Reducing groundwater impacts on the Columbia River from the Hanford Site

Conference · Tue Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1996

OSTI ID:416907

Bennett, L J; Pedersen, K S; Johnston, G A; Shoulders, A

The Hanford Works Nuclear Reservation (Hanford Site) is located in eastern Washington and managed under the authority of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Formerly used for nuclear weapons research and production, the Hanford Site is currently used for energy, defense, and environmental research. The Hanford Site encompasses 1,450 square kilometer (560 square miles) of high desert and is located adjacent to the Columbia River just north of Richland, Washington. Nine inactive plutonium production reactors and one active electricity production reactor are located on the site. The active reactor was constructed and is owned and operated by Washington Public Power Supply System. The inactive reactors are located near the Columbia River. In the interior of the site are the 200 East and 200 West Areas where most of the chemical processing and waste management occurred between the early 1940s and the mid 1980s. Over a 46 year period, the groundwater under the Hanford Site has become contaminated from leaks and intentional discharges to leach fields. This contaminated groundwater is slowly migrating toward the Columbia River. During the past ten years, all intentional discharges of radioactive and hazardous wastes to the leach fields have ceased. The only remaining discharges are relatively clean, once-through, non-contact cooling water and water treatment plant sludges. Currently a systematic approach is being implemented through four related projects to eliminate as many of the remaining discharges as possible. The volumes of all remaining discharges are being reduced and then routed to a new treatment and disposal site. Three of the projects will be operational by June 1995 with the fourth project operational by October 1997. This paper discusses the four projects and the anticipated impacts on the groundwater.

• OSTI ID: 416907
• Report Number(s): CONF-951023--
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

05 NUCLEAR FUELS
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
COLUMBIA RIVER
CONTAMINATION
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
GROUND WATER
HANFORD RESERVATION
LEAKS
SLUDGES
WASTE WATER