Community Outreach
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Hanford Reservation dominates this region in terms of its size, employment and expenditures. Hanford’s mission of waste management and environmental restoration has largely been focused on the River Corridor in the past few years. As that work is completed by 2015, the active cleanup area will shrink from 586 square miles to the 75-square mile Central Plateau.

Current Efforts
Complex challenges remain as efforts continue to build the $12-billion Waste Treatment Plant that will operate for decades to treat 53 million gallons of liquid tank waste. Successful progress in cleaning up groundwater contamination, waste sites and facilities underscore the need for an organization to coordinate the efforts of local governments impacted by Hanford.

The Hanford Communities serve this need by bringing local governments together to take the future of the region into their own hands. Formed in 1994, the Hanford Communities is an intergovernmental cooperative organization made up of representatives from Benton County, Franklin County, the Port of Benton and the cities of Richland, Pasco and Kennewick, Benton County. By joining forces, independent communities can concentrate their efforts and provide advice and support to the Department of Energy on important ant environmental cleanup issues.