Hanford Facility Nearly Ready for Disposal of Vitrified Tank Waste

An aerial view of the Integrated Disposal Facility. The engineered landfill will allow for safe disposal of vitrified low-activity waste from the Hanford Site’s Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant.

RICHLAND, Wash. — The construction work is done, the heavy equipment is onsite, the regulatory permits are in place, and the operating procedures are almost complete. It won’t be long before the Integrated Disposal Facility (IDF) is ready for its critical role in the mission to treat tank waste through the Direct-Feed Low-Activity Waste (DFLAW) Program at the Hanford Site.

The IDF is an engineered landfill that will allow for safe disposal of vitrified, or immobilized in glass, low-activity waste from Hanford’s Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) when it begins operations.

“Completing activities at IDF is another important step toward the startup of our DFLAW mission to begin treating tank waste, a top Hanford Site priority,” said Carmen Rodriguez, Hanford Field Office federal project engineer.

Workers with Hanford Site contractor Central Plateau Cleanup Company are conducting performance demonstrations to ensure the Integrated Disposal Facility is ready to dispose of vitrified, or immobilized in glass, low-activity waste from Hanford’s underground tanks later this year.

Located in Hanford’s Central Plateau, the IDF is approximately 1,500 feet wide, 765 feet long and 45 feet deep. It includes two disposal areas called cells, but it can be expanded as needed to six disposal cells.

To protect groundwater under IDF, the disposal cells are double lined and include a leachate collection system. Leachate is contaminated liquid generated from water percolating through waste. The system is engineered to collect water from rain, snowmelt and dust suppression. Two 400,000-gallon storage tanks at the facility hold the leachate until workers can send it to an onsite facility for treatment to remove contaminants.

Hanford Field Office contractor Central Plateau Cleanup Company (CPCCo) is currently conducting comprehensive testing at IDF to validate procedures and verify workers perform all disposal operations safely and proficiently. Final assessments are expected by the end of March.

“Thanks to the IDF team’s hard work and commitment to safety over the past several years, we look forward to completing final preparations at the facility to support the DFLAW Program, one of Hanford’s most meaningful and historic environmental cleanup projects,” said Paul Branson, CPCCo disposal facilities manager.

Workers should deliver the first containers of vitrified waste from WTP to IDF for disposal later this year.