Hanford Nuclear tunnel collapases.

a reply to: Violater1

They were joking.

a reply to: Violater1

That was an obvious joke and a funny one at that!

a reply to: EchoesInTime

Well, it's not another Fukushima... that was a multiple meltdown without containment, about as bad as it gets. A full-scale test of the China Syndrome theory.

But it's still bad enough. There's a lot of mean old particles and waves bouncing around in those rail cars.

Worst case is contamination of groundwater with the waste itself. Some of that stuff has thousands of years half-life. Luckily, if NRC guidelines were followed, that is unlikely. The rail cars should have survived intact. The problem now is that someone needs to unbury them, and in the unlikely case of a rail car breach, that's suicide. The excavators will likely be working in full radioactive suits when they get close, and will have Geiger counters running continuously to alert them if a breach is approached. That will take some time.

My concern is why the rail cars were parked underground in an area known to experience earthquakes? The plant itself is one thing; nuclear plants in the US are designed to withstand seismic events 1 magnitude higher than the greatest event in the past 100 years (and I would suspect the NRC wouldn't be blind to high-magnitude events known before that). In other words, if there was an 8.0 99 years ago, the plant is designed to withstand a 9.0. That's a big part of why nuke plants are so expensive.

The ground is not designed to seismic standards. Therefore why would anything radioactive be stored in what could be (was) an inferior-designed structure like a tunnel?

There may already be NRC regs against this, but I don't personally know of any. There may well be such regulations tomorrow, though.

Bottom line... not a Fukushima, and likely fixable at this point. Residents, watch the news but relax. And please keep us informed. Just in case.

TheRedneck

Here are the recent u-tube vids.



And Channel 5 had this to say just THREE MONTHS AGO! THREE MONTHS AGO!

originally posted by: Violater1
The below photograph shows how close The Columbia River is the this area.

How sad, how very very sad.

Its been there since 1943...I'm sure it hasn't moved since then.

It's amazing how we tend be shocked only when it doesn't work out.

Did anyone back then protest the construction of this facility?

I highly doubt it.

a reply to: TheRedneck

They weren't parked, they were buried because they were contaminated.

PUREX

a reply to: TheRedneck

The tunnels are probably a hold-over from the Cold War. It would be one of the few ways to conceal rail activity. Also I can see where a tunnel would be a very good way to contain and recapture leaking fumes and liquids with the proper tunnel construction methods. I have no information about these particular tunnels, but most modern rail tunnels are completely lined with reinforced concrete and would be one of the first places i would seek shelter from most any calamity other than flooding.

Tunnels, like every other structure require frequent maintenance. I would not be surprised to find that maintenance has been long delayed or ignored for many years on this tunnel in the usual government 'out of sight, out of mind' mentality.

Energy Northwest is separate from Hanford’s past mission of creating plutonium for the nation’s nuclear weapons, which ended in the 1980s. Plutonium production left Hanford with the nation’s largest collection of radioactive waste.

SeattleTimes.com, April 13, 2017 - US: Nuclear waste mislabeled at Hanford site.

This happened last month when they shipped out a 'hot' container. They were banned from delivering to the same facility while the incident was investigated. Now this?

All that waste sitting above the Columbia River has had people up in arms for years. They just figured out an attack plan on decommissioning the most contaminated building. Plutonium has a half-life 24,100 years... well, who needs the Pacific Ocean?! (jk)

Jesus Christ when will these people ever learn...It's been there 20+ years just waiting to fail and of course they knew it all along...And of course it's right next to a major water way, where else would it be...

When are people going to start becoming proactive instead of reactive with materials and chemicals that can do such much damage.

The people on the Left Coast will be in my thoughts...

originally posted by: Peeple
a reply to: TheRedneck

They weren't parked, they were buried because they were contaminated.

PUREX

Ah! Thanks for the information! That makes more sense.

a reply to: Peeple

That site literally just went down... as in moments ago. I did get to read it as well as the updates.

"Buried because they were contaminated" is, sorry to be blunt, bull-potatoes. I know they said that, but that's pure bunk and worries me more than the event. It is obvious from the plant description that these cars were destined to be moved to a permanent burial facility. The updates page said there was soil subsistence, likely into the tunnel, in this event. Properly buried containers are encased in several feet of reinforced concrete and covered completely in dirt; there is no space for soil to subside into with a burial. They are considering making the accidental burial permanent by grouting (surrounding with reinforced concrete) the cars in place and abandoning the tunnels.

A big problem with Fukushima was Tepco lying about the event to avoid liability. If that's happening at Hanford... yeah, it's worrisome.

ETA: and now the site is up again?

TheRedneck

Here are a couple of photos I got from Twitter. I hope they will come through:





A 5-mile exclusion zone has been set up.

I've got a very bad feeling about this.

a reply to: Montana

More about the tunnels


Found here
So the "good news" seems to be there's no radioactive material stored inside the rail cars, just very very very toxic.

If people lived in that area, they would be getting water bills for contaminated water like in flint Michigan. Then have their home taken by the government. ....

well... this information will do wonders for my more paranoid side...

I guess knowing is better than surprise... radiation poisoning.

This sounds like the rail cars might have been empty, only contaminated:

The tunnels were used beginning in the 1950s to store contaminated equipment.

Source: www.hanford.gov...

If so, that's very good news.

ETA:a reply to: Peeple

Thanks! Very good news indeed! It means the river is in very little danger, only the surrounding vicinity.

TheRedneck

a reply to: Montana

Soviet Union had an explosion in nuclear waster facility in 1957

en.wikipedia.org...

Liquid nuclear wastes in steel tanks, because of decay heat the tanks required cooling system. In one bank of tanks
cooling system failed. Liquid boiled off leaving solid residue which contained ammonium nitrate (high explosive)
Heat caused massive explosion of ammonium nitrate releasing radioactive wastes over large area.

Here are some Tweets I got re. Hanford:

a reply to: Montana

Temporarily buried to my understanding probably meant rail cars were left inside tunnel and tunnels then sealed or
blocked up

a reply to: dianajune

Decon warning.....

My local fire department (of which I belong) is scheduled in case of HAZ MAT or other such incident as designated
Decon unit.

Respond to one of local hospitals and setup in parking lot to wash off anyone entering before be let into hospital ...

Live in NJ though .....