The Department of Energy's Erik Olds walks inside a mockup of one of the Hanford nuclear reservation's 177 underground tanks. The tanks hold 53 million gallons of radioactive waste from 40 years of plutonium production.
Dept. of Energy confirms tank leak at Hanford nuclear reservation
Annette Cary | The Tri-City Herald
The Department of Energy has confirmed that its oldest double-shell tank is actively leaking radioactive and hazardous chemical waste from its inner shell.
DOE made the announcement Monday after a video inspection of the area between the shells Sunday showed more waste in one place than a video taken Thursday showed.
The Hanford nuclear reservation has 28 double-shell tanks that are being used to hold waste from older single-shell tanks, many of which have leaked in the past. Together, the two types of underground tanks hold 56 million gallons of radioactive waste left from the past production of plutonium for the nation's nuclear weapons program.
Tank AY-102 is a year or two past its 40-year design life. However, waste will need to continue to be stored in at least some of the double-shell tanks until all the waste is treated for disposal, which may take another 40 years.