Los Alamos National Laboratory has announced a saving of $11.7 million through the repurposing of soil excavated on-site for new construction foundations, roads, and utility and stormwater lines. The laboratory's recent collaborative initiative is proving to be a cost-effective solution, with on-site processing of engineered fill costing approximately $13 per cubic yard, in contrast to purchasing it from a vendor at around $247 per cubic yard.
For over ten years, Los Alamos National Laboratory has been transporting excavated soil to the Sigma Mesa Clean Fill Stockpile in search of a use for it. In 2022, the TA-51 warehouse project successfully repurposed this material for new structures, earning an environmental award. Paul Luik and his teams collaborated to expand the reuse of this resource, resulting in the processing of over 50,000 cubic yards during the last two months of the 2023 fiscal year. GM Emulsion obtained an operational permit for processing waste concrete at the Los Alamos Eco Station which facilitated local management of materials and eliminated transportation and associated trucking costs.
Jen Payne, Chief Operating Officer for the Associate Lab Directorate for Environment, Health, Safety and Quality said in a press release by Los Alamos National Laboratory that "Cost savings to the Laboratory is only one of the benefits". She added that "The reduction of greenhouse gas emissions is also important and helps us to meet our sustainability goals while also decreasing the number of trucks on our already heavily trafficked roads."
GM Emulsion provides comprehensive asphalt construction and maintenance services including earth-moving, storm drain installation, erosion control, chip seal, fog seal, crack seal, asphalt milling and reclaiming. For over 15 years it has served various locations throughout New Mexico. According to information provided on GM Emulsion's About webpage, it is a small business that is both minority and woman-owned.