Is radiation monitored in the Columbia River?
Both the state and federal government are actively monitoring the river to ensure we are aware of all possible risks to human health and the environment. Numerous samples of soil, groundwater, river water, seeps, sediments, and vegetation are taken at regular intervals each year. The entire Hanford Site and the river are also periodically surveyed for radioactivity using various geophysical tools. Those supplies meet the requirements of the federal Safe Drinking Water Act. The results of these surveys are published in the Hanford Site Groundwater Monitoring reports. Additionally, in partnership with the Oregon Department of Energy and the Washington State Department of Health, we sample sediments in the river behind the dams from McNary Dam down to Bonneville Dam to determine that there is no health threat from river sediments.
