RICHLAND, Wash. - Workers with EM Richland Operations Office (RL) contractor CH2M HILL Plateau Remediation Company (CHPRC) recently removed a radioactive wastewater structure at Hanford.
Workers dug more than 40 feet to remove a 10-by-10-foot wooden structure, known as a crib, and the contaminated soil below. The crib once received liquid from a former test facility that supported the 100 K East Reactor.
“Removing this crib is a small but necessary part of our effort to finish remediation work in the area," said Tom Teynor, RL deputy assistant manager for river and plateau.
Safely removing the contaminated structure required extensive planning, monitoring, and use of soil fixative to ensure worker and environmental safety. After removing the crib structure, the team removed an additional five feet of underlying soil. Sampling will confirm that all of the contaminated soil has been removed. Waste from the remediated site was packaged and transported to Hanford’s onsite landfill, the Environmental Restoration Disposal Facility.
“The team did an excellent job and completed the work safely," said Ray Geimer, CHPRC vice president for K Basin operations.
Source: U.S. Dept. of Energy, Office of Environmental Management
