In 1943, as part of the Manhattan Project, the Hanford Nuclear Reservation was established with the mission to produce plutonium for nuclear weapons. During 45 years of operations, the Hanford Site produced about 67 metric tonnes of plutonium—approximately two-thirds of the nation's stockpile. Production processes generated radioactive and other hazardous wastes and resulted in airborne, surface, subsurface, and groundwater contamination. Presently, 177 underground tanks contain collectively about 210 million liters (about 56 million gallons) of waste. The chemically complex and diverse waste is difficult to manage and dispose of safely.



Section 3134 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 calls for a Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) to conduct an analysis of approaches for treating the portion of low-activity waste (LAW) at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation intended for supplemental treatment. The second of four, this report reviews the results of the assessments, including the formulation and presentation of conclusions and the characterization and treatment of uncertainties.

Table of Contents


Front Matter
Summary
1 Context and Setting
2 The Committee's Major Observations and Overarching Assessment of the FFRDC's Draft Report
3 Analysis of the Alternative Treatment Approaches
4 Additional Processes Affecting the Alternative Treatment Approaches
5 The Analytic Hierarchy Process and Expert Elicitation
References
Appendix A Section 3134 of the Fiscal Year 2017 National Defense Authorization Act
Appendix B Statement of Task
Appendix C Suggestions from the Committee's Review #1 and How the FFRDC Responded
Appendix D Presentations at the Committee's Information-Gathering Meetings
Appendix E Biographical Sketches of the Committee and Technical Adviser
Appendix F Acronyms and Abbreviations