• Video: 175-foot Cold War-era nuclear exhaust tower demolished at Hanford Site Controlled explosives brought down the Cold War-era K West Reactor stack near the Columbia River in a major cleanup milestone. • A towering concrete exhaust stack at the Hanford nuclear reservation in Washington state was brought down in a controlled blast last week. • It marked a visible milestone in the long-running cleanup of one of the nation’s former plutonium production reactors. • The 175-foot-tall structure at the K West Reactor, roughly the height of a 17-story building, collapsed in seconds after explosives were triggered at its base. • A sharp “boom” echoed across the site as the charges were remotely detonated. • The stack tilted, then dropped in one piece before striking the ground with a heavy thud.

Article Summaries:

  • A 175‑foot concrete exhaust stack at the Hanford nuclear reservation in Washington was brought down in a controlled blast last week, marking a visible milestone in the long‑running cleanup of the former K West plutonium‑producing reactor. Central Plateau Cleanup Co. detonated explosives at the base, causing the tower to collapse in seconds and fall in one piece. The demolition, carried out by Controlled Demolition Inc., was carefully planned to keep the structure within a safe area and to minimize any release of radioactive material. The removal clears the way for the final stages of decommissioning the K West Reactor, reducing long‑term surveillance needs and environmental risks near the Columbia River.

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