Bill Mottel (right) looks over the construction of Horsecreek Wastewater Treatment Facility at Savannah River Site in 1977, with Stan Wagher of the Aiken County Public Service Authority. Mr. Mottel stayed with the treatment plant from 1953 to 1979. SPECIAL

Humidity, gnats didn't deter man

Web posted Saturday, November 25, 2000

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By Preston Sparks
Staff Writer

The humidity and the gnats nearly drove Bill Mottel away from a new plant that came to be called Savannah River Site.

But the eventual support from a nearby community and a commitment to God and country kept him there for more than 26 years.

``That first six months was unbearable,'' said Mr. Mottel, a Michigan native who moved with his wife and two children from a New Mexico military job to North Augusta in 1953. ``I really thought that swatting gnats out of your face was the South Carolina salute. And it was just as humid as you could imagine.

``But one thing led to another, and I enjoyed my work at the plant. And as time grew, we became more accustomed to the South.''

Mr. Mottel specialized in research and development when he was was first hired at Savannah River Plant. He was there when the plant's first reactor became active in 1953.

After a long and varied career with E.I. duPont de Nemours and Co., Mr. Mottel eventually rose to the top spot as plant manager for three years during the 1970s.

``(The community) really felt the Savannah River Plant thing was kind of a `Oh, well, you're going (to) come in here and build schools and put in roads, and we're going to be left with a debt,''' said Mr. Mottel, who now lives in Hilton Head, S.C. ``It took a long time for them to get around to trusting us.''

But just as Mr. Mottel became fond of the plant he calls a ``national treasure'' and an area he now says is ``in his heart,'' so did the locals warm to the idea of a nuclear plant in their back yard. It was because of the later support and the management of DuPont that SRS is able to celebrate its 50th anniversary this year, Mr. Mottel said.

Bill Mottel SPECIAL

``We literally took people right off the farms,'' he said. ``And we brought them in and they became what I call a loyal true blue. The work ethic was fantastic. We were able to train these people to do responsible work in the nuclear business.''

To Mr. Mottel, it was a job critical in determining the country's future.

``It was a fantastic thing to be associated with because it was a top priority,'' Mr. Mottel said. ``Our intelligence told us the Russians had a hydrogen bomb, which meant they were using tritium. And our capability for making tritium in our country was essentially nil.

``So, (President) Truman came to the DuPont company and said, `Hey, we want to build a plant and we need you.' So, DuPont said `Hey, our country has asked us to do this.' We said `OK, we'll do it. But it's a God and country venture.'''

From 1953 to 1979, Mr. Mottel followed that venture, as did so many others from throughout the nation.

``DuPont brought in people from all over the United States,'' he said. ``And we just really kind of changed the attitude and the culture.''

Mr. Mottel remembers the small-town atmosphere of the area when he first got there.

``North Augusta was a town of around 3,000 or 4,000 people, and they just couldn't fathom this,'' he said. ``We brought two-party politics to that whole area. It used to be the old Democrat Party, and they didn't know what a Republican was.

``We had a really strong, positive impact on the community.''

And through most of it, Mr. Mottel was there.

After working in research and development, he soon rose to plant technical work. He eventually became a superintendent at the plant and finally rose to positions in upper management.

He was assistant plant manager in 1975 and 1976 and plant manager from 1977 to 1979. He also became a member of North Augusta's town council and was voted citizen of the year in 1976 as chamber of commerce president.

``We got really planted into the community,'' he said.

While working as the head operator, Mr. Mottel said, there was never a worry of contamination coming from SRS.

``There were no near misses,'' he said. ``No problems.''

Still, that didn't stop outsiders from protesting during the 1970s, making his job difficult.

``I did feel some of the pressure from Greenpeace people,'' Mr. Mottel said. ``I remember bringing a bunch over from Atlanta who were just raising holy hell about what we were doing. We spent two days showing those people the plant and everything else. We let them stand on top of waste tanks.

``And I'll never forget the wrapup meeting. I said, `Well guys, it's all over. You've seen everything we've got, and what do you think?' And I remember one guy turning to me and saying, `We don't believe it.'''

Such wasn't the case with those living in the area at that time, though, Mr. Mottel said.

``The people in the community were so supportive because they knew what we were doing and they felt very good about it.''

Mr. Mottel left SRS in 1979 to accept a position with DuPont elsewhere, and in 1987 the company notified the Department of Energy that it would not continue to operate and manage the site. Two years later, Westinghouse Savannah River Co. took over. Even today, Mr. Mottel says, the company that followed just wasn't the same as the one that started it all.

``Westinghouse is down there now,'' he said. ``They have a different approach to things. They're operating under a government contract where they get paid money for running it. Now, DuPont never did that. DuPont did it as a God and country venture.''

These days, Mr. Mottel, now retired, keeps himself busy by being a member of Hilton Head's town council and playing his favorite sport, golf.

He also has four children living in North Augusta, 18 grandchildren and a great-grandchild to keep him busy.

But every now in then, he still thinks back to the days when he was part of something special. It was a unique time when neither hot weather nor bugs could stop the adventure of a lifetime.

``It was a satisfaction of being able to contribute to the job that was done there, because I really think it was unusual,'' he said.

``Really, it was a sizable task. And I look back on all the people that we worked together with to get that job done, and I say, `You know, I don't know if you could ever do that again.'''

Reach Preston Sparks at (706) 868-1222, Ext. 110.

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