Audit Report: IG-0552

The Department of Energy (Department) has been storing 2,100 metric tons of spent nuclear
fuel at the Hanford Site in southeastern Washington. The fuel, used in support of Hanford's
former mission, is currently stored in canisters that are kept in two enclosed water-filled pools
known as the K Basins. The K Basins represent a significant risk to the environment due to
their deteriorating condition. In fact, the K East Basin, which is near the Columbia River, has
leaked contaminated water into the underlying soil and groundwater.
Initiated in the early 1990s, the Department's Spent Nuclear Fuel Project is aimed at decreasing
human and environmental risks by removing the spent fuel from the present storage conditions
and placing it into safe, cost-effective interim dry storage until a national geologic repository is
available. The spent fuel project includes removing the fuel from the canisters and cleaning and
repackaging it into multi-canister overpacks. The overpacks are then transported to other
Hanford facilities to dry the fuel and for interim storage.strat