It might take a couple of months of sampling, study and planning before Bechtel Hanford tackles a solution to 1,500 waste barrels containing uranium shavings north of Hanford's 300 Area. About 350 of those barrels were dug up from a burial site before Bechtel stopped the excavation. Uranium chips can spontaneously ignite under certain conditions.
Oil is used to keep the uranium chips from burning.
About 70 of the 149 barrels had leaked their oil to dangerous levels. The rest of the 149 were in shaky enough condition to require they also be put in the bigger oil-filled barrels, James said. James said it is likely a significant number of the remaining barrels have leaked or are likely to leak. Bechtel does not want to dig up the remaining barrels and possibly damage them further until it comes up with a plan for safely completing the work, he said. Bechtel had been excavating the old burial site to haul items and debris to a central Hanford landfill designed for radioactive rubble and soil.