Construction of a new water treatment facility has begun on the Hanford Site, in support of the Direct-Feed Low-Activity Waste (DFLAW) Program and future cleanup work at the site.
Office of Environmental Management
November 2, 2021
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RICHLAND, Wash. – Construction of a new water treatment facility has begun on the Hanford Site, in support of the Direct-Feed Low-Activity Waste (DFLAW) Program and future cleanup work at the site.
EM Richland Operations Office contractor Hanford Mission Integration Solutions (HMIS) awarded the construction contract to a local business, Fowler General Construction, Inc., which began construction last month.
Hanford Site leadership participated in a formal groundbreaking for the 10,000-square-foot Central Plateau Water Treatment Facility. The facility will automate water services by providing all potable water to the cleanup hub of the Hanford Site, the Central Plateau, and also will support tank waste treatment operations. The Central Plateau contains Hanford’s former processing facilities, current site operations, and the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant. Watch the groundbreaking here.
“Well beyond the start of DFLAW and the transition to 24/7 operations, we’re looking at the next several decades of cleanup, and this water facility will provide services to the entire site for that period of time,” EM Office of River Protection and Richland Operations Office Manager Brian Vance said. “It’s one of many projects we have now in place that are going to set the conditions for future work at the site.”
The effort to successfully treat and vitrify, or immobilize in glass, Hanford tank waste for safe disposal will increase the demand for a reliable water supply at facilities and for fire suppression capabilities. The new water facility will produce a minimum of 3.5 million gallons of clean water daily, with the ability to expand to 5 million gallons daily if demand increases. That compares to 2.1 million daily gallons treated currently, but with a completely different system.
HMIS will manage construction of the water facility, scheduled to finish by mid-2023.
“We take great pride in our role in the Hanford mission to support all cleanup progress, including long-term tank waste treatment and risk reduction,” said Bob Wilkinson, HMIS president.
The modernized water treatment facility supports a shift to 24/7 operations set to begin on the Hanford Site by the end of 2023 with the start of tank waste treatment.
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