The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Richland Operations Office (RL) plans to propose a change to the Hanford Facility Dangerous Waste Permit to close the Plutonium Uranium Extraction (PUREX) Plant tanks TK-P4 and TK-40.

The PUREX Plant is located in the 200 East Area of the Hanford Site in Washington State. PUREX was one of five processing facilities used to recover plutonium from irradiated fuel rods through chemical processing. PUREX is comprised of the PUREX canyon building, two storage tunnels, as well as several outside support structures including chemical storage areas, cribs and retention basins. Two of the PUREX support areas, the 203A acid storage area and the 211A chemical storage area, housed systems of chemical storage tanks, including tanks TK-P4 and TK-40, and associated ancillary equipment. 
Tank TK-P4 is a stainless-steel tank located in the 203A acid storage area. As a part of deactivation, all tanks in the 203A acid storage area were flushed and emptied to a minimum level and their associated piping was drained. Since it was emptied, the 203A acid storage area has been part of an ongoing surveillance and maintenance program for the PUREX Plant.

Tank TK-40 is a carbon-steel tank located in the 211A chemical storage area. In 1996, the tank was flushed and emptied to a minimum level.

DOE is proposing closure of both tanks by complete removal.  After the tanks and the surrounding structures are removed, the existing slab will be removed and sampling performed to demonstrate clean closure requirements have been met.

DOE is releasing the PUREX tanks TK-P4 and TK-40 closure plan for public comment. This closure plan will be processed as a Class 3 modification to the dangerous waste permit. Class 3 permit changes call for a 60-day comment period on the proposal led by the permittee (DOE), and a public meeting. This will be followed at a later date by an Ecology-led 45-day comment period on the draft permit change.

Copies of the Closure Plan are available at the Administrative Record, 2440 Stevens Drive, Richland, WA or online: http://pdw.hanford.gov/arpir/

Please send your comments to Stephanie Schleif, Washington State Department of Ecology, at the following address:

Stephanie Schleif
Washington State Department of Ecology
3100 Port of Benton Blvd
Richland, WA 99354
Email: Hanford@ecy.wa.gov
Phone: 509-372-7950

Fact Sheet