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New strategy for accelerating cleanup of Hanford reactor areas

Conference · · Transactions of the American Nuclear Society; (United States)
OSTI ID:6968081
; ;  [1]
  1. Westinghouse Hanford Co., Richland, WA (United States)

The initial work plans for cleanup of the 100 areas at Hanford followed the traditional Superfund path with a somewhat linear and phased process of investigation and decision making. Due to the complexity of the waste sites, the need to characterize existing mixed waste and hazardous-waste contamination and the need to obtain high-quality data for decision making, the proposed investigation schedules were typically 7 to 9 yr long. In addition, a large amount of resources and funding was committed to this investigative phase without achieving any remediation or reduction in risk. To correct these deficiencies, a new strategy was developed for use at the Hanford site, the Hanford Past Practice Investigation Strategy (HPPIS). In late 1991, work plans were revised to reflect this strategy, and field work is under way. These changes will result in savings in excess of $100,000,000 in remedial investigation/feasibility study (RI/FS) costs. The plutonium production reactor areas at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Hanford site, near Richland, Washington, were included on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) National Priorities List (NPL) under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA) in 1989.

OSTI ID:
6968081
Report Number(s):
CONF-920606--
Journal Information:
Transactions of the American Nuclear Society; (United States), Journal Name: Transactions of the American Nuclear Society; (United States) Vol. 65; ISSN TANSA; ISSN 0003-018X
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English