Action description memorandum decommissioning of the shut-down Hanford 100 area reactors

The Department of Energy, Richland Operations Office (DOE-RL) proposes to decommission the eight shut-down production reactors located in the 100 Areas of the Hanford Site, Richland, Washington. They are the 105-B, -C, -D, -DR, -F, -H, -KE and -KW reactors. (A ninth reactor, N Reactor was started in 1963 and is still in operation. The decommissioning of N Reactor is not within the scope of this action.) No long-term beneficial use has been identified for the shut-down reactor facilities. Short-term use of the 105-KE and 105-KW reactor fuel storage basins is required for storage of N Reactor fuel. The fuel should be removed by 1987, after which the basins will be decontaminated and kept in standby condition until final disposition. The remaining reactor facilities were deactivated during the period 1964 to 1971 and have since been kept in a safe storage condition. Safe storage for the reactors has consisted of short-term fixes adequate to protect the environment, but not to assure stabilized, long-term storage. The reactors are all contaminated to some degree with low levels of radioactivity. In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 (Council on Environmental Quality 1978), and the DOE-Environmental Compliance Guide 1981, this Action Description Memorandum (ADM) has been prepared to provide environmental input into the decision making process