100 AREA
The Hanford 100 Area site covers 26 square miles, 35 miles north of Richland, Washington. It is one of four areas at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation (Hanford) originally listed on EPA's National Priorities List (NPL); the other three are the 200, 300, and 1100 Areas. These areas are part of a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) complex which includes buildings, disposal sites, a national monument, and other vacant land totaling about 586 square miles. Hanford was established in the 1940s to make plutonium for nuclear weapons. Since then the site mission has expanded to include other uses of nuclear materials, environmental cleanup, and research and development. The 100 Area cleanup is focused on contamination that originated from nine nuclear reactors, the last one shutting down in 1988. Cooling water contaminated with radioactive and hazardous chemicals was discharged to both the adjacent Columbia River and infiltration cribs and trenches. Contaminated solid wastes were disposed of in burial grounds. Contaminated soil, solid wastes, and buildings are being removed to protect the environment and restore future beneficial uses. Approximately 11 square miles of groundwater are contaminated, primarily with chromium and radioactive elements. Groundwater is not currently used for drinking water; however, it does discharge into the Columbia River which is used by downstream communities for drinking water and other purposes. Groundwater contamination is addressed by source removals, pump-and-treat actions, and in-situ barriers. Site Responsibility: This site is being addressed through federal and state actions.
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