BENTON COUNTY, Wash – The U.S. Department of Energy says a possible leak may be coming from Tank T-101 at the Hanford Site.
“We don’t believe there’s any immediate risk to the public and to the workers,” Washington Department of Ecology Communications Manager Ryan Miller said. “But adds to the ongoing environmental threats and risks of the Hanford Site. And that’s something that we’re tracking very closely and working with energy to address.”
If Tank T-101 is confirmed to be leaking it would be the third actively leaking tank at the Hanford Site. The Department of Ecology says leaks aren’t a new issue at the Hanford Site.
“This potential leak is another sign of the site’s aging infrastructure and really the importance of getting the cleanup completed in a timely manner and also a safe manner,” Miller said. “The longer cleanup goes on, the more this aging infrastructure will fail and fall apart. And the greater chance there is of an environmental catastrophe.”
The Department of Energy and Department of Ecology estimate between 65 to 70 tanks have leaked in the past. The amount of radioactive materials in the ground makes it difficult to identify new leaks.
“It’s very far below the ground surface deep in the ground, and that’s why there’s no immediate action required,” Department of Energy Hanford Spokesperson Geoff Tyree said. “It’s something that we need to work together with the Department of Ecology on and determine our next steps.”
The Department of Energy and Department of Ecology estimate it will take a few decades before the waste could reach the groundwater. The Department of Energy has covers over some tanks to stop rain and snow from further spreading the harmful substances, but Tank T-101 is not covered. The Department of Energy has an active pump-and-treat system that captures and removes contaminants that might reach the groundwater.
The tanks are about 5 to 10 feet below the ground and can hold up to a million gallons of materials.
“There’s a whole bunch of different chemicals and stuff within the tanks, and it’s a mixture of highly radioactive and chemically hazardous waste,” Miller said. “And a lot of this waste came from the plutonium production mission at the Hanford Site.”
