Hanford contamination cleanup discussed

The Hanford site was one of three unique research and production sites that were part of the Manhattan Project during World War II. The U.S. Army Corps opened the facility in 1943 for the production of plutonium. The Hanford site spans 586 square miles along the Columbia River in southeast Washington.

When in operation, the Hanford site generated 75 tons of plutonium, about three quarters of the nation’s total plutonium production.

The plutonium production created solid waste that is still in holding tanks today. Noel said the Hanford site is working to clean up the 56 million gallons of radioactive and chemical waste still on site. Currently the waste is being held in 158 underground holding tanks at the Hanford site.

Of these tanks, roughly one third have leaked chemical waste, threatening nearby ecosystems.

“There has been some waste that has reached the Columbia River. And that was part of the production process back during World War II and the Cold War in the ‘40s and ‘50s,” said Noel.

Noel says the advancement in technology has opened new avenues to reduce further contamination.

“We are taking that 56 million gallons of radioactive chemical waste, and retrieving it through a treatment process to immobilize. That’s known as vitrification,” said Noel.

The vitrification process heats the chemical waste to nearly 2,100 degrees Fahrenheit and mixes it with glass-forming materials. The concoction is then poured into stainless steel canisters where it will cool and create cylinders of glass that will be disposed of in the Integrated Disposal Facility, which is an engineered disposal site at the center of the Hanford Site and is permitted by the state of Washington.

The first pump and treat systems began in the 1990s.  Their goal is to start treating waste at the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant by the end of 2023.

On Aug. 25, the Washington State Department of Ecology and the U.S. Department of Energy settled on an agreement to address two leaking tanks at the Hanford site. The tanks known as T-111 and B-109 have been leaking since 2013.

The agreement stipulates that there will be surface barriers installed to restrict water runoff from seeping into the contaminated soil and exposing nearby lands. The Hanford site must also formulate an action plan in case another tank leaks in the future. Noel said the facility is considering whether it is worth implementing a ventilation system in the tanks.

For more information and background on the Manhattan and Hanford projects, visit Hanford.gov.

Noel implores everyone to understand the actions they are taking to make sure the Columbia River stays as clean as possible from contamination. Columbia Riverkeeper is also active in the fight to keep the Columbia River Gorge contamination free. Visit their website at columbiariverkeeper.org/take-action/hanford.