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Hanford’s cleanup landfill to be expanded

09.23.2009

RICHLAND, Wash.— Expansion and upgrades are underway at the Environmental Restoration Disposal Facility at the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site in south-central Washington state, using funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

The improvements are necessary to accommodate the increasing amounts of cleanup waste disposed by Washington Closure Hanford and other Hanford contractors.

DOE estimates that about $100 million will be needed to expand ERDF and to make improvements. The facility is Hanford’s low-level radioactive and mixed-waste landfill, managed by Washington Closure Hanford as part of the $2.2 billion River Corridor Closure Project.

“This marks the fourth time ERDF has been expanded since it began operation in 1996,” said Bruce Covert, Waste Operations Director for Washington Closure. The facility was designed to be expanded as needed.

In the past, the facility was expanded two disposal areas, or cells, at a time. Each pair of cells measures 500 feet wide, 1,000 feet across and 70 feet deep at the base. Because of design upgrades, two cells have been combined into one “super cell.” The current expansion will involve construction of two super cells.

Construction of super cells nine and ten will increase total disposal capacity by 50 percent to 16 million tons. ERDF has already received more than 8.5 million tons of Hanford cleanup waste for disposal.

Excavation of super cell nine started in August, putting recovery dollars into the community as soon as possible. The contract was awarded to DelHur Industries, which was already onsite.

Within the next few months, Washington Closure will issue a request for proposals to excavate super cell ten and construct the liner and leachate collection system for super cells nine and ten. A second request for proprosals will be issued to secure independent quality assurance oversight for the construction effort.

The total estimated cost to construct cells nine and ten is about $55 million. Construction is to be completed in the fall of 2011.

An additional $45 million will be used to make a number of facility improvements and purchase additional equipment. Upgrades include expanding maintenance facilities, building additional dump ramps, constructing additional transfer areas for waste containers and other upgrades that will enhance the overall safety of operations at the facility. That work began in April and is to be completed by October 2011.

To accommodate increased amounts of waste coming into the facility, Washington Closure also will purchase additional haul trucks, waste containers, bulldozers and water trucks.

Washington Closure Hanford is a limited liability company owned by the URS Washington Division, Bechtel National and CH2M Hill. The company is responsible for cleaning up 370 waste sites, demolishing 486 buildings, placing three reactor facilities in interim safe storage and managing the Environmental Restoration Disposal Facility.