First nuclear reactors at Savannah River Site near Augusta get historic designation

The first nuclear reactors at the Savannah River Site near Augusta played an important role during the Cold War era.

On Monday, they received an historic designation.

The nuclear reactors at the Savannah River Site processed materials for nuclear weapons during the Cold War.

They were the site's first reactors, and were built in the 1950s.

The state of South Carolina has designated both as historic sites.

"The men and women did an important job," says Leo Sain, president of the Washington Savannah River Company, the site's manager. "They contributed quietly to a mission that's a significant part of the history of the world."

Both reactors produced plutonium and tritium.

They used new technology and conducted research that no other reactor in the U.S. had done at that time.

Those reactors have since shut down.

The Savannah River Site spans 310 square miles along the South Carolina and Georgia border.

Current operations at the site include cleanup, storage and the reprocessing of nuclear materials.

The site is a major employer in the Augusta region.