Project Functional Areas
The Groundwater Remediation Project's mission is to protect the Columbia
River from contaminated groundwater resulting from past, present, and future
operations at the Hanford Site and to protect and restore groundwater to
its highest beneficial use.
To accomplish these objectives, the Groundwater Remediation Project focuses
on three key elements - preventing degradation, remediating groundwater,
and monitoring groundwater - comprising five functional areas:
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The contaminants of primary concern on the Central Plateau are carbon tetrachloride,
iodine-129, technetium-99, and uranium. These contaminants are mobile, remain dangerous
for a significant period of time, and have been released in large quantities. Groundwater
is the major pathway through which these contaminants can potentially affect the Columbia
River or move off the Hanford Site. Interim actions are currently underway to reduce the
mass and contain the high concentration portions of these plumes in groundwater.
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