Savannah River Site opening up for 2013 tours - WCIV-TV | ABC News 4 - Charleston News, Sports, Weather

Savannah River Site opening up for 2013 tours

AIKEN, S.C. (AP) -- South Carolina's former nuclear weapons complex is again offering the public an opportunity to tour the facility.

Starting Monday, members of the public can sign up for the Savannah River Site tours that begin in January. Organizers say they're offering 22 free driving tours in 2013, with about 1,100 openings.

Guests will be given an overview and safety briefing before the four-hour tour. Savannah River officials say visitors can learn about how the U.S. Department of Energy has used the site and what happens there now.

The 310-square-mile site once produced plutonium and tritium for atomic bombs. Work there is now focused mostly on research and cleaning up areas of the site contaminated during weapons production and sealing off former reactor sites with concrete.