Update: This comment period has been extended until December 9, 2019

Public Comment Period for a Proposed Cleanup Plan for Groundwater and Waste Sites in Hanford’s 100-BC Area

This is a message from the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are holding a 30-day 60-day public comment period on a proposed long-term cleanup plan for groundwater and waste sites in Hanford’s 100-BC Area. Upon public review, DOE and EPA will consider comments, and then finalize cleanup decisions by issuing a Record of Decision.

Located in the northwest portion of the Hanford Site’s 100 Area, the 100?BC Area covers 4.5 square miles and includes two deactivated nuclear reactors that produced plutonium from 1944 to 1969. The reactors and associated process facilities generated large quantities of liquid and solid waste that contained radionuclides and chemicals. This waste contaminated the soil and groundwater beneath portions of the 100-BC Area. Remediation of waste sites began in 1995, and approximately 3 million tons of soil and debris were removed from the 100-BC Area, treated (as necessary), and disposed of.

The proposed cleanup plan to address contamination in groundwater and remaining waste sites presents six alternatives for remedial action and identifies a preferred alternative. The alternatives consider several levels of soil removal and groundwater remedies that range from monitored natural attenuation to pump-and-treat methods. The preferred remedial alternative includes restrictions on access, on disturbing soils and on use of groundwater.

The comment period is from Oct. 7 to Nov. 6 Dec. 9, 2019. No public meeting has been scheduled on this proposed plan. To request a public meeting, please contact Jennifer Colborn at (509) 376-5840.

Please submit any comments by Nov. 6 Dec. 9 to 100BCAreaPP@rl.gov or by mail to:

U.S. Department of Energy
Attn: Jennifer Colborn
P.O. Box 450, H6-60
Richland, WA  99352

Copies of the proposed plan and supporting documentation are available online during the public comment period on the Hanford events calendar, in the Hanford Administrative Record, and in the Hanford Public Information Repositories. Please see the attached summary fact sheet.

Questions? Please contact Jennifer Colborn, MSA, at Jennifer_M_Colborn@rl.gov or Laura Buelow, EPA, at Buelow.Laura@epa.gov.

If a meeting is held, please contact Jennifer Colborn at Jennifer_M_Colborn@rl.gov or
(509) 376-5840 at least 10 working days prior to the event to request disability accommodation.

Fact Sheet