The Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant is a former uranium enrichment facility covering about 3,500 acres near Paducah, Kentucky. Owned and operated by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the plant ran uranium enrichment for over 60 years before those operations ended in 2013. The site was added to the National Priorities List (NPL) in May 1994. NPL is the federal government's list of the most serious hazardous waste sites in the country. Construction has not yet been completed sitewide, and the site remains on the NPL.
Decades of operation left behind a wide range of contaminants in soil, groundwater, surface water, and sediment, both on and beyond the plant boundary. Radioactive substances found at the site include uranium isotopes, technetium-99, plutonium, americium-241, and thorium. Chemical contaminants include trichloroethylene (TCE), vinyl chloride, dichloroethene, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), arsenic, lead, mercury, cadmium, chromium, and beryllium. In 1988, technetium-99 turned up in an off-site drinking water well north of the plant. Volatile organic compounds were also found in nearby private wells. PCBs appeared in on-site surface water and downstream in Big Bayou Creek and Little Bayou Creek. In 2020, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) were discovered in groundwater at the Fire Training Area.
DOE moved affected residents and businesses to an alternate water supply from the Ohio River. People in the Water Policy Area are advised not to drill new wells or use existing wells for drinking, showering, cooking, gardening, or farming. Warning signs have been posted along off-site creeks. As of December 2023, human exposure is under control, meaning no unacceptable exposure pathways currently exist. However, groundwater migration is not under control, and DOE is planning additional work to address contamination sources and prevent further spread.
Cleanup began in 1988 and is governed by a Federal Facility Agreement signed in 1998 by DOE, EPA, and the Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection (KDEP). The site is divided into five operable units covering groundwater, surface water, soils, burial grounds, and decontamination and decommissioning of former plant buildings. Remedies include hydraulic containment, air stripping, carbon adsorption, bioremediation, thermal treatment, engineered caps, and institutional controls. A 2023 Five-Year Review found all thirteen evaluated response actions protective of human health and the environment. A Record of Decision for the CERCLA Waste Disposal Alternatives unit is expected between September and November 2028, and cleanup activities are planned through 2065.
Community members can get involved through the Paducah Citizens Advisory Board (CAB), which meets monthly to advise DOE on cleanup, waste management, and potential future land use. EPA and KDEP participate in CAB meetings, and the public is welcome to attend and provide feedback. Public comment periods are announced through local news media. Cleanup documents and the Administrative Record are available at the McCracken Public Library in Paducah and the DOE Environmental Information Center at West Kentucky Community and Technical College.
