Explosive demolition will fell buildings that helped fuel US WWII arms race.
Five structures, some that have towered over central Hanford since World War II, are planned to come crashing to the ground today when explosives are detonated by CDI.
The tallest will be the two 76 metre (250-foot) exhaust chimneys at the 284 West Power House in central Hanford. Workers also will no longer see the 42 metre (140-foot) water tower there, with the “Work Safely” message that has greeted workers in the 200 West Area of central Hanford for years. In addition, two 27 metre (90-foot) air filter structures for the power house will come down.
The power house was built in 1943 as Hanford raced to produce plutonium for the world’s first atomic explosion and the bomb dropped on Nagasaki, Japan, helping end World War II.
The power house, which was shut down in 1992, was used to produce steam for heating and power for buildings in the 200 West Area, ranging from office buildings to plutonium processing canyons.
During the early 1980s the air filter structures, called baghouses at Hanford, were added to reduce pollution coming out of the stacks.
“Given the sheer height of the structures, explosive demolition was selected as the safest method of demolition,” Kurt Kehler, CH2M Hill Plateau Remediation Co. vice president, said in a statement.
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