Battle over classifying nuclear waste heats up -
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Published on: 11/9/2003
Last Visited: 6/11/2004
The concern is that any waste left in the tanks could pose a danger to the Columbia River less than 7 miles away, said Mike Wilson, nuclear waste program manager for the state Department of Ecology.
State officials fear some dangerous soluble waste could reach the river in as little as a decade once it's in the groundwater, depending on which tank leaks, Wilson said.Heavier wastes, such as uranium, cesium and strontium, may take longer to reach the river, but they also remain active in the soil for much longer.
"They will eventually get to the river.It may be thousands of years, but they will reach it," Wilson said.