Crews at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in southeast Washington are investigating increased radiological readings at a tank farm there. It happened Wednesday at about 9:30 p.m. Part of the massive site was shut down.
Crews were transferring waste at a tank inside what’s known as the C-Farm. That’s about a 9-acre grouping of underground tanks in central Hanford. They hold millions of gallons of radioactive sludge. Operators noticed a big difference in their radiological readings and proceeded to evacuate the entire farm area. Gates were closed to most workers and areas of Hanford were under a “take-cover” status. Special crews surveyed the areas outside of the C-Farm, then got closer to the area where work was being done.
Now, crews have given the all clear for most of the farm, but are working on narrowing down where the high reading came from. Department of Energy spokeswoman Carrie Meyer says federal contractors and employees just had an emergency drill late last week, so they were well prepared. She says, no workers have been contaminated or injured.
