242-A Evaporator Basin 41 Tie-in - Class 3 permit modification

The permittees are U.S. Department of Energy and Washington River Protection Solutions. The 242-A Evaporator is located on the Hanford Site in Southeastern Washington.

Review and comment

The modification proposal and supporting documents are on our Hanford public comment periods page.

Proposed changes

Currently, the line PC-5000 exits the 242-A building and transfers waste to LERF Basin 43. A second condensate line from Effluent Management Facility (EMF) connects to the PC-5000 at a caisson located about halfway between 242-A Evaporator and LERF Basin 43. Use of the PC-5000 is administratively controlled by the 242-A Evaporator.

This proposed permit modification would allow connection of the PC-5000 line to the proposed LERF Basin 41. We're requiring upgrades to the leak detection system for both the PC-5000 line and the EMF line.

242-A Evaporator background

The 242-A Evaporator is situated in the 200 East Area of the Hanford Site. The facility was constructed in 1977 and has since removed more than 81 million gallons of liquid from Hanford's 177 underground waste tanks. To remove liquid from the tanks, the evaporator boils liquid waste from the tanks to evaporate water and reduce waste volume. The evaporator is currently shutdown for facility upgrades.

For more information see the Nuclear Waste Program public comment page.