of underground.U.S. breeder reactor program. The busi- diverted a stream of waste water into anness community in Idaho Falls felt that evaporation pond. The four-acre pond Behind the scenes, the governor hadsuch comments were absurd. 28 was sixteen feet deep, its bottom allow- also won another kind of victory. Heing the percolation of water into the had signed a Working Agreement withAs the governors office waited for the soil. Radionuclides would interact with the IDO. It allowed the governorsIDO to act on an alternative to the injec- the soil and become trapped just below employees to accompany INEL moni-tion well, the relationship toring technicians on the job.between the two offices dete- Idaho could split water sam-riorated. Idaho wanted more ples with IDO and perform itsthan just to look over an own independent analysis. TheI N E L lab technicians shoul- IDO and the governor reaf-der while collecting a water firmed their promises not tosample. It wanted to examine surprise each other in public.engineering drawings and Any press releases about envi-specifications, to be notified ronmental releases or prob-prior to certain construction lems would come after bothprojects, to be sent an inven- parties had reviewed andtory of every air pollution signed off on them. The gover-emission source at the Site, nors office was now in a posi-and more. But the IDO man- tion to monitor the Site. Theager had conveyed to Evans State of Idaho finally hadhis view that activity within arrived inside the INELthe boundaries of the Site was fence. 32none of the states business.The editor of the P o s t -R e g i s t e called for an end torthe spitting match betweenthe two offices so they could DOE-IDOmanagerTroy Wade (left) andsolve the problem together. 2 9 Governor John Evans open the newevaporation pond at the Chem Plant onFebruary 9, 1984.INEEL 84-0091-3-9221'