General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Another sign that we should move away from nuclear power. Hopefully we listen this time. [View all]billyclem
(145 posts)The tanks at Hanford are older than those in use at power plants, some dated back to WW2, and consist of both single and double shell tanks. I think all of the single shell tanks were emptied some years ago and I am not certain of the status of the others since my retirement.
The type of tank has never been the big problem; rather, it has been attempting to characterize what was in each tank, as in most cases no inventory or addition record was kept. The contents of a tank were unknown and in many cases had the consistency of peanut butter, you can imagine the problems obtaining samples from a deep underground tank full of highly radioactive goop.
Besides the tanks there are many contaminated areas on the Hanford site for which there is no record. These areas are located by drilling and other means of searching. As has been mentioned, Hanford is a very dirty place.
Looks like I need to contact one of my old friends in remediation to get the latest info.
This is what the Cold War mentality of Production above all else has left us.