California - Area Code 559

Hanford, located in Fresno County, is one of the most prominent industrial sites in California, and also a major source of electricity and water for much of the state. Hanford has been one of the nation's largest producers of nuclear weapons material, and is the home to the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Waste Treatment Facility. The site is also home to many other facilities, including the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (NPL) and the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL).

Hanford is an administrative and industrial hub in the central portion of the state and is considered to be the economic center of the entire state. It is home to the largest nuclear weapons manufacturing complex in the world, and is the home of the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Nuclear Weapons Establishment (NWNE). There are over four hundred buildings at Hanford, and approximately eight million cubic yards of waste materials. Hanford was created by the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Manhattan Project, which resulted in the creation of the world's first nuclear bombs.

Although there are several government agencies responsible for controlling and safely storing hazardous materials at Hanford, no one individual agency has responsibility for managing the site. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is responsible for regulating the disposal and handling of hazardous materials at the facility. This includes the handling of both nuclear and non-nuclear waste, and regulating the discharge and disposal of other waste as well.

Hanford was created as part of the Manhattan Project and was designed to help produce the materials needed for the bombs that destroyed World War II. Although the US Department of Energy has maintained a large portion of its own personnel since the time of its creation, the site was largely closed during the late 1980s when Hanford was no longer producing any major quantities of material. Hanford was one of three nuclear waste sites that were closed in this period.

Hanford was again closed for several years, but was reopened in the mid-1990s after the shutdown of the NPL, but the site still contains a substantial amount of dangerous waste. In order to safely manage these materials, the United States must invest billions of dollars in facilities and equipment to safely process the materials that are produced. at the site and to protect workers from possible exposures to hazardous chemicals and radiation. Unfortunately, it is not clear how much of this money will actually reach the local communities because the funds allocated are inadequate.

Today, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) works with local government agencies and private entities to ensure that Hanford remains a safe and secure environment for all employees and visitors. Because the site is so large, and complex, there are many restrictions on activities such as the use of equipment and methods of transportation. However, the EPA has continually improved safety measures and guidelines to reduce accidents and hazards and to ensure the protection of the workers and their families.