A deployed underwater imaging camera is helping EM Richland Operations Office contractor remotely characterize radioactive debris in a storage basin.
Office of Environmental Management
March 26, 2019
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RICHLAND, Wash. – A recently deployed underwater imaging camera is helping EM Richland Operations Office (RL) contractor CH2M HILL Plateau Remediation Company (CHPRC) remotely characterize radioactive debris in a former spent fuel storage basin. Learn about this innovative tool in this video.
Remediation of the debris will follow the packaging and transfer of highly radioactive sludge in the K West Reactor Basin to safe interim storage in the central part of the Hanford Site. The sludge removal project began last June and is expected to be finished in December.
The camera was adapted for underwater use in a full-scale mock-up at Hanford’s Maintenance and Storage Facility.
“This camera is yet another example of the benefits of the training and testing we do in mock-up facilities at Hanford,” said Mark French, RL project and facilities division director.
The remaining debris will require removal or staging before the final stabilization and remediation of the basin. The camera helps remote operators characterize and quantify the radioactive material in the debris. Remediation and closure of the storage basin will reduce a significant environmental risk.
“This camera really lets us zero in on how much radioactivity is contained in the debris,” said Pete Sauer, CHPRC project manager. “That information will help inform future environmental cleanup actions to reduce risk to workers and protect the river.”