Public Comment Period on a Class 2 Permit Modification to the Hanford Dangerous Waste Permit, “242-A Evaporator” chapter

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is holding a 60-day public comment period on a proposed Class 2 permit modification to the Hanford Dangerous Waste Permit, “242-A Evaporator” chapter. This proposed permit modification addresses 242-A Evaporator Unit Specific Permit Conditions III.4.C.1, III.4.C.1.a and III.4.C.1.b. These conditions require submittal of a permit modification for the installation of leak-detection upgrades to the 3”-EVAP_COND-PC5000-M17 (PC-5000) and 3”-WTP-002-M17 (WTP Backup) waste transfer lines. These permit conditions were added by a prior permit modification dated June 28, 2021.

The 242-A Evaporator is centrally located in the Hanford Site’s 200 East Area. Since its construction in 1977, the evaporator has removed more than 81 million gallons of liquid from Hanford’s tank waste. The evaporator boils liquid tank waste to evaporate water to reduce the volume of waste stored in Hanford’s underground tanks. Waste volume reduction is also critical for single-shell tank (SST) waste retrievals to double-shell tanks (DST). In order to meet consent decree milestones, DST space availability is a key factor in continuing SST retrievals. The 242-A Evaporator is currently shut down for facility upgrades to prepare for future waste volume-reduction campaigns.

The comment period runs from March 16 through May 14, 2022. A virtual public meeting will be held on April 12, 2022, at 5:30 p.m. PT. To participate via Microsoft Teams, please follow the instructions below:

Join on your computer or Teams mobile app
Click here to join the meeting  

Join with a video conferencing device
Video Conference ID: 117 565 598 6

Or call in (audio only)
(509) 931-1284 United States
(833) 633-0875 United States (Toll-free)
Phone Conference ID: 480 292 827#

Please submit any comments by May 14, electronically (preferred) or by mail to:

Washington State Department of Ecology
3100 Port of Benton Boulevard
Richland, Washington 99354

The proposed permit modification and supporting documentation is available online during the public comment period on the Hanford events calendar, the Hanford Administrative Record, and at the Hanford Public Information Repositories. Please see the attached summary fact sheet.

Questions? Please contact Jennifer Colborn, Hanford Mission Integration Solutions, at Jennifer_M_Colborn@rl.gov, or Daina McFadden, Washington State Department of Ecology, at Hanford@ecy.wa.gov.

Fact Sheet

Presentation