Thursday July 11, 2024
The Columbian —
A major radioactive contamination threat to the Columbia River should be removed at the Hanford nuclear site before the end of summer.
Hanford workers have started to pump contaminated water from the final basin of the nuclear reservation’s nine reactors along the Columbia River.
“This effort will eliminate the risk of a leak of contaminated water to the groundwater about a quarter-mile from the Columbia River,” said Andy Wiborg, the Department of Energy acting deputy assistant manager for river and plateau cleanup.
“Getting the contaminated water out of this basin is a key step in our risk-reduction mission,” he said.