Savannah River Nuclear Solutions is inviting approximately 900 members of the public to hop on board one of 26 driving tours of the Savannah River Site in 2023.
Visitors can gain an understanding about the Department of Energy’s facilities, missions and workforce that changed the face of nearby counties and helped the United States during the Cold War. Guests will also learn about current and future DOE Environmental Management and National Nuclear Security Administration missions at the site, according to a news release.
In addition, the tour includes a visit to the University of Georgia’s Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, where participants will hear about the ecology lab’s history and mission and get an up-close view of animals found on the site.
Due to high demand, the number of historic tours has doubled this year; there will be
eight available in 2023. Four March tours will stop at the former Dunbarton town site. Four October tous will be at the former Ellenton town site. All historic tours include a walking tour of the SRS Curation
Facility and a driving tour of C Reactor.
“Our employees safely and efficiently operate SRS while supporting the nation’s nuclear deterrent and working towards the transformation of the Site for future use,” said Bob Bonnett, SRNS Tour Program coordinator. “We want people – particularly our residents from neighboring communities –
to experience first-hand all these special tours we have to offer.”
Each public tour can accommodate up to 34 people. Each historic tour has a limit of 50. All are filled on a first come, first served basis. Participants must be 18 years of age or older and U.S. citizens. Participants must register separately for a tour.
2023 SRS Public and Historic Tour Dates
January: Thursdays, Jan. 19 and 26
February: Thursdays, Feb. 16 and 23
March: Historic tours to the Dunbarton site Tuesdays, March 7, and 14; Thursdays, 9 and 16
April: Thursdays, April 13 and 20
May: Thursdays, May 11 and 25
June: Thursdays, June 8 and 22
July: Thursdays, July 13 and 27
August: Thursdays, Aug. 17 and 31
September: Thursdays, Sept. 14 and 28
October: Ellenton historic tours; Tuesdays, Oct. 17 and 24, Thursdays, 19 and 26
November: Thursday, Nov. 9
December: Thursday, Dec. 7
Go to www.srs.gov to register or get additional information . For further assistance, call (803) 952-8994.
What are the differences in the public and historical tours?
According to the information from SRS, the historic tours include stops to the former towns of Dunbarton or Ellenton and include walking tours of the SRS Curation Facility and a driving tour of C Reactor. There are eight historic tours. Four will take in Dunbarton and four will take in Ellenton.
The other tours don’t go to these towns that ceased to exist after the site was built.