It has certainly been a busy year for Central Plateau Cleanup Company (CPCCo) – one full of tremendous accomplishments and exciting transitions as we continue to advance the Hanford cleanup mission by leading environmental remediation of the Central Plateau and along the Columbia River corridor.

I am honored to have joined CPCCo last July during our final push to complete key risk-reduction work by the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30, 2024. I was immediately impressed with our highly talented, dedicated and innovative workforce completing all projects on time or ahead of schedule.

This included a complex and high-profile project to remove nearly 1 million gallons of contaminated water from the K West Reactor spent fuel storage basin and then fill the empty basin with 6,400 cubic yards of grout to prepare it for future demolition. The project involved close collaboration with our partners at Washington River Protection Solutions as crews hauled 130 tanker truck loads of contaminated water to a nearby treatment facility for processing, a true One Hanford team effort.

Reducing risk on Central Plateau

Another key risk-reduction project completed late last summer was the removal of a former chemical storage area at the Reduction-Oxidation Plant (REDOX), one of Hanford’s five former plutonium production facilities. Demolition of the REDOX 211-S chemical storage area included the removal of eight empty above-ground tanks ranging in capacity from 4,300 gallons to 149,000 gallons as well as two smaller above-ground tanks.

And finally, in the spirit of last summer’s Olympic Games, the CPCCo groundwater team set some records of its own as we ramped up the flow rate of the 200 West Pump & Treat Facility – the largest of Hanford’s six groundwater treatment plants – to a new high of 3,400 gallons per minute (gpm). The installation and connection of a dozen new extraction wells over the past year expands treatment capacity of the facility by more than 35% over the original design of 2,500 gpm. This helps the plant treat an additional 475 million gallons of contaminated groundwater annually.

Expansion of the 200 West facility was followed a month later by another significant “first” when we marked 10 consecutive years of treating more than 2 billion gallons of contaminated groundwater, an achievement that highlights the consistency of our robust groundwater treatment program.

The K West Reactor basin, REDOX storage area and groundwater projects were among a list of 40 items on CPCCo’s “to-do” list for the first three years of our 10-year contract, all of which were completed on time while sustaining no recordable injuries. A true reflection of a workforce that showcases exceptional talent each day. 

CPCCo continues to reduce risk across the Hanford site. Last year, crews completed demolition of a former chemical storage area at the Reduction Oxidation Plant, one of Hanford’s five former plutonium processing facilities. 

| Courtesy Central Plateau Cleanup Company

Our path forward

With these projects completed last fall, we reset our sights on the next phase of our strategic cleanup mission, which includes both new and ongoing scopes of work. 

One of the highest priorities in our One Hanford effort is the Direct-Feed Low-Activity Waste (DFLAW) Program to begin vitrifying (or immobilizing in glass) a portion of Hanford’s 56 million gallons of underground tank waste. CPCCo’s role in this effort is management of the Integrated Disposal Facility (IDF), an engineered landfill that will provide environmentally safe disposal for the containers of treated low-activity tank waste. 

With construction done, regulatory permits in place and operating procedures almost complete, it won’t be long before IDF is ready to support the startup of tank waste treatment later this year.

Another high-priority effort on the Central Plateau is the Waste Encapsulation and Storage Facility (WESF) where nearly 2,000 capsules of radioactive cesium and strontium are stored in an underwater basin. We’ve completed extensive modifications at WESF and are installing a system that will allow workers to package and place the capsules into safer interim dry storage. The robust dry storage configuration protects the capsules until a permanent disposal pathway is determined and will significantly reduce surveillance and maintenance costs at the aging WESF facility. We are currently conducting final readiness reviews and assessments and expect to begin transferring capsules as soon as this fall. 

Two other key projects our team is focused on this year include construction of Super Cell 11 to expand capacity of Hanford’s engineered landfill, the Environmental Restoration Disposal Facility, and re-establishment of the waste certification program to ensure we are ready to resume shipments of transuranic waste to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico beginning in 2028. 

CPCCo’s varied work scope also includes performing some needed upgrades at B Reactor, the world’s first full-scale plutonium production reactor, which is preserved as part of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park. The preservation work will include replacing the roof of the 80-year-old facility, removing a leaky waterline, updating the electrical system and adding a semi-permanent restroom outside the reactor.

CPCCo crews fill the first tanker truck with wastewater from the K West Reactor spent-fuel storage basin in preparation for sending it to the site’s Effluent Treatment Facility for processing. The high-priority project was completed last summer. 

| Courtesy Central Plateau Cleanup Company

Beyond the site boundary

While our key mission is advancing Hanford cleanup, CPCCo is equally committed to giving back to the community and supports many agencies and organizations with financial donations and volunteer efforts. Our team aims to nurture long-term partnerships with strategic organizations that make bold decisions, offer creative solutions and focus on a better Tri-Cities future. Together we are making the Tri-Cities area a safer, more enjoyable place to live, work and play.

Our critical work also cannot be completed without the support of small businesses. Our strong partnerships with local companies create jobs and support economic development. Since 2021, CPCCo has awarded more than $214 million to 87 small businesses in the Tri-Cities region. 

Just like we invest in small business, CPCCo also invests in the next generation of nuclear workers, a critical need with thousands of Hanford workers eligible for retirement in the coming years. 

We have a thriving summer internship and cooperative education program thanks to our long-standing partnerships with Washington State University, Columbia Basin College and the Washington State STEM Foundation. This not only establishes a pipeline of high-caliber local candidates for potential future employment, but also energizes the workforce with fresh ideas and diverse experiences that can transform our work in fundamentally positive ways.

At CPCCo, we’re building on our past achievements for future success in 2025 and beyond. 

To learn more about our mission, visit cpcco.hanford.gov.

Bob Wilkinson is president of Central Plateau Cleanup Company.