A half century of progress: Hanford waste management

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

OSTI ID:476590

Wodrich, D D ^[1]

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1. Department of Energy, Richland, WA (United States)

For most of the past half century, the U.S. Department of Energy`s Hanford Site located in Southeastern Washington has produced nuclear materials for this country`s nuclear weapons program. Large quantities of radioactive waste were produced as part of this effort and most of it is still located on the Site. High-level radioactive wastes were stored in large underground tanks, low-level liquid wastes were discharged to the ground, and contaminated solid wastes were buried in the ground or stored. In the early days little was known about these wastes and how to dispose of them. The waste management practices were similar to industrial practices of that time, recognizing the added hazard of radioactivity. Even though the waste management practices became more stringent over the years, a large amount of waste has accumulated on the Site in many locations. Today, the emphasis is on cleaning up the Site by immobilizing and disposing of this legacy of wastes.

• OSTI ID: 476590
• Report Number(s): CONF-960804--Vol.3
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

05 NUCLEAR FUELS
HANFORD RESERVATION
RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT
REMEDIAL ACTION