CITIZEN GROUPS CALL ON STATE OF WASHINGTON AND U.S. EPA TO ADDRESS POLLUTION NEAR COLUMBIA RIVER AT HANFORD’S F AREA
Groups Urge Ecology and EPA to reconsider and reject a Plan that would leave dangerous waste close to the Columbia for generations
Nov. 6, 2014 (Richland, WA) — Hanford watchdog groups Columbia Riverkeeper, Heart of America Northwest, and Hanford Challenge are urging federal and state regulators to reconsider a U.S. Department of Energy (Energy) decision to leave chemical and radioactive pollution in a large area of the Hanford site alongside the Columbia River. Today, Energy and US EPA decided to leave much of the contamination in the 100 F area in Hanford’s soils and groundwater. Energy’s proposal allows contamination to pose a risk to human health and the environment for hundreds of years. Rather than cleanup the contamination alongside the River, the plan adopted today relies on keeping people away and not using the groundwater for 150 to 264 years.
"The fifty-one miles of Columbia River that borders the Hanford site is some of the best fishing in the Northwest," said Dan Serres, Conservation Director for Columbia Riverkeeper. "And people eat salmon and other fish caught just offshore of Hanford. This is why it is imperative that Energy's cleanup plan gets the job done and protects our region's strong fishing heritage."
“Cleanup needs to protect the public and the Treaty rights of Native Americans to use the shoreline areas of the Columbia River. Our state and federal regulators – the U.S. EPA and Washington Dept. of Ecology – must demand a better approach. Without a more robust cleanup, the Columbia River, Tribal members and the general public will have elevated health risks for over 260 years,” said Washington State Representative Gerry Pollet, Executive Director of the Hanford cleanup citizens’ group Heart of America Northwest.
"We are disappointed that Energy has not opted to use available technologies for a thorough cleanup of the 100 F area.” stated Emily Bays with Hanford Challenge. “When there are technologies available to reduce the risk of strontium and other contamination, why choose to do less? Institutional controls and monitored natural attenuation are inadequate options."
The groups are members of the Hanford Advisory Board (HAB), among other stakeholders from local governments, tribal governments, conservation groups and worker interests.
“Energy is choosing to ignore overwhelming, common-sense input from citizens throughout the Pacific Northwest who want to see a proactive approach to reducing pollution that reaches the Columbia River from the Hanford site and the F Reactor area,” said Serres.
In September, HAB urged agencies “to take remedial action as appropriate to significantly reduce the time for cleanup goals to be attained.” The HAB advised that Energy was leaving contamination in place for “far too long,” and the current proposal was “not acceptable.”
The F Area is the first major plutonium production reactor area along the Columbia River for which Energy is issuing a “final” cleanup decision. The decision proposes to prevent public or Tribal use of groundwater and soil in areas which will otherwise be open to public access for 150 years , and 264 years, respectively. The River flows through Hanford for over fifty miles. There are 9 plutonium production reactors, with thousands of waste sites around them, along the “Hanford Reach” of the Columbia River. The Hanford Reach of the Columbia has been designated as a National Monument.
About Columbia Riverkeeper
Columbia Riverkeeper’s mission is to protect and restore the water quality of the Columbia River and all life connected to it, from the headwaters to the Pacific Ocean. Representing a diverse coalition of members and interests, Columbia Riverkeeper works to restore a Columbia River where people can safely eat the fish they catch, and where children can swim without fear of toxic exposure. The organization is a member of Waterkeeper Alliance, the world’s fastest growing environmental movement, uniting more than 200 Waterkeeper organizations worldwide and focusing citizen action on issues that affect our waterways, from pollution to climate change. For more information go to columbiariverkeeper.org.
About Heart of America Northwest
Heart of America Northwest is the leading citizens' group working to stop the use of Hanford as a national radioactive waste dump and to protect the Columbia River and our region's health from Hanford's growing contamination threat. They have 16,000 members across Washington and Oregon. For more information go to hanfordcleanup.org.
About Hanford Challenge
Hanford Challenge exists to transform Hanford’s nuclear legacy into a model of safe and effective cleanup. Our mission is to help create a future for Hanford that secures human health and safety, advances accountability, and promotes a sustainable environmental legacy. For more information visit hanfordchallenge.org.
