Community leaders in southeast Washington are looking to develop parts of the Hanford Nuclear Reservation as a prime spot for tourists.
A new plan unveiled Monday proposes to develop bike trails, boat launches and interpretive centers -- after the nuclear site is cleaned up.
The Hanford site is where secretive plutonium production happened during World War II and the Cold War.
The new concept is being billed as a starting point for a community conversation on the future of the Hanford site. Some of the land near the Columbia River may be cleaned up in the next two to three years. And the Tri-Cities development and tourism groups are eager to open up that land to visitors.
Kris Watkins of the Tri-Cities Visitor and Convention Bureau says the lure isn’t just the history but the beauty of the remote area "to be able to experience the B Reactor, the educational opportunities that are out there, as well as going out there to get some great exercise.”
The plan is being shared with the community in several meetings later this month.