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Economic risks to the region - Hanford, the Columbia River and the economy

Background

The Hanford Nuclear Reservation is a legacy of the nation's World War II and Cold War nuclear weapons program.

The Hanford Reservation took shape during World War II as a location for the top secret Manhattan Project, a wartime effort by the U.S. government to develop an atomic bomb.

The 560 square mile site in South Central Washington state borders 51 miles of the Columbia River, and was home to three small towns -- Hanford, White Bluffs, and Richland. In 1942, the flat, rocky countryside was dotted with orchards, vineyards, and farms; and sheep could be seen grazing peacefully.

To build the Hanford Engineer Works in 1943, the U.S. government invoked the World War II War Powers Act and gave the 1,200 people living in the area 30 days to leave their homes. The towns of Richland, White Bluffs, and Hanford, along with all the farms, vanished.

The Hanford site is now the most contaminated site in North America, and represents one of the world's most complex and difficult cleanup efforts. At stake is an area that supports ten percent of Washington's economy and 30 percent of Oregon's economy.

The region's economy

The Columbia River supports economic activities valued at $200 million per year, and provides water to counties that generate $27 billion in payroll. The river is at risk of contamination from Hanford. Without cleanup, radioactive contamination from leaking underground tanks will eventually reach the Columbia, leading to potentially serious economic impacts to the region. For example:

• Population: One million people live in the 42 cities and towns located below Hanford on the Columbia.
• Water Supply: On the Washington side of the Columbia, citizens have water rights to draw 5,000 cubic feet per second directly from the Columbia to provide water for municipal, commercial, and industrial uses, with a value of at least $31 million per year. Oregon also depends on the Columbia for water.
• Agriculture: There are over 8,000 farms below Hanford in Washington state. The value of those farms (land and buildings) is $6.4 billion. 175,000 acres of land are irrigated using direct withdrawal from the Columbia with a value of at least $35 million per year.
• Well water: An additional 5,000 wells draw water indirectly from the Columbia to provide for Washington agriculture, homes, and businesses.
• Commercial Fishing: The Columbia commercial fishery harvests approximately 240,000 fish per year. The value of the catch varies from year to year, but is estimated at about $4 million. The Northwest Power and Conservation Council estimates the overall economic value of this fishery, from river to plate, including all collateral economic activity, at $91 million.
• Sport Fishing: 200,000 Washington anglers and sport fishermen use the sport fishery on the Columbia. The estimated value of the Washington and Oregon sport fishery is $54 million.
• Washington Business: There are 25,000 companies in the nine counties along the Columbia River below Hanford on the Washington side, providing 280,000 jobs and payroll of $9.5 billion, or approximately ten percent of the state's economic activity.
• Oregon Business: In the Oregon counties along the Columbia, 32,000 companies provide 500,000 jobs and a payroll of $18 billion, or 30 percent of the state's economic activity.
• Recreation: The Columbia provides opportunities for fishing, swimming, boating, rafting, kayaking, and other water sports. There are six parks in Washington and 11 parks in Oregon bordering the Columbia below Hanford. In addition, there are 15 national parks, refuges, forests and other uses that border the Columbia below Hanford. Conservatively, the value of visitor days at these facilities is over $150 million per year.
• Energy: There are four hydropower dams downstream from Hanford: Bonneville, The Dalles, John Day, and McNary. Electricity from these dams powers homes, businesses and industry in all or part of eight western states.

The risks

Currently, there are 177 underground storage tanks at Hanford, including 149 leak-prone, single-shelled tanks. These tanks hold 53 million gallons of highly radioactive and chemically-hazardous waste, representing more than 60 percent of the nation's radioactive and chemical waste. Many of these tanks have already leaked a total of approximately one million gallons of highly toxic contaminants into the ground. This radioactive and chemical contamination is moving through groundwater toward the Columbia River.

As long as the radioactive waste remains in the tanks, there is a risk of continued leaking, or possibly an explosion or a tank dome collapse. This type of event could release radioactive and chemically-hazardous materials into the water, land and air, creating significant risk to the environment, agriculture, human health and the regional economy.

The cost

Under federal environmental laws, the cost for cleanup generally lies with the party that created the damage. The Hanford Nuclear Reservation served the nation's wartime and Cold War needs, and it is up to the nation to bear the costs of the cleanup. The table below shows that it will cost the citizens of the U.S. pennies per month to clean up the Hanford Reservation.

Who Pays	Population	Cost per person	Time Cost Basis (Based on mean national & Washington wages)
U.S.	300 million	$0.28 per month	1 minute a month
Washington state	6 million	$14 per month	42 minutes a month
Affected population	1 million	$83 per month	4.5 hours a month