Hanford’s Leaking Tanks: America’s Longest Cleanup

Описание: Beneath the desert of Washington State sit 177 underground tanks holding 56 million gallons of radioactive waste—more than 177 million curies of activity from plutonium production during World War II and the Cold War. Built as "interim" storage for roughly 20 years, these tanks have been in service for over 80 years. At least a million gallons have already leaked into the soil.
This documentary explores the full scope of Hanford's tank waste challenge through verified historical records, technical reports, and regulatory documents. From the first plutonium reactor going critical in 1944 to vitrification finally beginning in 2025, the story traces how design decisions made during wartime created a cleanup mission projected to cost $364–$589 billion and extend through 2086.
Key Facts:
177 tanks: 149 single-shell, 28 double-shell
56 million gallons of sludge, saltcake, and liquid waste
Multiple confirmed leaking tanks, including B-109 (560 gal/year) and T-111 (300 gal/year)
Technetium-99 and uranium migration toward groundwater and the Columbia River
Vitrification: turning liquid waste into glass for permanent disposal
Cleanup timeline: active work through 2086, stewardship beyond 2100
This is the documented history of how America's plutonium production created the world's largest environmental cleanup project—and why the mission will outlast the weapons it once fueled.
All facts sourced from DOE, EPA, Washington State Ecology, GAO, PNNL, and archived technical reports.


nuclear fallout, nuclear accident, radioactive disaster, forgotten history, abandoned ghost towns, disaster documentary, Chernobyl documentary, Fukushima disaster, nuclear meltdown, environmental collapse, Cold War disaster, nuclear secrets, toxic legacy

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