Creating New Pathways for Environmental Restoration and Sustainability
Challenge
Between the 1940s and 1980s, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Hanford site in Washington State produced nearly two-thirds of the nation’s plutonium, generating 450 billion gallons of liquid waste that entered soil disposal sites during the Cold War. Today, the cleanup of that site spans 65 square miles of groundwater, with 56 million gallons of radioactive waste still stored in underground tanks, posing risks to the Columbia River and surrounding ecosystems. In support of the cleanup effort, DOE awarded a contract to Bechtel to design, construct, and commission a multi-facility complex, known as the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant.
Solution
To tackle Hanford’s complex legacy waste, TRC was contracted to partner with Bechtel to deliver extensive and complex emissions testing solutions. Our team of 20 practitioners leveraged 12 distinct EPA test methods to evaluate Bechtel’s innovative melter process, which safely encapsulates legacy radioactive waste in glass for secure disposal. This was a critical part of the project’s Environmental Performance Demonstration Test, focused on assessing the melters’ off-gas systems to demonstrate regulatory compliance and support the transition to active vitrification operations.
TRC’s team demonstrated strong leadership by developing innovative emission testing solutions to ensure the safe, efficient delivery, analysis and reporting of samples collected during the compliance demonstration. In collaboration with our subcontractor, we supported the design and execution of surrogate compound spiking conducted during the project’s “Dry-Run” phase.
Results
TRC’s partnership with Bechtel at the Hanford site showcases a commitment to safety, sustainability and innovation. Through rigorous scheduling of compliance testing, we helped accomplish the last step to safely vitrify radioactive waste, protecting the Columbia River and surrounding ecosystems while enabling future opportunities for land use, preservation, and economic growth.
In recognition of our work on this project, TRC was honored with the Bechtel Supply Chain Excellence Award in 2025.
