Washington River Protection Solutions recently awarded a $8.9 million subcontract to Fowler General Construction to install an interim surface barrier over the U Tank Farm.

This is the fourth time the Richland firm has been tapped to build such a barrier over the underground waste tanks.

The tank farm is a group of underground waste storage tanks that contain radiological and chemical waste generated during past plutonium production at the Hanford site.

The 144,100-square-foot interim asphalt barrier Fowler is to build will help prevent rainwater and snowmelt pushing existing contaminants in the soil closer to groundwater.

Hanford’s U Tank Farm has 12 tanks, each with a capacity to hold 530,000 gallons, and four tanks each able to hold 55,000 gallons.

WRPS is the Hanford site’s tank farm contractor.

Since its contract with the Department of Energy began in 2008, WRPS has awarded nearly 68% of its subcontracts to small businesses like Fowler Construction, exceeding its overall small-business subcontracting goal of 58%.

“WRPS has long supported local small businesses,” said Gregg Crockett, WRPS business operations manager. “We want to find companies that can effectively and safely complete this critical work.”

Construction is expected to wrap in late 2023.