Central plateau remediation optimization study

Abstract

The Central Plateau is a 195-km2 (75 mi 2 ) area located in the center of the 1,517 km2 (586 mi 2 ) Hanford Site in south central Washington State (Figure ES-1). The Hanford Site was established in 1943 and was originally designed, built, and operated to produce plutonium for nuclear weapons. During World War II, plutonium production reactors were constructed along the Columbia River. Separations facilities (canyon buildings) were constructed in the Central Plateau to chemically extract plutonium from irradiated fuel. While plutonium production continued at the Hanford Site through the 1980s, additional mission activities, such as energy research/development and isotope separation, began in the 1950s. The Hanford Site mission, managed by the US Department of Energy (DOE) is now focused on treatment of wastes generated during past operations, and the cleanup of excess facilities and environmental contamination to mitigate impacts to human health and the environment. On the Central Plateau, there are hundreds of currently active and excess facilities and more than 1,000 soil waste sites and pipelines that will require remediation as part of final cleanup.