There's a saying that "one man's trash is another man's treasure" but for the United States (U.S.), one warring era's most polluted nuclear weapons production site is about to become one of the country's treasured National Parks in 2016 and will be called The Manhattan Project National Historical Park.
The U.S. Department of Energy and the National Park Service has been working together to further clean up the Hanford Site in order to make it available and safe to the curious public who may want to tour the site. In Nov. 10, the Hanford Nuclear site was not only established as a National Park but the minimum age restriction of 12 years old, down from 18 years old in 2012, was also abolished. Now anyone can enjoy touring the historical site that paved the way to end World War II.
"This change would not be possible without the tremendous amount of cleanup work that has been completed to date, particularly along the Columbia River corridor. That work has paved the way for public access to our historic facilities," DOE Richland Operations Office Manager Stacy Charboneau said.
The Manhattan Project, if anyone recalls their history lessons, was the code name of the top secret government endeavor under which the development of the Atomic Bomb was being studied and applied. The Hanford Site was instrumental since it housed the world's very first full-scale plutonium production reactor.
"The progress on cleanup has brought about this exciting opportunity to encourage young people to examine a critical period in American history, as well as Hanford's contributions to scientific breakthroughs during World War II and the Cold War," Representative Dan Newhouse said.
"This park not only commemorates a significant national achievement, but it also provides a new avenue for scientific curiosity and learning to all who visit," Senator Maria Cantwell said. Sen. Cantwell actively advocated to preservation the Hanford Site's B Reactor with Senator Patty Murray.
