RICHLAND, Wash. - Workers at the Hanford Site recently installed a new cover for a wastewater storage basin as long as a football field and nearly twice as wide.
The EM Office of River Protection tank operations contractor Washington River Protection Solutions replaced a more than 20-year-old cover for the basin at Hanford’s Liquid Effluent Retention Facility (LERF).
Wastewater contaminated with radioactive and hazardous materials generated by Hanford cleanup is stored in three large basins at the LERF until it can be treated for disposal. Each basin is permitted to hold up to approximately 8 million gallons. The covers for the other two basins - both about 20 years old - are scheduled for replacement in the next few years.
The covers help prevent birds and other animals from spreading potential contamination, and keep foreign materials out of the wastewater that could affect its processing. The new cover, made of polyethylene synthetic rubber, is resistant to chemicals, temperature extremes, and ultraviolet light.
Source: U.S. Dept. of Energy, Office of Environmental Management
