Established in as part of the Manhattan Project , the site was home to the Hanford Engineer Works and B Reactor , the first full-scale plutonium production reactor in the world.
Plutonium manufactured at the site was used in the first atomic bomb , which was tested in the Trinity nuclear test , and in the Fat Man bomb used in the bombing of Nagasaki. During the Cold War , the project expanded to include nine nuclear reactors and five large plutonium processing complexes, which produced plutonium for most of the more than 60, weapons built for the U.
Nuclear technology developed rapidly during this period, and Hanford scientists produced major technological achievements. The town of Richland , established by the Manhattan Project, became self-governing in , and residents were able to purchase their properties.
After sufficient plutonium had been produced, the production reactors were shut down between and Many early safety procedures and waste disposal practices were inadequate, resulting in the release of significant amounts of radioactive materials into the air and the Columbia River, resulting in higher rates of cancer in the surrounding area.
The Hanford Site became the focus of the nation's largest environmental cleanup. A citizen-led Hanford Advisory Board provides recommendations from community stakeholders, including local and state governments, regional environmental organizations, business interests, and Native American tribes. Cleanup activity was still ongoing in , with over 10, workers employed on cleanup activities. Tourists can visit the site and B Reactor. The Hanford Site occupies square miles 1, km 2 — roughly equivalent to half the total area of Rhode Island — within Benton County, Washington.
