Northwest Now
Nuclear Tank in Washington State Leaking Radioactive Waste
In a report circulated by the Associated Press, Washington Governor Jay Inslee announced late Friday afternoon a tank at the Hanford Nuclear Plant, the nations most contaminated nuclear site, is currently leaking radioactive waste. According to the report, the tanks which are “long past their intended 20-year lifespan” hold millions of gallons of nuclear waste. The suspected leaking tank holds nearly 447,000 gallons of radioactive sludge from decades of plutonium production. Inslee stated the leak could vary from 150 to 300 gallons over the course of a year, likely resulting in a long term contamination threat to groundwater and rivers. Inslee blamed spending cuts and the incompletion of a $12.3 billion plant to safely convert the waste into a more stable form for the tank’s neglect. The nuclear site sits directly on the Columbia river, the biggest waterway in the Pacific Northwest.
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