Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration (NRDAR)

The U.S. Department of Energy has signed a $42 million agreement as part of the Natural Resources Damage Assessment and Restoration (NRDAR) process for impacts from its historic operations on the Oak Ridge Reservation.

Contamination released from the Oak Ridge Reservation negatively impacted natural resources and services depending on those resources in the region. The goal of the NRDAR process is to restore natural resources and replace natural resource services equivalent to what was lost.

A trustee council comprised of representatives from the State of Tennessee through the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation as the lead state agency, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Tennessee Valley Authority, and DOE evaluated how natural resources were injured and developed a Restoration and Compensation Determination Plan. That document was finalized in December 2022 after accepting public comments.

All funds from the $42 million agreement will be deposited into an account held by the State of Tennessee to fund grants to organizations and public entities for a wide range of local projects that either enhance the area’s natural resources or provide nature and recreational opportunities.

This is one of the most notable days in our office’s history," said Jay Mullis, manager of DOE’s Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management. "Through this agreement, DOE is accounting for past impacts and creating many new opportunities to enhance how residents can enjoy this beautiful region.

Local projects eligible for those grants must be in one of five categories: habitat creation, habitat restoration or enhancement, habitat preservation, groundwater, or recreation.

Grant applications do not have a minimum value and can go as high millions of dollars for projects in Anderson and Roane counties and portions of Loudon and Knox counties.

TDEC is pleased to see this agreement finalized and we eagerly anticipate projects that will support these local communities," said TDEC Commissioner David Salyers. "This funding will protect the natural resources in the area as well as go towards outdoor recreational opportunities for Tennesseans, creating a more balanced and healthy environment for all.

Examples of appliable projects include clearing away abandoned parking lots to plant native vegetation, removing invasive species, land conservation, installing streets and parking lots with permeable pavements to improve rainwater infiltration, and septic conversions. It also includes projects that improve public use of natural resources such as building or improving boat launches and fishing piers, purchasing and restoring land with public access to water, creating public hiking and biking trails or wildlife viewing areas, and constructing, improving, or maintaining public recreation area amenities such as trash control, water fountains, and restrooms.

• View the Draft Restoration Project Selection Procedure Grant Program Manual for more information about the grant application. This document is available for public comment through August 12, 2024.
  
• Public comments can be emailed to ORRrestoration@tn.gov.
  

Once that document is finalized, expected this summer, the trustee council will post it online and host public meetings in the community to answer questions and help residents and organizations navigate the grant application process.

The trustee council approached the NRDAR for the Oak Ridge Reservation in two phases. This is the second phase.

The initial phase focused on the impacts to resources in Watts Bar Reservoir, involving ecological losses and recreational fishing losses downstream the Clinch River to Watts Bar Dam and the Tennessee River arm upstream to Fort Loudoun Dam. The trustees determined the terms of that agreement in 2009. Those terms involved DOE establishing the 3,000-acre Black Oak Ridge Conservation Easement and funding projects to improve recreational fishing access and opportunities.

This second phase focuses on the balance of the Oak Ridge Reservation, which includes habitat across the site, the floodplain and aquatic habitat for a portion of the Clinch River and its tributaries, groundwater flowing beneath and off site, and recreational opportunities.