[CPEO-MEF] Hanford (WA) and the Columbia River - GAO

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

Nuclear Waste: DOE's Efforts to Protect the Columbia River from 
Contamination Could Be Further Strengthened

Abstract
Government Accountability Office
GAO-06-1018
August 28, 2006

The Department of Energy's (DOE) Hanford site in Washington State is one 
of the most contaminated nuclear waste sites in North America. The 
Columbia River flows through about 50 miles of the site. Radioactive and 
hazardous contamination from decades of producing nuclear materials for 
the nation's defense have migrated through the soil into the 
groundwater, which generally flows toward the river. In November 2005, 
GAO reported on the potential for the Hanford site to contaminate the 
Columbia River. To address continuing concerns, GAO reviewed the status 
of DOE's efforts to (1) understand the risk to the Columbia River from 
Hanford site contamination and to deploy effective technologies to 
address contamination near the river and (2) strengthen the management 
of its river protection program. To assess DOE's efforts, GAO reviewed 
numerous reports by DOE and others, and discussed the problem with 
federal and state regulators and DOE officials.

DOE is actively assessing the risk to the Columbia River from Hanford 
site contamination and is addressing problems with deployed river 
protection technologies. While DOE has extensive knowledge of 
contaminants that are currently in the groundwater and river, DOE knows 
less about contamination in the soil below the surface, known as the 
"vadose zone." Before proposing a cleanup approach, DOE has agreed with 
its regulators to take vadose zone samples in many of the contaminated 
areas of the site. DOE is also improving its computer simulation model 
that will predict future risk from the contamination, and deploying 
alternative technologies it believes will more effectively contain the 
contamination that may threaten the river. DOE has also begun to address 
concerns about its management of Columbia River protection efforts, 
particularly the lack of integration between groundwater and vadose zone 
activities. In March 2006, in response to congressional committee 
direction, DOE proposed a new initiative to better integrate its river 
protection activities. The initiative included consolidating most 
groundwater and vadose zone characterization work under a single 
project; better integrating vadose zone, groundwater, and surface 
cleanup decisions; and improving the coordination and control over 
computer models used to predict movement of contamination in future 
years. Initiating these management improvements is important, but it is 
equally important that they be implemented effectively, and past history 
gives some cause for concern. For example, one attempt by DOE to better 
integrate these activities was unsuccessful when key elements, such as 
putting all activities under a single project manager, failed to 
continue after project and other changes occurred at the site. In past 
GAO work, we reported that high-performing organizations sustained 
improvement initiatives when key elements were in place, such as clear 
goals, results-oriented performance measures, and evaluation strategies. 
Although DOE is beginning to develop a management plan for its new 
initiative, DOE has yet to implement some key elements, such as 
results-oriented performance measures and evaluations to gauge the 
effectiveness of its improvements, which could also help sustain the 
benefits of the improvements over time.


For the original abstract and a link to the full report, se
http://www.gao.gov/docdblite/summary.php?rptno=GAO-06-1018&accno=A59706

--
Lenny Siegel
Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
c/o PSC, 278-A Hope St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/961-8918
http://www.cpeo.org
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