HANFORD SITE

Dashboard

  • Hanford is home to the world’s first full-scale nuclear reactor, the B Reactor, which produced plutonium for the world’s first nuclear explosion (the Trinity test) and for the nuclear bomb which was dropped on Nagasaki, Japan.  Hanford’s plutonium production mission continued until the late 1980s, ultimately producing 65% of the nation’s stockpile.

    Over the course of Hanford operations, 20 million pieces of uranium metal fuel were used in Hanford’s nine nuclear reactors, 110,000 tons of fuel was processed at five large plants, 450 billion gallons of liquids were disposed into the soil, and 53 million gallons of radioactive waste were stored in 177 large underground tanks.

    Hanford cleanup began in 1989, when a landmark agreement was reached between the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and Washington state. Known as the Tri-Party Agreement, the accord established hundreds of milestones for bringing the Hanford site into compliance with federal and state environmental regulations. After nearly three decades of cleanup, considerable progress has been made at Hanford, reducing the risk the site poses to the health and safety of workers, the public, and the environment.

    • Cost effective cleanup progress to demonstrate that taxpayer dollars are effectively managed

    • Removal to the extent practicable, of waste from underground tanks and close tank farms

    • Sustained progress in design, engineering and construction of all WTP facilities

    • Relocation of Cesium and Strontium Capsules to Dry Storage

    • Continued progress in cleaning up groundwater contamination

    • Continued progress in remediation of contaminated soil beneath the 324 building

    • Complete remediation of the Plutonium Finishing Plant (PFP) to slab on grade

    • Remove and package sludge material from the K West Basin and transport to the Central Plateau

    • Advocate for improving site infrastructure in support of long-term site operations

    • Advocate for fair and equitable Payment in Lieu of Taxes to schools and government entities

  • Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation

    Nez Perce Tribe

    Wanapum

    Yakama Nation

  • Hanford Communities

    • Mission: The Hanford Communities organization coordinates local government involvement in DOE decision making on issues affecting our jurisdictions. The organization works to increase public awareness and involvement in Hanford cleanup issues. Board members interact with DOE, the Washington State Department of Ecology, the EPA and others regarding Hanford environmental contamination, remediation, waste management, emergency response, and work force and site transition issues.

    • Contact: David Reeploeg, dreeploeg@hanfordcommunities.org

    Tri-City Development Council (TRIDEC)

    • Mission: TRIDEC’s mission is to improve the economic health of the Tri-Cities area. To achieve this mission, TRIDEC promotes economic diversification, facilitates job creation and retention, pursues new federal missions to support stability in federal operations, and leads the Tri-Cities community on issues of economic importance. TRIDEC has been actively involved in advocacy regarding Hanford and DOE-related policy and funding issues for over 50 years.

    Contact: David Reeploeg

  • Hanford Laboratory Management and Integration, LLC - Hanford Laboratory Management and Integration (HLMI) is an unpopulated LLC formed by two outstanding small businesses, Navarro Research and Engineering, Inc. (Navarro) and Advanced Technologies and Laboratories International, Inc. (ATL).

    Bechtel National, Inc. (BNI) - Bechtel is coordinating the construction of Hanford’s Waste Treatment Plant, also known as the Vitrification (or Vit) Plant.

    Washington River Protection Solutions LLC (WRPS) - WRPS, owned by AECOM and Atkins, with integrated subcontractor Orano, is a prime contractor to the DOE Office of River Protection. WRPS is responsible for the safe and efficient management of radioactive and hazardous waste stored in Hanford’s underground tanks, and for preparing to deliver the waste to the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant for vitrification.

    Hanford Mission Integration Solutions (HMIS) - The Hanford Mission Integration Solutions (HMIS) Team, comprised of globally-known and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)-trusted partners, offers Hanford Solutions through Mission Integration.

    HPM Corporation (HPMC) - HPM Corporation (HPMC) Hanford provides occupational medical services to DOE and the Site contractors.

    Central Plateau Cleanup Company (CPCco) - Central Plateau Cleanup Company (CPCCo) is the prime contractor for the safe, environmental cleanup of the Central Plateau at the Hanford Site.

  • Richland Operations Office and Office of River Protection

    City of Richland Media and Outreach

    • Phone: 509-942-7730

Site Budget

FY 2024 Enacted FY 2025 Request FY 2025 House Bill
2,932,000 2,984,679 2,984,679

(Defense Environmental Cleanup for Richland and Office of River Protection. Amounts in thousands of dollars. Click here for the latest site budget.)

Brian Vance

Manager, Office of River Protection and Richland Operations Office

Cleanup Issues

  • Richland Operations Office

    • Special Nuclear Materials and Spent Nuclear Fuel

    • Transuranic and Solid Waste Disposition

    • Facility Deactivation and Decommissioning

    • Soil and Groundwater Remediation

    Office of River Protection

    • Tank Waste

  • In March 2022, the Office of Environmental Management released a Strategic Vision for 2022-2032.

    Planned Cleanup Scope 2022–2032

    The coming decade will see the successful launch of one of EM’s largest and most significant cleanup activities — the start of tank waste treatment at Hanford through the DFLAW program. This is a goal EM has been pursuing for more than two decades at Hanford and will address one of the largest environmental challenges in the EM complex.

    The full Hanford Strategic Vision is available here.

Nuclear Energy Projects

Manhattan Project National Historical Park

  • Nuclear reactors at Hanford (now the Hanford Site) produced plutonium for the Manhattan Project to fuel the first atomic test and the Fat Man atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki, Japan on August 9, 1945. The story of the Manhattan Project at Hanford encompasses historic facilities and educational centers with the National Park Service, the US Department of Energy and the communities where Hanford workers and their families lived, which are all part of the Tri-Cities region today.

 
Photo courtesy of Energy.gov

Photo courtesy of Energy.gov

Updated August 2022.
Information, photos, and videos in this profile are sourced from DOE’s online resources.