100-H Area
Over the last 10 years, a number of significant actions have been taken to remove the sources
of chromium in the 100-H Area, which along with the operation of the pump-and-treat system
have dramatically reduced the potential impact of chromium on aquatic life. In the early 1990s,
the 183-H basins that stored highly concentrated chromium waste were emptied and removed from service.
In addition, remediation of waste sites in the vicinity
of the H Reactor that received liquid waste containing chromium was completed in early 2000.
Together, these actions have substantially eliminated the sources of chromium contamination
responsible for the existing groundwater plume and its impact on the Columbia River environment.
The pump-and-treat operations have also been effective at intercepting chromium contaminated
groundwater before entering the river and, over time, have reduced the nature and extent of
contamination in the groundwater plume.
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Removing the 183-H basins from service and completing waste sites to receive chromium
from H Reactor have substantially eliminated the sources of chromium contamination
in 100-H Area. In addition, the pump-and-treat system has been effective at
intercepting chromium contaminated groundwater before it enters the Columbia River
and has reduced the nature and extent of the groundwater plume. Data suggest that
these actions have been effective at reducing the ecological risk from chromium.
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Monitoring data gathered from springs and seeps along 100-H Area suggest
that these actions have been effective at reducing the ecological risk from
chromium. Over the next two to three years, these data along with the annual
performance reports on the pump-and-treat operations are expected to demonstrate
that these combination of actions have enabled the Groundwater Remediation
Project to achieve the remedial action objectives of the pump-and-treat
record of decision and cease operations of the system by 2006.
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