Oregon Public Broadcasting

A federal nuclear safety board says the Hanford Nuclear Reservation's piping systems are inadequate. And the agency says those shortcomings could lead to spills of radioactive waste.

Hanford is home to 53 million gallons of radioactive sludge housed in aging underground tanks from World War II. Now the federal Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board is questioning plans for piping that waste from point-to-point.

In a new report, the board's staff researchers say it's not clear how fast these pipes will corrode over time. The agency says there aren't rigorous enough standards for detecting leaks if they should happen.

The report also says the piping system will likely need to remain in place for longer than Hanford is planning.

The worst-case scenario is what engineers call a criticality or explosion from hydrogen gas build-up.

The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board is demanding a briefing by Hanford officials in 90 days.

The Department of Energy issued a statement saying that it remains focused on safe operations of the tank farms and will brief the Defense Board on its planned safety efforts.

Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board staff report:

http://www.dnfsb.gov/pub_docs/staff_issue_reports/hanford/sir_20110426_hd.pdf

Hanford Waste Treatment & Immobilization Plant Project:

http://www.hanford.gov/page.cfm/WTP