Crews recently installed a new treatment tower at the Hanford Site, giving a major boost to a groundwater cleanup effort that processes billions of gallons of contaminated water each year.
Office of Environmental Management
May 20, 2025
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Crews with Hanford Site contractor Central Plateau Cleanup Company recently installed a third air stripper tower that will help accelerate groundwater cleanup under Hanford’s Central Plateau.
RICHLAND, Wash. — Crews recently installed a new treatment tower at the Hanford Site, giving a major boost to a groundwater cleanup effort that processes billions of gallons of contaminated water each year.
The 65-foot-tall air stripper tower was added to the 200 West Pump and Treat Facility, Hanford's largest groundwater treatment plant. This addition will increase the facility's water treatment capacity and help remove radioactive and chemical contamination. Crews will continue upgrading related infrastructure through 2025, with the new system expected to begin operating early next year.
Since the 200 West Pump and Treat Facility began operating in 2012, it has used air stripping technology to remove contaminants from groundwater under Hanford’s Central Plateau. Air stripping works by blowing air through water, causing certain chemicals to evaporate and separate from the liquid. To date, the system has removed about 55,000 pounds of carbon tetrachloride.
“Installing this new air stripper is a major step toward accelerating groundwater cleanup at Hanford and ensuring the protection of the Columbia River," said Naomi Jaschke, Hanford Field Office project director for the Soil and Groundwater Division. “It’s just one of many recent enhancements performed onsite to support our ongoing cleanup mission.”
The new tower follows a major groundwater treatment expansion completed last summer, which increased the facility's processing capacity by 36%. Once the third tower is fully operational, the site will be able to treat up to 3,800 gallons of groundwater per minute — a substantial increase over its original capacity of 2,500 gallons per minute.
"The successful installation of the third tower is a testament to the dedication and teamwork of everyone involved," said Jason Cook, project construction manager for Hanford contractor Central Plateau Cleanup Company. "From planning to engineering to construction, our crews worked diligently to ensure this highly complex project was completed safely."
Today, the 200 West Pump and Treat Facility and five smaller treatment plants along the site’s Columbia River Corridor collectively treat more than 2.2 billion gallons of contaminated groundwater each year. Since Hanford's groundwater cleanup program began in the 1990s, crews have treated over 35 billion gallons and removed nearly 700 tons of radioactive and chemical contamination.
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