The Nine Biggest Nuclear Waste Sites in America

The United States faces a growing challenge with nuclear waste, as more than 100 storage sites hold hazardous materials from active and decommissioned plants. Sites like Hanford and Savannah River store millions of gallons of waste, raising concerns about long-term environmental and public safety risks.

The Trump Administration has actively promoted the expansion of nuclear energy across the United States, driven by increasing electricity demands, particularly from AI data centers. This initiative is part of a broader strategy called "Reinvigorating the Nuclear Industrial Base," aimed at maintaining energy independence, securing uninterrupted power for national security, and competing globally in the artificial intelligence sector. As part of this, there are efforts to ease regulations surrounding new nuclear power plant constructions. However, with this expansion comes a critical issue: managing nuclear waste.

Currently, more than 100 nuclear waste storage sites are distributed across the United States, with many located near active nuclear power plants. Two of the most prominent sites are the facilities in Hanford, Washington, and Savannah River, South Carolina. Some of these storage facilities have started to show signs of leakage, raising serious concerns about potential environmental and health risks.

Dean Campbell, from Westinghouse Savannah River Co., which manages the Savannah River facility, has attempted to reassure the public. He stated that the observed leakage in certain areas remains confined to small sections of the tank walls, where it dries up without posing significant additional risks. Despite these reassurances, there is widespread skepticism about the long-term safety of these sites.

Recent research conducted by the Crown School at the University of Chicago has highlighted the severe risks posed by the nuclear waste stored across the country. In their report titled Our Silent Zombie: Commercial Nuclear Waste Storage in the United States, they emphasize that the high-level nuclear waste stored at these locations is dangerous to humans for thousands of years. The Guardian has labeled these substances as some of the most hazardous materials on Earth.

The scale of the problem is vast. According to the American Action Forum, there are over 95,000 metric tons of spent nuclear fuel stored across 79 sites in more than 30 states. Many local communities are resistant to having these dangerous materials stored near their homes, and residents living near existing storage sites often find themselves with limited options, sometimes facing the difficult decision to relocate.

In 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission could temporarily store nuclear waste in parts of New Mexico and Texas. This decision alleviated some of the pressure in the short term but underscored the ongoing challenge of finding safe and permanent storage solutions for nuclear waste.

To better understand the scope of this issue, Climate Crisis24 used data from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Congressional Research Service (CRS), and other federal and state agencies. This data helped identify the largest nuclear waste storage sites in the U.S. The analysis took into account volumes of defense-related waste, radioactivity levels of commercial spent nuclear fuel, and projected costs of site cleanup.

Top Nine Largest Nuclear Waste Sites in the U.S.

1. Hanford Site (Richland, Washington): The Hanford Site is the largest storage facility in the U.S. in terms of defense-related high-level waste. It contains 54 million gallons of waste stored in 177 underground tanks, holding the majority of the nation's 90 million gallons of legacy tank waste. Cleanup efforts are underway, but much of the work remains to be done.
2. Savannah River Site (Aiken, South Carolina): The Savannah River Site is the second-largest in terms of waste volume, with approximately 35 million gallons of nuclear waste. The presence of plutonium and tritium production waste complicates cleanup efforts, making it more difficult to manage the site.
3. Idaho National Laboratory (Idaho Falls, Idaho): While the Idaho National Laboratory stores a smaller volume of waste compared to Hanford and Savannah River, it holds about 700,000 gallons of sodium-bearing waste. This facility serves as a primary storage site for Department of Energy (DOE) spent nuclear fuel.
4. Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (Carlsbad, New Mexico): The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant is the only operational deep geological repository in the U.S., specifically designed for the storage of defense-related transuranic waste.
5. Yucca Mountain (Nevada): Yucca Mountain was designated as a permanent repository for high-level nuclear waste and spent fuel, with a storage capacity of up to 70,000 metric tons. Despite this, the facility has not yet reached its full storage capacity, and its future remains uncertain due to ongoing political and regulatory challenges.
6. Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station (Arizona): As the largest nuclear power plant in the U.S. by generating capacity, Palo Verde has accumulated significant amounts of nuclear waste. The plant, which generates 4,000 MW of power, has stored thousands of metric tons of spent nuclear fuel over the course of its operation.
7. Diablo Canyon Power Plant (California): Diablo Canyon, a two-unit plant in California, has a substantial legacy of spent nuclear fuel. The plant is scheduled for decommissioning around 2029-2030, which will pose significant challenges for managing its waste.
8. San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (California, decommissioned): San Onofre, formerly a three-unit plant, is now decommissioned. However, it still holds a large inventory of nuclear waste stored in dry casks, a result of its decades-long operation. Although no longer operational, it continues to contribute to the nation's nuclear waste burden.
9. Zion Nuclear Power Station (Illinois, decommissioned): Zion, a two-unit plant shut down in 1996 and 1997, remains a significant contributor to the nuclear waste challenge. Even though the plant was decommissioned, it still holds large amounts of spent nuclear fuel, exacerbating the ongoing waste management problem.

The management of nuclear waste is critical for ensuring the long-term viability of nuclear energy in the United States. As new nuclear plants are built and older plants are decommissioned, the need for safe and reliable nuclear waste storage and disposal will continue to be a central issue for policymakers, local communities, and the nuclear industry.

Sources:

• America’s Nine Largest Nuclear Waste Sites
• Our Silent Zombie: Commercial Nuclear Waste Storage in the United States report
• How and where is nuclear waste stored in the US?