The Department of Energy has scheduled a public meeting for May 8 in Richland, Wash., to discuss its plans for waste storage and transportation staging areas to be built at the Hanford Site’s Waste Treatment Plant. The meeting is part of the public involvement process as the Energy Department applies to the Washington state Department of Ecology for changes to the Hanford Dangerous Waste Permit that are required before construction begins.
The waste storage area will be a concrete pad constructed near the plant’s Low-Activity Waste Facility. It will be used to store secondary waste from vitrifying waste at the facility prior to disposal.
The transportation staging area will be a gravel area where transporters already loaded with canisters of vitrified low-activity waste can stage until they take the waste 1.5 miles to the central Hanford Integrated Disposal Facility for permanent disposal. The transporter systems include engineered single-container pallets secured to a trailer. Containers will be lifted by crane into the pallets, which provide shielding for workers.
The public meeting is set for 5:30 p.m. at the Richland Public Library, 955 Northgate Drive. Public comment will be accepted until May 30. Information on joining the meeting by webinar or sending comments electronically are posted at www.hanford.gov under the event calendar for May 8. Comments also may be mailed to Washington Department of Ecology, 3100 Port of Benton Blvd., Richland, WA 99354.
