By Associated Press - Wednesday, March 27, 2019

LOS ALAMOS, N.M. (AP) - A contractor has finished cleaning up contaminated soil at a former research reactor site at Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Environmental officials with the U.S. Energy Department confirmed Tuesday that the work was done by Newport News Nuclear BWXT-Los Alamos.

Officials believe the polychlorinated biphenyl, or PCB, contamination was caused by electrical transformers that served the reactor site. The chemicals were discovered during sampling of a former storm drain adjacent to the transformers.

Workers removed 300 cubic yards (230 cubic meters) of contaminated soil and graded the site. The soil was put into large sacks and will be hauled off to a disposal site in Utah.

Several reactors were located at the Omega site. The first was built in 1943 at the start of the Manhattan Project. The last one operated until 1992.

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