Hanford (Washington)

Hanford (Washington)

Years in operation: 1943-1987

The work completed at the Hanford site has a direct and strong link to history—and our freedom.  The site, established in 1943 on the bank of the Columbia River, was part of the top secret Manhattan Project.  Located within the confines of the Hanford site was the “B” Reactor.  Like the site, this reactor holds significant historical value.  The plutonium created by this reactor changed the world forever.  The first nuclear bomb tested at the Trinity site, and the “Fat Man” bomb detonated over Nagasaki, Japan, were developed using the plutonium created in this reactor.

Great rewards can come at great costs.  From 1944 to 1971, pump systems drew water from the Columbia River to dissipate the heat produced by the reactors.  Once the reactors were cooled, the water was then discharged back into the River.  A 1992 government report estimated that 685,000 curies of radioactive iodine-131 had been released into the river and air between 1944 and 1947.  To bring the site back to its original state, it is now home to the nation’s largest environmental cleanup.