A new concrete transfer pad will support the movement of radioactive capsules from the Waste Encapsulation and Storage Facility to a nearby dry-storage area at the Hanford Site.
A new concrete transfer pad will support the movement of radioactive capsules from the Waste Encapsulation and Storage Facility to a nearby dry-storage area at the Hanford Site.

RICHLAND, Wash. – In the blink of an eye, as this time-lapse video shows, crews with EM Richland Operations Office contractor Central Plateau Cleanup Company last month completed pouring 11 truckloads — or about 120 cubic yards — of concrete for a new transfer pad outside the Waste Encapsulation and Storage Facility truck port at the Hanford Site. The 18-inch-thick, rebar-reinforced slab is designed to support loads up to a half-million pounds.

The work is part of ongoing upgrades and modifications to get ready for the movement of 1,936 radioactive capsules from an underwater basin in the facility about a quarter-mile to a new dry storage area. Moving the capsules to dry storage will enable the planned deactivation of the aging storage facility and save as much as $6 million in annual operating costs.