NORTHWEST
East Oregonian
A2
Saturday, May 1, 2021
Nuclear waste tank in Washington state may be leaking
By NICHOLAS K.
GERANIOS
Associated Press
RICHLAND, Wash. —
An underground nuclear
waste storage tank in Wash-
ington state that dates to
World War II appears to be
leaking contaminated liquid
into the ground, the U.S.
Department of Energy said
on Thursday, April 29.
It’s the second tank
believed to be leaking waste
left from the production of
plutonium for nuclear weap-
ons at the Hanford Nuclear
Reservation. The first was
discovered in 2013. Many
more of the 149 single-walled
storage tanks at the site are
suspected of leaking.
Tank B-109, the latest
suspected of leaking, holds
123,000 gallons of radioac-
tive waste. The giant tank
was constructed during the
Manhattan Project that built
the first atomic bombs and
received waste from Hanford
operations from 1946 to
1976.
The Hanford site near
Richland in the southeastern
part of the state produced
about two-thirds of the pluto-
nium for the nation’s nuclear
arsenal, including the bomb
dropped in 1945 on Naga-
saki, Japan, and now is the
most contaminated radioac-
tive waste site in the nation.
Elaine Thompson/Associated Press, File
A sign at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation is posted near Richland, Wash. Officials say an underground nuclear waste storage
tank that dates to World War II appears to be leaking contaminated liquid into the ground. The U.S. Department of Energy
said Thursday, April 29, 2021, that Tank B-109 holds 123,000 gallons of radioactive waste left from the production of plutoni-
um for nuclear weapons on the Hanford Nuclear Reservation.
A multibillion-dollar
environmental cleanup has
been underway for decades
at the sprawling Hanford site.
The Washington state
Department of Ecology
and the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency were noti-
fied on April 29 that the tank
was likely leaking.
“There is no increased
health or safety risk to the
Forecast for Pendleton Area
| Go to AccuWeather.com
TODAY
SUNDAY
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
Mostly sunny
Sun followed by
some clouds
Increasing clouds
Partly sunny
Partly sunny and
warmer
Hanford workforce or the
public,” said Geoff Tyree, a
spokesman for the Energy
Department. “Contamina-
tion in this area is not new
and mitigation actions have
COVID-19 outbreak leads to
closure of Wallowa High School
Wallowa County Chieftain
PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
67° 40°
71° 42°
70° 48°
69° 40°
81° 48°
HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
72° 43°
76° 45°
74° 50°
75° 40°
OREGON FORECAST
84° 51°
ALMANAC
Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.
PENDLETON
through 3 p.m. yest.
HIGH
LOW
TEMP.
Seattle
Olympia
56/41
65/39
73/39
Longview
Kennewick Walla Walla
70/45
Lewiston
60/44
80/45
Astoria
56/44
Pullman
Yakima 74/41
61/39
72/46
Portland
Hermiston
64/47
The Dalles 76/45
Salem
Corvallis
62/44
Yesterday
Normals
Records
La Grande
66/41
PRECIPITATION
John Day
Eugene
Bend
67/46
66/40
65/40
Ontario
71/48
Caldwell
Burns
77°
55°
69°
42°
89° (1957) 29° (2019)
24 hours ending 3 p.m.
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Normal month to date
Year to date
Last year to date
Normal year to date
Albany
64/44
Boardman
Pendleton
Medford
72/48
0.00"
0.08"
0.88"
1.28"
0.51"
3.99"
Today
Sun.
WSW 7-14
W 8-16
WSW 6-12
WNW 7-14
SUN AND MOON
Klamath Falls
63/37
Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2021
WALLOWA — Wallowa
High School closed for the
next two weeks, effective
Thursday, April 29, after
several COVID-19 cases
were confirmed at the school,
Superintendent Tammy Jones
said in a post to the district’s
Facebook page.
According to the post, six
individuals have tested posi-
tive for COVID-19 — two
on Wednesday, April 28, and
four other positive tests earlier
in the week. In a social media
post on Tuesday, April 27, that
first outlined the details of the
outbreak, the district said it
did not plan to close.
That plan changed on
April 29.
“We are working closely
Sunrise today
Sunset tonight
Moonrise today
Moonset today
5:43 a.m.
8:02 p.m.
12:59 a.m.
9:23 a.m.
Last
New
First
Full
May 3
May 11
May 19
May 26
NATIONAL EXTREMES
Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states)
High 108° in Thermal, Calif. Low 17° in Angel Fire, N.M.
NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY
with our local and state health
authority to respond to this
news and protect the health
of our community,” Jones
wrote in the April 29 post.
“We are rapidly putting the
contact tracing logs together
and providing them to local
health officials for contact
tracing. Given the timing
and the numbers of contacts
that local health officials will
needing to contact, we are
immediately closing our high
school.”
