RICHLAND, Wash. -- Washington River Protection Solutions (WRPS) has completed video inspections of three single-shell tanks that showed potential increases in liquid waste levels.
One tank was found one with evidence of water intrusion leading to a level increase.
Engineers conducted video inspections of Tanks BY-101, 102 and 111 to see if they could identify potential sources of water intrusion, when liquid from rain or snowmelt gets inside the
tank.
Evidence of intrusion was discovered inside BY-102, where in-tank video showed a small amount of water dripping from a concrete pit drain.
That drip has led to an interstitial liquid level increase of about 6 inches inside the tank over the past 18 years. That's about 3,300 gallons of water filling the pores of the waste
material below the surface level.
The liquid addition does not have a significant impact on the waste storage conditions in the tank at this time.
Last summer, engineers noticed the increase in liquid waste level in 52 of Hanford's single-shell tanks.
However, solid waste in many tanks is rough and uneven, which could lead to liquid pooling in dips or craters in the waste and may account for some of the changes seen.
