Nuclear Waste Tank in Washington State May Be Leaking: Department of Energy

Nuclear Waste Tank in Washington State May Be Leaking: Department of Energy
A sign at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation is posted near Richland, Wash., on Aug. 13, 2019. Elaine Thompson/AP Photo File
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SPOKANE, Wash.—An underground nuclear waste storage tank in Washington state that dates to World War II appears to be leaking contaminated liquid into the ground, the U.S. Department of Energy said Thursday.

It’s the second tank believed to be leaking waste left from the production of plutonium for nuclear weapons at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation. The first was discovered in 2013. Many more of the 149 single-walled storage tanks at the site are suspected of leaking.