Cleanup work progresses with pump removal at Hanford Tank Farms

August 14, 2026, 9:56AMNuclear News

The Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management reports that workers at the Hanford Site, near Richland, Wash., have performed a technically complex operation to remove a large legacy mixer pump from Tank SY-101 in the 200 West Area. The removal allows for the future installation of tank waste retrieval equipment as part of the next phase of waste cleanup at the site.

A short video on the Hanford Site’s YouTube channel shows aspects of the operation, including the pump being lifted out of the tank with a specially designed hydraulic lift system named Hercules.