RICHLAND, Wash. – The Hanford Site has safely disposed of about 2,000 gallons of treated tank waste.
The Department of Energy announced that as a part of this operation, called the Test Bed Initiative, they would be taking the 2,000 gallons of material through Spokane as they transported the waste to cleaning facilities.
After in-tank treatment given at Hanford to reduce radioactivity by more than 99%, contractor Hanford Tank Waste Operations and Closure shipped the waste to Waste Control Specialists in Texas and EnergySolutions in Utah, according to the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management.
There, it was safely and successfully solidified in grout and permanently disposed of.
“This is an innovative effort to demonstrate options with the potential to accelerate the Hanford tank-waste mission in a safe, effective and efficient manner,” said Katie Wong, program manager with the Hanford Field Office Tank Farms Programs Division. “This major accomplishment reflects the strong collaboration with our tank-waste contractor and commercial disposal partners.”
Crews at the Hanford Site also removed the equipment from the tank used to treat the waste.
Debates about the Washington Department of Ecology’s decision to allow the Hanford Site to transport waste through occurred when Spokane lawmakers, including Spokane’s and , criticized the decision and asked for alternatives.
