Greg Wilkett, Fluor-BWXT President and CEO
PIKETON, Ohio – February 18, 2016 – Fluor-BWXT has announced the closure of the Northeast Bypass Road (also known as “Fog Road”) connecting Dutch Run Road to Shyville Road, near Piketon, for one day in February, March or April as part of a controlled burn of an 18-acre prairie in a remote section of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Portsmouth Site in Pike County.
The site of the burn is adjacent to the Northeast Bypass Road (“Fog Road”) and was formerly a lagoon holding lime sludge stored from the DOE Site water treatment plant. It was drained and converted to a prairie in the 1990’s. The burn is a regulatory requirement of the Ohio EPA and must be conducted every five years to control vegetation. The fire will be managed by Fluor-BWXT Fire Protection Services in conjunction with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Forestry.
The exact date of the burn is unknown due to changing weather conditions but is expected to occur sometime before April 17, 2016. An additional notification will be distributed just prior to the burn if possible. Motorists and area residents should make a note of the pending one-day road closure, watch for posted signs and adjust travel plans as appropriate.
