TANK RETRIEVAL WORK AT HANFORD’S C-101 COULD RESUME WITHIN WEEKS

Work could resume to empty waste from Hanford Tank C-101 in as little as a couple of weeks, unless a pump has to be replaced, Kevin Smith, Manager of the Department of Energy’s Office of River Protection, said Aug. 23. In the evening of Aug. 21, an “alert” was declared when workers discovered indications that equipment being used to empty waste from the tank was leaking waste. On Aug. 23, workers went back into the C Tank Farm to take another radiation reading at a sluicer shield box where the suspected leak was detected. The radiation reading was slightly lower than a reading taken during an entry into the tank farm Aug. 22, but still above expected levels. Workers also wiped areas nearby to check for contamination, but found nothing unexpected, said John Britton, spokesman for Hanford tank farms contractor Washington River Protection Solutions. Air samples picked up no chemical vapors from waste held in Hanford tanks, he said.

As a result, the barricade around the C Tank Farm was moved to the fenced-in area where workers routinely wear protective clothing. That allowed access to the control room trailer being used for Tank C-101, and a check found that no leak alarms had sounded, either before or after the area was evacuated the night of Aug. 21. Work was expected to continue through the weekend to prepare for removing the insulation from the sluicer pump to look for any signs of contamination that would indicate a leak. Workers should be ready to check the equipment this week, including shooting video footage and taking a sample of any contamination, Britton said. Smith said he was pleased with the response to the emergency on Aug. 21, including efforts to ensure all workers were kept safe.