The Department of Energy has provided Washington state with a proposed plan requiring up to seven years of work to close the Hanford Site’s 324 Building, which sits above a highly radioactive spill. The plan was required to meet a Tri-Party Agreement milestone at the end of June to include the building in the Hanford dangerous waste permit and provide a schedule for completing closure activities. The proposed schedule is based on CH2M Plateau Remediation Co.’s initial review of work after a transition of the building’s cleanup to CH2M from Washington Closure Hanford as its river corridor contract nears expiration in September. “This is an important project,” said Stephanie Schleif, facility transition project manager for the Washington state Department of Ecology. “Ecology is pleased to see DOE moving forward on the 324 Building.”
The 324 Building, also known as the Chemical Materials Engineering Laboratory, housed radiological and other laboratories, support facilities, and administrative areas.
A public comment period is planned from this week through Sept. 9, focusing primarily on the cleanup regulated by the state, which has authority over the chemical contamination within the building rather than the radioactive contamination underneath. The Department of Energy initially had a Tri-Party Agreement milestone for the building torn down in fiscal 2013. But during preparations for that in 2010, the spill beneath the building’s B Cell was discovered. The most recent milestone requires cleanup of the 324 Building to be completed in fiscal 2021; whether that milestone is achievable may be addressed during the public comment period. DOE information prepared for budget hearings indicated that removal of soil from beneath the building might not start until after fiscal 2018. Comments may be sent to [email protected].
