A tank for storing radioactive waste is leaking in Washington: what is the threat

The US Department of Energy said that from an underground nuclear waste storage tank in Washington state, built during World War II, it looks like contaminated liquid is leaking into the ground. Writes about it APNews.

This is the second reservoir from which the waste from the production of plutonium for nuclear weapons at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation is believed to flow. The first was discovered in 2013. Many of the 149 single-walled storage tanks at the facility are suspected to be leaking.

The B-109 tank, the last of which is suspected of leaking, holds 123 gallons (000 liters) of radioactive waste. The giant tank was built during the Manhattan Project, which built the first atomic bombs and received waste from the Hanford operations from 465 to 000.

The Hanford Proving Ground near Richland in the southeastern part of the state produced about two-thirds of the plutonium for the nation's nuclear arsenal, including the 1945 bomb dropped on Nagasaki, Japan, and is now the country's most contaminated radioactive waste landfill.

For decades, a vast area at Hanford has been a multibillion-dollar environmental clean-up.

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The Washington State Department of Ecology and the US Environmental Protection Agency have been advised that the reservoir is likely to be leaking.

“There is no increased risk to the health or safety of Hanford employees or the public,” said Jeff Tyree, a DOE spokesman. “Pollution in this area is not new, and mitigation measures have been taken for decades to protect workers, the public and the environment.”

The agency said the tank had previously been emptied, but there was a small amount of liquid waste left. Protection systems in the area capture and remove pollutants that reach groundwater and protect the Columbia River, the agency said.

A leak from the B-109 tank was first suspected in March 2019, when there was a slight decrease in the level of liquid waste. Monthly inspections showed that the level remained stable until July 2020, when another decline was detected and the Department of Energy launched an investigation.

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The State Department of Ecology said about 13 liters of water per day leaked from the reservoir.

“It is a serious problem when a tank is leaking radioactive and hazardous chemical waste,” said Environmental Director Laura Watson, adding that “this highlights the critical need for resources to address Hanford's aging tanks, which will fail and leak over time.”

Seattle-based watchdog group Heart of America Northwest said the leak would release radioactive waste that would be dangerous for hundreds or thousands of years.

“There is no such thing as a small leak from a high-level nuclear waste tank,” said Jerry Pollet, executive director of Heart of America Northwest.

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