Introduction

The Hanford Site environmental report is produced through the joint efforts of the principal Site contractors (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Westinghouse Hanford Company [WHC], Bechtel Hanford Inc. [BHI]) and other organizations and agencies involved in environmental and compliance work on the Site. This report, published annually since 1958, includes information and summary data that 1) characterize environmental management performance at the Hanford Site; 2) demonstrate the status of the Site's compliance with applicable federal, state, and local environmental laws and regulations; and 3) highlight significant environmental monitoring and surveillance programs.

Specifically, the report provides a short introduction to the Hanford Site, discusses the current Site mission, and briefly discusses the Site's various waste management, effluent monitoring, environmental surveillance, and environmental compliance programs. Included are summary data and program descriptions for the sitewide Ground-Water Monitoring Program, the Near-Facility Environmental Monitoring Program, the Surface Environmental Surveillance Program, wildlife studies, climate and meteorological monitoring, as well as information about other programs. Also included are sections discussing environmental occurrences, current issues and actions, environmental cleanup activities, compliance issues, descriptions of major operations and activities, and an introduction to the Hanford Site. Readers interested in more detail than the summary information provided in this report should consult the technical documents cited in the report text. Descriptions of specific analytical and sampling methods used in the monitoring programs are contained in the Hanford Site Environmental Monitoring Plan (DOE 1994c).

Return to Table of Contents