Co-60 >0.05 pCi/g Hanford Site Waste Mgmt Area C

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Large masses of tainted water are a direct result of Cold War plutonium production at the U.S. Department of Energy's Hanford Site in eastern Washington. The source of these plumes has been pinpointed primarily to the intentional dumping of radioactive waste onto the soil, rather than leaks from underground storage tanks. Ongoing deterioration of groundwater quality beneath the 241-C single-shell tank farm in the 200 East Area has been happening since the late 1990s. This long-term degradation of the groundwater beneath these storage tanks clearly shows the persistent movement of tank waste through the vadose zone to groundwater. The development of this new groundwater plume is particularly concerning, as the travel time to the Columbia River has been estimated as short as 6 to 7 years. Data provided courtesy of Nez Perce Tribe, Environmental Restoration and Waste Management Program.