Columbia Riverkeeper works to create public spaces to raise awareness about pertinent issues at the Hanford Nuclear Site.
The U.S. Department of Energy (Energy) must address pollution near the Columbia in a way that protects human health and the environment.
Cleanup plans should be informed by Tribes’ rights to use Hanford, including areas very close to the Columbia River where Energy plans to impose long-term restrictions.
Instead, Energy’s cleanup plans should return the Columbia River to unrestricted use, as much as possible, and work to comply with the federal government’s obligations to honor Tribes’ Treaty-reserved rights to use Hanford.
Source: Hanford Nuclear Reservation
The issue: Cancer-causing, radioactive, and toxic contamination levels remain very high in some areas close to the Columbia River at the Hanford Reach. Energy should avoid downplaying these ongoing problems as it nears final cleanup plans near the K Reactor, N Reactor, and in rethinking the 300 Area cleanup.
Status: Pollution from Hanford reaches the Columbia River. Columbia Riverkeeper will continue to push that reaching final cleanup plans along the River Corridor does not mean that cleanup is complete.
Media Inquiries: Contact Communications & Marketing Director Liz Terhaar (liz@columbiariverkeeper.org).
