The Washington state Department of Ecology has opened a 60-day comment period for a proposed permit revision on a project to remove cesium and solids from tank waste at the Energy Department’s Hanford Site.
In a May 1 notice, the state agency said it will accept public input through June 30 on a request by the Energy Department and contractor Washington River Protection Solutions (WRPS) to modify the state’s Hanford Facility Dangerous Waste Permit to add a new operating unit for the low-activity waste pretreatment system.
The planned cesium removal system would be developed in two parts. Phase one would include construction and operation of a tank-side cesium removal unit. The second phase would address either adding a second tank-side unit, or a permanent cesium-removal facility, to support treatment of low-activity waste.
The current application covers only construction and operation for phase one.
Washington River Protection Solutions manages 56 million gallons of radioactive and chemical waste left over from a half-century of plutonium production at the Hanford Site. The waste is currently stored in 177 underground tanks.
The cesium would be removed from waste in double-shell tanks prior to vitrification in the Hanford Tank Waste Treatment Plant being built by Bechtel. The plant will turn much of the Hanford tank waste into a glass-like form for safe storage and eventual disposal.
A public meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m. local time May 29, at the Richland, Wash., Public Library. Individuals who cannot make the meeting can participate via webinar at this site. Comments can be filed electronically here.
Questions can be sent to DOE’s Paula Call at [email protected]; or Ecology’s Daina McFadden at [email protected].
