Nearly 5 miles of water lines at the Hanford Site have been replaced, ending both the need for frequent emergency repairs and the potential for contamination to spread deeper in the soil when aging water lines broke or leaked. The recently completed project cost about $3 million, including revegetation and related work, according to Mission Support Alliance (MSA), the Department of Energy contractor in charge of infrastructure at the former plutonium production facility in Washington state.
Much of the replaced piping was original to the site, dating to the 1940s, according to MSA. The new piping will serve primarily central Hanford, where much of the site’s environmental cleanup will be concentrated in the future.
“Critical infrastructure improvement projects, like replacing World War II-era water lines, are necessary to invest in, despite the steadily shrinking footprint at Hanford,” said Tom Fletcher, deputy manager at the DOE Richland Operations Office. “We are replacing old utilities that served a large site with more efficient systems that are the right size for a smaller cleanup area.”
The 25-square-mile center of the site includes the underground tanks that hold 56 million gallons of radioactive waste. With the Waste Treatment Plant not expected to be fully operational until 2036 to treat the high-level radioactive portion of the tank waste, workers will remain in central Hanford for decades to come. Currently, the water system supports 8,000 workers in the area.
The system provides water for the sanitary water system and supplies the raw water grid and reservoirs. It also brings water from the Columbia River for fire protection. “Completion of the project means that the workers on the Central Plateau have the reliable water necessary to continue Hanford cleanup,” said Dan Parr, MSA project manager.
Fire Damages Hanford Office Trailer
Separately, the Hanford Fire Department was called to a fire in an office trailer in Hanford’s 300 Area of the just north of Richland at 11:36 a.m. Wednesday. No hazardous or radiological materials were involved, according to Mission Support Alliance, which provides fire suppression services at the site. Two employees smelled smoke and safely left the building.
The Hanford Fire Department discovered a fire in the upper part of the trailer and quickly put it out. Firefighters called for mutual aid and were assisted by the Richland Fire Department.
Officials were still evaluating the extent of damage Wednesday afternoon, but Mission Support Alliance said the trailer remained standing. The Hanford fire marshal will investigate the cause of the fire.
The trailer was being used by DOE contractor Johnson Controls, which provides HVAC services at Hanford.