RICHLAND, Wash. - EM crews have demolished more than 200 facilities in the Hanford Site ’s 300 Area that once used water utility services.
All but one EM facility - the 324 Building - are gone from the 300 Area, prompting EM Richland Operations Office (RL) and contractor Mission Support Alliance (MSA) to further reduce their footprint by transferring water utility services to DOE’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), which operates research and development facilities in that area.
“As the primary user of the water systems in the 300 Area, it made sense for us to take over operations," said Sanjay Sanan, 300 Area core team building manager with PNNL. “Working closely with MSA helped us become familiar with the systems and was instrumental in this transition."
The transition benefited MSA and PNNL, said Sharee Dickinson, director of the RL Infrastructure & Services Division.
“I want to thank both teams for making this a smooth transition," Dickinson said. “This is a perfect example of different organizations coming together to accomplish a common goal - good work by all involved."
Mike Winkel, MSA project manager, noted PNNL’s eagerness to learn what it takes to operate a water system.
“We were able to provide the necessary support and expertise to help set them up for success," Winkel said. “We appreciate the partnership with PNNL."
Before completing the transition, MSA repaired and upgraded several key utility services, including a pump station that provides all potable water and fire protection.
During the plutonium production era, Hanford’s 300 Area was home to fuel manufacturing operations, and experimental and laboratory facilities.
Source: U.S. Dept. of Energy, Office of Environmental Management
