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About CH2M HILL

A Message from CH2M HILL President

When CH2M HILL assumed management of the tank waste program at Hanford in 1999, we were given the mandate to clean up 53 million gallons of radioactive and hazardous chemical waste stored in aging and leak-prone underground tanks.  We faced an enormous technical challenge.  Yet we eagerly embraced the opportunity. We knew CH2M HILL had the engineering prowess, talented people, and global experience for meeting project demands and helping DOE achieve site closure goals.

Now, seven years into the project, we have made notable progress in waste management activities.  We have safely emptied seven tanks, and with each retrieval, we have gained knowledge and experience to help us expedite retrievals and reduce costs.  We have transferred over nine million gallons of waste and made dramatic improvements to the infrastructure of the tank farms.  We have optimized double-shell tank space through carefully planned evaporation campaigns, and we have developed and deployed innovative technologies for waste retrieval and supplemental treatment and disposal.

What’s more, we have significantly enhanced safety performance in the tank farms.

Over the past three years, CH2M HILL has implemented multi-faceted health and safety programs to control the hazards and ensure workforce protection.  As the programs have taken hold, we have reduced rates of injury and illness and considerably improved the project’s safety record.  At the same time, we have increased productivity.  We have shown that when management and staff are deeply committed to personal safety, productivity and achievement follow. 

As we go forward, we remain alert to the risks and open to opportunities for improvement.  The uncertainties inherent to the waste tanks create a virtual classroom for learning.  Our approach is to embrace these opportunities and to transform lessons learned into results-driven strategies for cleanup.  With this prudent approach, technical innovation, and our outstanding workforce, we are proceeding with confidence.  We are setting a high bar for safety and performance and working with drive and determination to safely fulfill our tanks cleanup mission.