Hanford officials are checking on whether nearby soil has been contaminated by a leak that triggered an alarm over the weekend at one of the double-shell nuclear waste storage tank. The Tri-City Herald reports that officials with a contractor say that no soil contamination had been found as of Monday morning. But the tank apparently leaked 70 gallons of radioactive sludge. State Department of Ecology officials tell the Herald that there's no danger to workers or the public.
GeekWire reports that the tank is one of seven that has had ongoing problems. The worker who in 2011 discovered the leak in the tank that triggered an internal alarm on Sunday tells KING 5 that the leak is likely the worst in tank farm history and could significantly increase risks to employees' health.
As Crosscut's Peter Jackson wrote today (before word of the lead), the state recently won a court decision that increases its leverage in forcing the U.S. Department of Energy to meet its own promises to clean up radioactive contamination.
