New Water Plant Powers Hanford's Nuclear Cleanup Mission

After decades of preparation, the Hanford Site in Washington state just fired up a cutting-edge water treatment facility that will power nuclear cleanup operations for generations to come.

The Central Plateau Water Treatment Facility passed all operational tests and now supplies millions of gallons of clean water every day to the Hanford Site. This sprawling complex in Richland, Washington, houses the nation's most significant nuclear waste cleanup effort, a legacy of Cold War plutonium production.

The new 10,000-square-foot facility uses advanced microfiltration technology to purify water, replacing the original treatment plant built in the 1940s. Daily capacity jumped from 2.1 million gallons to 3.5 million gallons, with room to expand to 5 million gallons as cleanup operations grow.

Why does a cleanup site need so much water? The answer shows just how active restoration efforts have become.

Hanford's Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant now runs 24/7, turning radioactive tank waste into stable glass for safe, permanent disposal. This process, called vitrification, requires massive amounts of clean water. The facility also provides drinking water to workers and powers fire suppression systems across the Central Plateau, where most cleanup operations happen.

Local contractor Fowler General Construction built the facility, which Hanford Mission Integration Solutions will operate. The automation built into the system means consistent, reliable water treatment with less potential for human error.

The Ripple Effect

This water plant represents more than pipes and filters. It signals that one of America's biggest environmental challenges is entering a new phase of active, round-the-clock remediation.

For decades, Hanford's nuclear waste sat in aging underground tanks, a problem too big and too complex to tackle all at once. Getting the infrastructure right, like this water facility, had to come first.

Now that foundation is paying off. The Direct-Feed Low-Activity Waste program treats and vitrifies tank waste continuously, transforming liquid radioactive material into solid glass logs that can be safely stored. This process will continue for several decades, steadily reducing the environmental risk.

The facility also demonstrates how cleanup projects create lasting value for local communities. Richland-based companies won construction contracts, and the infrastructure will serve the region long after cleanup concludes.

Modern, automated systems like this water treatment plant make ambitious environmental restoration possible at the scale Hanford requires.

Every million gallons of clean water flowing through this facility powers another day of turning nuclear waste into stable, safe material that protects the Columbia River and surrounding communities for generations.