Hanford nuke tours expected to quickly sell out

The world’s first nuclear reactor at the Hanford reservation in Eastern Washington is the highlight of special tours being made available to a limited number of visitors. (AP file photo)

It was one of the most secret and secure sites in
America. But every year, a limited number of lucky people
get a chance to see inside the Hanford nuclear
reservation. Hundreds will be burning the midnight
oil Monday night to claim one of the 2,500 coveted spots in this
year’s lottery.

“It’s a hot ticket. We filled all the slots in about eight
hours last year,” said Rich Buel, Hanford spokesman.

The highlight of the 5-1/2-hour tour is a stop at the B-
reactor, the world’s first full scale reactor where they
extracted the plutonium for the atom bomb dropped on
Nagasaki in 1945.

“The Hanford site was so secret for so long I think people
want to see what happened out there and get the
opportunity to go by these old town sites that had to be
evacuated when the Manhattan Project came to town,” Buel
said.

Even though there’s tons of nuclear waste stored in
the ground at Hanford, you don’t have to worry about
wearing a lead blanket. Closed-toed shoes, sleeved
shirts, and long pants will work just fine.

“We’ve got the utmost in safety in place. Anybody that
goes out on the Hanford site need not worry about their
safety,” Buel insisted.

The tour is also an opportunity to see where the billions
in tax dollars for containment and cleanup are being
spent, according to Buel.

“As recently as three years ago, you wouldn’t have been
allowed within a country mile of the place because it was
so secure,” Buel said.

Reservations for one of the 60 Hanford tours can be made
online beginning at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday at the Hanford web
site. The tours run from April through September.
All spots are expected to be filled by early Tuesday
morning.

By JOSH KERNS, MyNorthwest.com Reporter