RICHLAND, Wash. – Workers have started moving highly radioactive
material, called sludge, away from the Columbia River, marking a
significant milestone in the U. S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s
cleanup of the Hanford Site in Washington State. Today, DOE
contractor CH2M HILL Plateau Remediation Company (CH2M HILL)
safely transferred the first large container of highly
radioactive sludge from a basin next to a former plutonium
production reactor to dry storage in the center of the site.
Today’s transfer is the first of six shipments this summer to
remove the most radioactive material. At the same time, a
separate system is being built to remove the rest of the sludge
from the basin by the end of 2015. “Removing the sludge reduces
the risk from highly radioactive material being stored next to
the Columbia River,” said Matt McCormick, Manager, DOE Richland
Operations Office. “This sludge has been stored underwater in
the basin for more than 30 years, and today marks a turning
point in our cleanup. This is a great