Report on Hanford nuclear waste storage tanks raises concerns on leaks of radioactive waste
Indianapolis Post Wednesday 17th December, 2014
• GAO was asked to report on the tank waste cleanup program at Hanford, located near Richland in eastern Washington• From 2012 to 2014, the Department of Energy (DOE) examined the condition of the tanks, actions taken or planned to respond to the recent tank leaks and water intrusions
• The underground site contains 177 nuclear waste tanks, the nation's largest collection of radioactive waste, some of which have leaked
SPOKANE - Nuclear waste is leaking from two of its underground storage tanks (T-111 and AY-102) at Hanford Nuclear Reservation and the water was intruding into AY-102 and other tanks raising questions among regulators, the public, and Congress about the risks posed by continuing to store waste in the aging tanks, according to a report released Tuesday by the Government Accountability Office.
Following recently reported leaks and intrusions, combined with construction delays, GAO was asked to report on the tank waste cleanup program at Hanford, located near Richland in eastern Washington.
From 2012 to 2014, the Department of Energy (DOE) examined the condition of the tanks, actions taken or planned to respond to the recent tank leaks and water intrusions, and the extent to which DOE's tank management plans consider the condition of the tanks and the delays in completing construction of the WTP.
Based on site visit and interview with DOE officials and responsible contractors, the report states that "DOE has been experiencing delays in the construction of the WTP, a collection of facilities that are to treat the tank waste for disposal."
The underground site contains 177 nuclear waste tanks, some of which have leaked. The nation's largest collection of radioactive waste is left over from the production of plutonium for nuclear weapons.
The GAO report warns that the site in which it stores about 56 million gallons of nuclear waste, is in a "worse condition than it assumed in 2011" when plans were being formulated for emptying the tanks.
"For the 149 single-shell tanks (SST), DOE previously pumped nearly all of the liquid waste out of the SSTs into the 28 newer double-shell tanks (DST) to reduce the likelihood of leaks.
"However, after detecting water intruding into several SSTs, DOE reexamined them all and found that water was intruding into at least 14 SSTs and that 1 of them (T-111) had been actively leaking into the ground since about 2010 at a rate of about 640 gallons annually," the report states.
Regarding the DSTs, in 2012, DOE discovered a leak from the primary shell in tank AY-102. DOE determined that the leak was likely caused by construction flaws and corrosion in the bottom of the tank.
The report reveals that DOE found that 12 DSTs have similar construction flaws but has not determined the extent to which the other 27 DSTs are subject to the same corrosion that likely contributed to the leak in AY-102.
The report points out that the DOE's current schedule for managing the tank waste does not consider the worsening conditions of the tanks or the delays in the construction of the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP), a facility being constructed to treat the waste and prepare it for final, long-term disposal.
First, the leak in AY-102 combined with planned waste transfers from SSTs has reduced the available DST tank storage capacity. Future leaks and intrusions, which become more likely as the tanks' condition worsens, would place additional demands on the already limited DST storage space, and it is unclear how DOE would respond.
According to DOE, recent efforts to evaporate some of the water from the waste have already freed up 750,000 gallons of DST space.
In March 2014, DOE announced further delays in the construction of the WTP and that these delays will affect the schedule for removing waste from the tanks, many of which have long passed their designed lifespan.
According to the panel, that there are deficiencies in DOE's understanding of corrosion in all of the DSTs. DOE lacks information about the extent to which the other 27 DSTs may also be susceptible to corrosion similar to AY-102.
Without determining the extent to which the factors that contributed to the leak in AY-102 were similar to the other 27 DSTs, DOE cannot be sure how long its DSTs can safely store waste.
The Energy Department agreed with the report and its recommendations.
U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., who requested the report, said the DOE was moving too slowly on the work.
"Agreeing to recommendations is one thing, implementing them is another thing entirely I'm asking for a schedule and a plan of action within 90 days," said Wyden, reported AP.
The state of Washington has demanded that the Energy Department build more double-walled tanks, but the agency has not included funding for that in its budget requests.