The Washington state Department of Ecology said Tuesday it had fined the Department of Energy and Hanford Site cleanup contractor CH2M Plateau Remediation Co. $50,000 for not following regulations for storage of dangerous waste at the facility’s T Plant. The state also ordered DOE and its contractor to designate waste, to obtain detailed analysis of dangerous waste before storage, and to properly maintain records.
The penalty and order followed a Nov. 18, 2015, inspection of waste generated and stored at T Plant. At issue were five containers holding waste that included leaking batteries, grease, or paint chips and pieces of concrete. Some of the waste came from floor scrapings that might include small amounts of radioactive contamination. But the main issue appeared to be Hanford officials’ continuing problems in adhering to requirements to designate waste before it is stored and to maintain required records, according to state documents.
It was the fifth state inspection of T Plant since 2000 to find problems, but the first to result in a fine. “Our inspectors have repeatedly cited Energy and its contractors for the same violations at the T Plant,” said Alex Smith, Ecology’s nuclear waste program manager, in a statement. “For everyone’s safety, dangerous waste at this nuclear facility must be properly managed and stored.” T Plant was built during World War II to remove plutonium from irradiated fuel, but now is used to treat and store waste.
The Department of Energy plans to discuss opportunities for improvement with the state, but also ask for clarification on some of Ecology’s findings. “For example, our records show the contractor did identify and designate all of the waste in the five containers by November 2015, and we will be inquiring about the possibility of a miscommunication on at least one of the violations,” said DOE spokesman Mark Heeter.
State documents indicate that waste was not designated on the day of the inspection, but may have been within that week. They also indicate Hanford records on the waste were not produced within 24 hours as required.
DOE and CH2M have 30 days to appeal the order and penalty to the Washington state Pollution Control Hearings Board. The state pointed out that CH2M may not use cleanup funds to pay penalties.
