“Hanford: Our Nuclear Neighbor” discussion next Wednesday at Gonzaga
Columbia Riverkeeper, Spokane Riverkeeper and Sierra Club will host an evening discussion about Our Nuclear Neighbor: Hanford, connecting its historic downstream impacts, to the Columbia River, and downwind, to Spokane. The event will take place at Gonzaga University School of Law, Barbieri Moot Court Room at 6pm on May 8th.
Historically, Hanford discharged contaminated wastewater directly into the Columbia River, giving it the distinction as the most radioactive river in the United States. But, Hanford's pollution didn't just run downstream. Hanford also released radioactive contaminants such as iodine-131 and plutonium into the air. These pollutants blew north and east, coating Spokane.
The Columbia Riverkeeper, Spokane Riverkeeper, and Sierra Club are watchdog organizations, protecting our rivers from pollution. But, Hanford, the most contaminated site in the western hemisphere, presents a unique challenge. Twenty-five years into the cleanup, some of the most difficult and dangerous cleanup projects remain.
· 56 million gallons of high-level radioactive waste stews in underground storage tanks and awaits treatment and long term storage.
· 80 square miles of contaminated groundwater threatens the Columbia River
· eight cocooned reactors await radioactive decay in place near the rivershore.
Columbia Riverkeeper will detail our Nuclear Neighbor's dirty history and the cleanup's current state of disrepair. And Spokane Riverkeeper will examine Hanford’s historic and potential impact to our region. Sierra Club will highlight how the Columbia Generating Station, a nuclear power plant located adjacent to the nuclear site, complicates cleanup. The speakers will let you know what are doing to stop further contamination of our rivers by Hanford, and what you can do to help.
Columbia Riverkeeper will give away a seat on their Hanford Paddle Trip – an 18 mile, journey along the free-flowing Hanford Reach of the Columbia.
Admission is free and light refreshments will be served. For more information, please contact Theresa Labriola at theresa@columbiariverkeeper.org or 541.490.2411.
