Lockheed GA Reactor Site

[gasdiver]

Back in the late 80's I talked to some Atlanta cave divers who were talking about diving in an old Lockheed reactor site in the Dawson Forrest just north of Atlanta. Any of you guys still active and read this board?

It peaked my interest, and I decided to research this place. Of course, Al Gore had not invented the Internet yet, so I searched the micro film files at the GA Tech library and found a lot of articles dating back to the 50's. So my dive buddy and I decided to go check this place out. We found it and sure enough there is an old facility there. The reactor site was mostly underground and the entrances were buried, but people had dug them out and we crawled in one of them. It was a long hallway wide enough to drive a truck down. It sloped down and was full of water. There was another cement entrance with a stairwell leading down. It too was flooded.

We weren't crazy enough to dive it, but we had been told that some cave divers had been in it. There is a very long thread that discusses the place here. Various posts mention people diving in the facility some saying it is 2 floors and others saying it is 7 or 8 floors underwater. Google "dawson forest nuclear plant" and you'll find a ton of links that reference the place. You'll also find some nut jobs who think it is an alien abduction site.

I was just curious if anyone here had actually dove the site...
-Capel

P.S. We also checked out some old marble mines that were abandoned and had flooded. They were big, the water was clear, cold and deep. However, we did not dive them either. You would have to hump your gear 300 yards from the road and then climb a huge pile of dirt put in the entrance to keep people out. Once you got down the back side of the dirt pile, it was 1/2 mile down into the mine before you got to the water. Maybe if we'd had an ATV to haul the gear...

[Kelly Jessop]

So maybe in addition to my oxygen analyzer,I would need a Geiger counter?

"The hot cell building area and cooling-off-area are still restricted with fences and posted due to levels of Cobalt-60 and Europium-152"

[Tegg]

Wouldn't hurt to have one in your SHTFF Survival kit, Kelly...

[gasdiver]

The idea of diving in a 7 story underground structure filled with water is appealing to some. My impressions was that the guys we talked to did not know it was a reactor core. They thought it was a WWII skunk works and never even mentioned radiation to us. Fortunately, information is easier to find today.

Kelly, you would need an underwater Geiger counter: http://true-random.com/homepage/projects/gmz/
-Capel

[MichaelAngelo]

So maybe in addition to my oxygen analyzer,I would need a Geiger counter?

"The hot cell building area and cooling-off-area are still restricted with fences and posted due to levels of Cobalt-60 and Europium-152"

but on the bright side no need for back up lights. You can be one big glow stick

[Gary]

The idea of diving in a 7 story underground structure filled with water is appealing to some. My impressions was that the guys we talked to did not know it was a reactor core. They thought it was a WWII skunk works and never even mentioned radiation to us. Fortunately, information is easier to find today.

Kelly, you would need an underwater Geiger counter

Water is an excellent shield against radiation. You could watch a operational reactor at full power thru 30' of water. (10"-12" of water is a "1/10 th thickness" 30' = 1x10^(-30)). An underwater geiger counter wouldn't show much.

So how do I get into this cool site to dive? The links didn't tell me much.

[ScubaGypsy]

This site sounds intriguing though I certainly have no interest in exploring around radiation. I read through the complete referenced ATS link and though there is much malarky, there are some fascinating history, pics, old and recent videos. I did not find any indication of folks actually diving inside although a few posts alluded to "friend of a friend" heresay.

I'd be curious of any other abandoned man-made underwater overhead exploration areas that others know of. My wife and I just recently revisited True Blue Quarry in West Rutland, VT on 05 July 2010. This site also has some intrigue as it is abit different type of "cave" dive. During our visit the air temperatures were around 93 F but the water temperatures were 41 F which is an initial shocker indeed!

[WEPIV]

I've always loved old abandoned military (and other) sites. It probably comes from growing up in the Tampa Bay area and making frequent trips out to Egmont Key, which was a military base for at least three wars starting with the Spanish-American War in the late 1800s. (The southern gun battery "fort" is now mostly underwater and could be dived on and in I assume.)
I had not heard about this site near Atlanta but am also interested. I might have to drive up to take a look sometime.
(As for all of the conspiracy theories, etc., sounds like either a possible horror movie plot/location and/or a topic that could be talked about on the all night radio show "Coast to Coast.")
The only former military post that I heard about any diving in is that old minute man missile silo in Texas.

[gasdiver]

So how do I get into this cool site to dive? The links didn't tell me much.

Take GA400 North out of Atlanta approximately 40 miles. Turn Left on Dawson Forrest Road and drive until the pavement ends.

Bing Maps Link

It is a State Wildlife Management area. You can find a lot of information here. I'm not sure what the WMA rangers would say if you drove up with a truckload of dive gear. When I was there 20 years ago, I never saw a ranger.

[Superlyte27]

I've dove in every active nuclear power plant in the U.S. Radiation is not an issue with a drysuit and a helmet. Let me know if you need to borrow a helmet.

I spent a couple of years doing nuclear power plant rotations. 2 months on, 1 month off (usually). I never accumulated more than 1REM total (NRC says you can reach 5REM without issue)
FYI... 1' of seawater = 1" of lead protection.