Grounded Podcast: Hanford's Dream of the 90s

For more than 40 years, the Hanford Nuclear Site near Richland, Washington produced plutonium for America’s nuclear weapons program. The once top-secret Manhattan Project site ended production in 1989.

When the focus at Hanford shifted to cleanup in the early 1990s, the dream was to complete the project in 30 years.

On this week’s podcast, our Assistant Director for Nuclear Safety, Ken Niles, is back to talk to us about the early years of the cleanup – and why there’s no way we’re hitting that 30-year cleanup goal.

If you haven’t already, listen to our earlier Hanford episodes, including The Atomic Man, Hanford’s Burping Tank, and a special bonus about a May emergency at the site.