Decommissioning of the 216-B-3 Effluent Disposal Pond

摘要

The decommissioning of the 216-B-3 pond had to be compatible with future remediation activities at the pond. The 216-B-3 pond had received RCRA and Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA)-regulated waste. However, remediation of the site may not occur for many years because of an overall strategy to concentrate on other higher priority waste sites at the Hanford Site. Therefore, there would be an undetermined length of time between decommissioning and final remediation during which the pond would sit idle. The Hanford Site is in an arid area with only 18 cm of precipitation annually. The potential for waste to move downward in the soil column after the pond was decommissioned was small. However, once the bottom sediments have been exposed, mechanical and biotic transport of the waste would be possible. The main objective of the decommissioning was to place the pond in a configuration that would minimize biotic and wind-driven contamination from the site between the period of decommissioning and remediation. The second objective was to minimize the impacts to characterization and final remediation of the pond resulting from decommissioning of the site.