February 3, 2005

Department of Energy Efforts to Dispose of Hanford's Chemical Separation Facilities

The Hanford Site is home to five large canyon facilities that were part of the Department's chemical separations process for many years. Four of the five canyon facilities are no longer operational and are awaiting disposition. Because of the nature of work performed in these facilities, they are contaminated with mixed wastes. A common method of dispositioning contaminated facilities is to decontaminate them and either close them in place or demolish them for disposal in a licensed disposal facility. The ultimate disposal method is determined by completing a Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study (RI/FS) to identify the advantages and risks for each alternative, selecting a preferred alternative, and issuing a Record of Decision on the selected alternative.