Fire danger at the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site in Washington state continued to be “extreme” Friday morning as the region suffered through a heatwave, according to an advisory from the landlord contractor at the cleanup property.
With daytime highs in triple digits into next week, Hanford is utilizing maximum telework of about 40%, according to DOE. There continues to be the threat of power outages during the heatwave, Leidos-led Hanford Mission Integrated Solutions said.
The Spokane-based Avista electric provider said Thursday via Twitter it has no more “protective” power outages planned thanks to ongoing conservation by its customers and various mitigation measures by the company.
Portland-based Bonneville Power Administration urged conservation during the scorching heat with Bonneville noting in a June 25 press release that Energy Northwest’s Columbia nuclear plant, adjacent to Hanford, recently returned to service following a refueling outage.
Hanford workers are given annual training to identify symptoms of heat stress, a DOE spokesperson at the site said Wednesday via email. Hanford also uses cooling stations throughout the site that employ fans and misting equipment.
During the heatwave, DOE and the contractor at Hanford can tweak schedules to allow earlier start times and implement work-rest schedules for those working in the heat, the spokesperson said.
Friday’s high temperature is expected to reach 101 degrees Fahrenheit, roughly 10 degrees cooler than the daytime highs earlier in the week. An excessive heat warning continues in effect through Sunday July 4, according to the National Weather Service. Daytime highs are not expected to drop below 100 until Monday, according to the forecast.
The typical high temperatures during June in Southeast Washington tend to be in the low 80s, and the high 80s in July, according to weather.com.
Multiple wildfires at the Nevada Nuclear Security Site were about 80% contained Thursday evening and pose no risk of offsite radiological contamination to the public, according to a release from National Nuclear Security Administration operations contractor Mission Support and Test Services.
Things are going well enough firefighters from the DOE site and the Bureau of Land Management were expected to start demobilizing today, according to the release. The total burn area was no more than 275 acres.
“I would like to thank the … [various] firefighters who efficiently and effectively fought and contained the fires so quickly,” said David Bowman, manager of the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Nevada Field Office
The fires did not burn in any radiologically contaminated area at the Nevada site, according to the press release.
