Hanford cleanup has produced mountains of documents. Permit modifications may be the most familiar to you, because there is normally an open public comment period and we encourage you to submit comments on the proposed changes to the permit. However, there are also documents that address the bigger picture of Hanford cleanup. These documents guide the overall vision and address what the end of Hanford cleanup will look like.
The Central Plateau Inner Area Cleanup Principles and Parameters is one example of an overarching, guiding document. It addresses the questions:
What do we envision as the finished state of Hanford cleanup?
How do we determine how clean is clean enough?
How are we measuring risk?
Who will use the land in the future and how will it be used?
The Central Plateau Inner Area Cleanup Principles and Parameters lays out a shared vision of what the Hanford Site will look like when cleanup is finished.
Of the 586 square miles that make up the Hanford Site, the Inner Area of the Central Plateau (just 10 square miles) will become Hanford's final footprint—dedicated to managing and containing the waste left onsite for countless years to come. This Inner Area is where most of the waste is concentrated and includes the tank farms and two landfills.
Map of the Hanford Nuclear Site showing the Inner Area
The principles outlined in the document are as follows:
Land Use- Future land use is identified as industrial, meaning the land will be used for manufacturing, processing, or storage of materials.
Baseline Risk Assessment- The assessment estimates what risks the site poses now and will pose in the future if the future land use is industrial.
Cleanup Levels- Goals are set to ensure the cleanup end-state protects human health and the environment.
Point of Compliance- Different places are chosen around the site where groundwater or soil can be tested to ensure contaminant levels are below the limit and are protective of human health and the environment. The standard point of compliance for soil depth is 15 feet (4.6 meters).
Regulatory Strategies- Consideration of available cleanup technologies that can ensure adequate cleanup of specific types of waste.
With these principles in mind, decisions can then be made regarding how much contaminated soil needs to be dug up, how long groundwater needs to be pumped up and treated, and if a building or structure should be demolished or left in place. The principles set a standard for how thorough cleanup of the most contaminated area of the Hanford Site will be.
It's challenging to think about what Hanford will look like when cleanup is done, because there's so much left to do. However, if you start at the end and decide what the finished state should look like, then you have a guiding light through the daily maze of cleanup. The Central Plateau Inner Area Cleanup Principles and Parameters provides that guiding light for Hanford cleanup.
In October 2020, the Central Plateau Inner Area Cleanup Principles and Parameters was added as an appendix to the Tri-Party Agreement. The Tri-Party Agreement agencies (the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and Washington State Department of Ecology) agreed upon the guidelines, principles, and criteria laid out in the document. With the agencies' buy-in, the document became a plan that is incorporated into every cleanup decision and workplan.
Hanford Challenge’s concern is that this document was issued without notice or public comment. In the scheme of decision making, the guiding light for Hanford cleanup could well be one of the most important things to get right, with lots of public input and discussion. We have concerns with the assumption that a federal government presence would keep people out of the Inner Area for hundreds of years, which would be required if the end-state is industrial use.
We do not believe there is widespread agreement about the end-state of Hanford cleanup and we think it would be well worth the effort for the Tri-Party Agencies to engage the public on this bigger picture topic. If we’re all on the same page, the guiding light would be that much more powerful in helping us realize a shared vision for cleanup.
You’ll have a chance to weigh in on this document during an upcoming comment period that is part of the Tri-Party Agreement Five Year Review. The agencies referenced this opportunity in an agency response to advice from the Hanford Advisory Board (HAB) expressing dismay over the release of this document without notice or public comment. The HAB advice addresses the need for more engagement on vision and goal-setting documents such as the Central Plateau Inner Area Cleanup Principles and Parameters and the Hanford Five Year Plan.
Stay tuned for comment guides and more information.
This material is funded through a Public Participation Grant from the Washington State Department of Ecology. The content was reviewed for grant consistency, but is not necessarily endorsed by the agency.