RICHLAND — Equipment is being installed at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation to remove uranium from groundwater, keeping the nuclear contaminate from eventually making its way to the Columbia river.
The Tri-City Herald reported that about 2 million gallons of water have collected in the soil above the water table in central Hanford. It’s believed to be slowly entering the aquifer and contributing to groundwater contamination.
Department of Energy Hanford spokesman Jon Peschong says the new system can treat more types of contaminates than any other plant in the DOE complex of environmental cleanup sites. It will cost about $6.2 million
Hanford, near Richland, for decades made plutonium for nuclear weapons. The site is now engaged in a decades-long process of cleaning up radioactive waste left by that work.
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