Students in grades six
through 12 were moved to
distance learning starting
April 29 and will remain
there through May 11. A local
health official will contact
parents who have a student
who is required to quarantine,
Jones said in the post.
Students in kindergar-
ten through fifth grade will
remain on campus, Jones said.
The Facebook post on
April 27 linked the outbreak
to a community prom,
which the post said was not a
school-sponsored activity.
“Many Wallowa County
students attended this event,
along with community chap-
erones,” the post stated.
“(April 27) we learned that a
number of individuals attend-
ing the prom have tested posi-
tive for COVID-19.”
Jones on Apr il 29
confirmed the six reported
cases are students.
She added that any athletes
will be able to compete during
the move to distance learning
as long as they are not in quar-
antine.
IN BRIEF
WINDS (in mph)
69/46
65/35
0.00"
0.22"
1.15"
3.56"
5.16"
5.11"
through 3 p.m. yest.
HIGH
LOW
TEMP.
Pendleton 63/35
66/46
24 hours ending 3 p.m.
Month to date
Normal month to date
Year to date
Last year to date
Normal year to date
HERMISTON
Enterprise
71/42
69/47
76°
53°
67°
42°
89° (1931) 27° (2019)
PRECIPITATION
Moses
Lake
61/41
Aberdeen
67/42
67/44
Tacoma
Yesterday
Normals
Records
Spokane
Wenatchee
61/46
been in place for decades to
protect workers, the public
and the environment.”
The tank had been previ-
ously emptied of pump-
able liquids, leaving a small
amount of liquid waste inside,
the agency said. Systems in
the area capture and remove
contaminants that reach the
groundwater and ensure the
protection of the Columbia
River, the agency said.
The leak from Tank B-109
was first suspected in March
2019, when there appeared to
be a small drop in the level
of its liquid waste. Monthly
checks showed the level
stable until July 2020, when
another drop was detected,
and the Department of
Energy launched an investi-
gation.
The state Department of
Ecology said the tank is leak-
ing about 3.5 gallons per day.
“It’s a serious matter
whenever a Hanford tank
leaks its radioactive and
dangerous chemical waste,”
Ecology Director Laura
Watson said, adding, “this
highlights the critical need
for resources to address
Hanford’s aging tanks, which
will continue to fail and leak
over time.”
The Seattle-based watch-
dog group Heart of Amer-
ica Northwest said the
leak releases radioactive
waste that is dangerous for
hundreds to thousands of
years.
“There’s no such thing as
a small leak from a high-level
nuclear waste tank,” director
Gerry Pollet said.
Bill to kill up to 90% of Idaho
wolves heads to governor
them to lose weight, making them less valuable
when they are sold.
BOISE, Idaho — The Idaho House on Tues-
day, April 27, approved legislation allowing
the state to hire private contractors and expand
methods to kill wolves roaming Idaho — a
measure that could cut the wolf population by
90%.
Lawmakers voted 58-11 to send the agricul-
ture industry-backed bill to Republican Gov.
Brad Little. The fast-tracked bill that allows the
use of night-vision equipment to kill wolves as
well as hunting from snowmobiles and all-ter-
rain vehicles, among other measures, passed
the Senate last week.
Backers said changes to Idaho law could
help reduce the wolf population from about
1,500 to 150, alleviating wolf attacks on cattle,
sheep and wildlife.
“We have areas of the state where the wolves
are having a real detrimental impact on our
wildlife,” said House Majority Leader Mike
Moyle, one of the bill’s sponsors. “They are
hurting the herds, elk and deer. This allows the
Wolf (Depredation) Control Board and others
to control them, also, which we have not done
in the past.”
Cattle and sheep ranchers say wolves have
cost them hundreds of thousands of dollars
by killing animals or harassing them, causing
Walla Walla man takes plea
deal in porch pirate case
WALLA WALLA, Wash. — A reported
porch pirate pleaded guilty to possession of
stolen mail in connection to a string of hijacked
packages in December 2020.
Daniel A. Rhoads, 31, appeared in Walla
Walla County Superior Court on Friday, April
23, to enter his plea of guilty.
Rhoads’ amended charges dismissed one
theft charge related to the incident. Several
other crimes investigated by Walla Walla police
at the time of his arrest were not listed in court.
Rhoads admitted in court to being caught on
Dec. 30, 2020, with mail belonging to at least
three other people or at least 10 packages that
weren’t addressed to him, which is enough to
charge the Class C felony of stolen mail posses-
sion.
Rhoads was sentenced by Judge Brandon
L. Johnson to 30 days in jail, $600 in fees and
fines and other restitution to victims. Rhoads
was given credit for one day already served
in jail and had the other 29 days converted to
community service.
— Walla Walla Union-Bulletin
and Associated Press
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