How Well Do You Know the Sounds of SRS?

SRS is filled with many unique sounds associated with the people, places, and animals on site. Below are 14 sounds. Take the quiz and see if you know the Sounds of the SRS.

This sound wavers up and down, grabbing your attention immediately. What is it?

Answer: Warble! This sound will be heard before any announcements are made over the Public Address System. Many times, these announcements will alert on-site workers to important information regarding employee safety.

If you hear this in a parking lot, heads up!

Answer: Double honks. Government vehicles are used regularly at the Savannah River Site. Along with a walkaround 360-degree safety check of the vehicle, the driver must honk twice and look before backing up.

A sudden hiss fills the air, like pressure escaping all at once. What is making that noise?

Answer: Steam pipes. Steam lines, seen and heard throughout SRS, are used for general heating and industrial applications. To prevent damage, the pipes are bent in places and steam is released, making a loud hissing sound along with the puff of steam.

The moment this begins, conversations stop. What is it?

Answer: Drill Notification. The public address system is used site-wide to make announcements. Most often, these are fire drills or weather updates. When notifications begin, employees know to stop talking and listen to the information provided.

A roaring rush, like water pouring with unstoppable force. What is making this sound?

Answer: Reactor Cooling Water Discharge. River water was pumped into and stored in large basins. The water was then pumped into heat exchangers at the reactors to help lower the temperature.

What would you see if you heard a steady chopping sound in the air and looked up?

Answer: Helicopter. Two Savannah River Site helicopters are used to help monitor the 310 square miles of government land.

An empty hush lingers where machines once roared. Where could you be?

Answer: Decommissioned Reactor Area. A specific stillness can be heard in two of the reactor areas that have been fully decommissioned. Where Cold War nuclear and industrial processes once occurred, there is now no occupancy.

Click-clack, click-clack – a sound that follows its wearer everywhere. What could it be?

Answer: Badges clacking. New employees are issued two badges that clap together. Longtime employees increase the clacking as they gather items on their lanyards. These might include keys, pens, laminated safety and contact information, and/or radiation monitors.

What sound crackles, pops, and clears the land?

Answer: Prescribed burn. The USDA Forest Service applies controlled burns to approximately 20,000 acres annually. The Fires Unit manages prescribed burns and fire suppression across the 310 square miles.

What sound fills the room when work turns social?

Answer: Coworkers talking and laughing. Coworkers become friends during long hours spent together working towards common goals.

What sound warns, guards, and refuses to be ignored?

Answers: Security dogs barking. The Centerra K-9 team includes approximately a dozen dogs trained to detect explosives and narcotics. When not providing support at barricade searches and working throughout the general site, the dogs reside at the K-9 kennel and training area.

What sound hovers, buzzes, and never quite lands?

Answer: SRNL drones. The Savannah River Laboratory Unmanned Aircraft System team has over a dozen aircraft. These include drones, which are used for aerial photography, equipment and infrastructure inspections, and research missions.

A long, wavering call that echoes across the night. What could this be?

Answer: Coyotes. SRS is known for its diverse wildlife. Coyotes, bobcats, wild hogs, alligators, turkeys, possums, and raccoons are just some of the animals that call the Savannah River Site home.

What might you hear in a unique geographical feature found on the Savannah River Site known as Carolina Bay?

Answer: Amphibians. Salamanders, toads, and frogs, including the spring peeper, live in and among the Carolina Bays throughout the SRS. As a water source with no fish predators, these bays make an excellent habitat for reptiles and amphibians, as well as other wildlife.