The Tank Farms
Hanford has 177 underground waste storage tanks, including 149 single-shell tanks (SST) and 28 double-shell tanks (DST). These tanks, which hold between 55,000 to 1,265,000 gallons, are organized into 18 groups called farms.
The first SSTs were introduced in 1944 during World War II and were designed to last about 20 years. They feature a carbon-steel liner surrounded by thick, steel-reinforced concrete and are buried 10 feet underground. By the 1950s, some SSTs began leaking waste into the soil. To prevent further leaks, the waste has been stabilized by removing free liquid. Construction of DSTs spanned from the 1960s to the 1980s. Each DST has a carbon-steel inner tank with a separate steel liner around it to prevent leaks. The liners are separated by a 30-inch air space with a leak-detection system.
For more information on H2C’s tank farm operations, please see the following fact sheets:
