Hanford Nuclear Reservation
The Hanford Nuclear Reservation, located on the Columbia River in Washington State, was established during the Manhattan Project as a dedicated facility for plutonium production. Rapidly constructed between 1943 and 1945, it included over 554 buildings to support the manufacturing processes and accommodate tens of thousands of workers. The facility played a crucial role in the development of atomic bombs, notably producing plutonium for the Trinity test and the bomb dropped on Nagasaki in 1945. Following World War II, Hanford continued to supply weapons-grade plutonium during the Cold War, with operations expanding but at a slower pace.
Despite the facility's advancements in nuclear technology and its contributions to scientific knowledge, concerns about long-term radiation exposure for workers and environmental contamination emerged. Although safeguards were implemented to minimize radiation release, the legacy of Hanford includes significant environmental challenges tied to its operations. Overall, while the site is recognized for its pivotal role in nuclear history, it also presents a complex narrative of technological progress intertwined with safety and environmental considerations.
Hanford Nuclear Reservation
Identification First plutonium production facility
Also Known As Hanford Engineer Works
Date Established in March, 1943
Place By the Columbia River, near Pasco, Washington
The plutonium used in the first atomic bomb test and in the Nagasaki atomic bomb was produced, separated, and refined at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation.
Because of size and safety constraints at other sites involved with the Manhattan Project (the code name for the project to develop an atomic bomb), a new site was found for the plutonium production facility. For safety and security reasons, an isolated area on the Columbia River in Washington State was chosen. Within two years, the site went from an almost empty area to a working facility. The pace of building the plant was phenomenal. Within thirty months, 554 buildings for the plant as well as housing and other buildings for the tens of thousands of workers were built.
As well as the buildings, new technology had to be developed. Plutonium had been produced only a few years before, and its properties were mostly unknown. The equipment to produce the plutonium, separate it, and refine it had to be developed as it was built.
Hanford was successful. On February 3, 1945, the first shipment of plutonium was sent from Hanford to Los Alamos, New Mexico, another site of the Manhattan Project. Soon, a new shipment was made every five days. The first test atomic bomb, Trinity, and the Nagasaki bomb, Fat Man, were plutonium bombs. The Nagasaki bomb was dropped on August 9, 1945; six days later, Japan offered unconditional surrender.
After World War II ended, Hanford still produced weapons-grade plutonium for the “Cold War” armament. The facility was expanded but operated at a less frantic pace. Two plutonium bombs were exploded at the Bikini Atoll as a demonstration of atomic power.
Although the facility had always been more closely monitored for radiation than other industrial facilities, no one really knew the effects of long-term exposure or the effects on the environment. There was concern for the workers. A manual of procedures was produced with the idea of reducing the amount of radiation exposure. Because little was known of the long-term effects, radioactive materials were not intentionally released into the environment. The waste materials were stored in the hope that radiation levels could be reduced to safe levels at a later time.
Impact
The Hanford Nuclear Reservation was an important part of the Manhattan Project, whose purpose was to build an atomic weapon. This was achieved, at a cost of $1.8 to $2.2 billion. The Hanford Nuclear Reservation was an expensive part of that total. Knowledge acquired while building the Hanford facility has been extremely useful in many areas of science. Building a nuclear reactor that would continuously produce energy, separating the radioactive materials, using remote-control devices, and building remote-control devices are just a few of the areas in which knowledge was pushed forward by building and operating the Hanford facility. The effects of radiation on equipment, on people, and on the environment are valuable pieces of knowledge also contributed by the Hanford facility. There is some concern that these lessons were learned at a high cost of contaminating the environment.
Bibliography
Dalton, Russell J., et al. Critical Masses: Citizens, Nuclear Weapons Production, and Environmental Destruction in the United States and Russia. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 1999.
Energy Research and Development Administration. Richland Operations Office. Hanford, Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow. Hanford, Wash.: U.S. Energy Research and Development Administration. Richland Operations Office, 1975.
Raven, Peter H, Linda R Berg, and David M. Hassenzahl. Environment. Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons, 2008.