The Energy Department is taking public comment through Aug. 14 on options for management of deteriorating structures at the B Plant complex at the Hanford Site in Washington state.
B Plant is located in the 200 East Area of the 580-square-mile Hanford Site. From the 1940s until 1952, the complex was used for the chemical separation of plutonium from irradiated fuel rods for U.S. nuclear weapons. B Plant was modified and restarted in the 1960s to separate cesium and strontium from radioactive tank waste, according to DOE. The work left behind a significant amount of contamination at the complex, which has been unoccupied since the 1990s.
Conditions of the B Plant complex structures are growing worse, “as evidenced by water leaks, stains, exposed insulation, and deterioration,” the Energy Department said in the public comment notice.
The engineering evaluation/cost analysis for the facility lays out three options. One is to do nothing. The second is a $118.4 million plan for surveillance and maintenance of B Complex structures, eliminating hazards at the 221 B Canyon building, and demolition and grouting of the 291 B Canyon ventilation system.
The third option, favored by the Energy Department, is a $123.1 million proposal that would include everything identified in Option 2 along with preparation for demolition of the 221 B Building. “Alternative 3 provides the best combination of actions to protect workers, the public and the environment while meeting the remedial action objectives,” DOE said in the notice.
The notice did not include a timeline for completion of the work. Also ask DOE about that for Friday. Comments can be emailed by Aug. 14 to BPlantEECA@rl.gov. Questions can be directed to Dana Gribble at Dana_C_Gribble@rl.gov.