New deal finalized on Hanford site tank waste cleanup

Construction of additional facilities and capacity to support waste treatment and development of new waste retrieval technologies are among the highlights of a deal that state environmental officials say set a “realistic and achievable course” for cleaning up the Hanford site. 

The final agreement, prompted by a settlement between the state and U.S. Department of Energy in April 2024, comes after federal and state agencies considered public and tribal input on proposed new and revised cleanup deadlines, according to a release from the state Department of Ecology. 

Highlights include: 

• Maintaining existing time frames for starting treatment of both low-activity waste (2025) and high-level waste (2033) by immobilizing it in glass via vitrification. 

• Using a direct-feed approach for immobilizing high-level waste in glass, similar to the Direct-Feed Low-Activity Waste Program. 

• Building a vault storage system and second effluent management facility to support treating high-level waste. 

• Retrieving waste from 22 tanks in Hanford’s 200 West Area by 2040, including grouting the low-activity portion of the waste for offsite disposal. 

• Designing and constructing 1 million gallons of additional capacity for multipurpose storage of tank waste. 

• Evaluating and developing new technologies for retrieving waste from tanks. 

Under the settlement agreement, the U.S. Department of Energy also committed to refrain from applying its interpretation of what constitutes “high-level waste” when disposing of treated waste or closing tank systems at Hanford.