About Us
Leadership
Chuck Spencer – President and Project Manager
Chuck Spencer is President and Project Manager of Washington River Protection Solutions (WRPS), an affiliate company of URS Corporation where he leads the $7.1 billion remediation of radioactive and hazardous waste tanks at the U.S. Department of Energy's Hanford Site in southeastern Washington state. WRPS assumed responsibility for the Hanford Tank Operations Contract on Oct. 1, 2008.
At Washington River Protection Solutions, he is responsible for retrieving, treating, storing, and disposing of Hanford’s tank waste and closing single-shell storage tanks to protect the Columbia River. Approximately 53 million gallons of highly radioactive and hazardous waste are stored in 177 underground tanks at the Hanford Site.
He is a 25-year veteran of URS (formerly Washington Group International) and the nuclear industry.
Before being named president of WRPS, Spencer was President and Project Manager of Washington Closure Hanford, a company that manages the River Corridor Closure Project at DOE's Hanford Site.
Prior to that, Spencer was senior vice president for management and operations for the Global Management & Operations Services Group, responsible for operations at the Idaho National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory, the Waste Isolation Pilot Project and other project operations. In addition, he was responsible for design oversight of the Pit Disassembly and Conversion Facility and had operational responsibility for the business unit’s operations in the United Kingdom.
Previously, he was the vice president and general manager for Defense Programs at the Washington Savannah River Company near Aiken, South Carolina. There he had responsibility for servicing all active nuclear weapons through the production and processing of tritium and testing of gas boost systems. He also was responsible for managing the Savannah River Site’s development of the conceptual design of the $2.4 billion Modern Pit Facility for future plutonium trigger manufacturing for the nation’s stockpile.
From 1988 until joining Washington Group in 1990 he was an attorney for Centerior Service Company in Ohio where he was responsible for nuclear and other corporate matters.
He earned a civil engineering technology degree from Youngstown State University and a Juris Doctor degree from Cleveland Marshall College of Law.
Spencer resides in Richland, Washington, and serves on the board of directors for the Tri-City Economic Development Council and United Way of Benton and Franklin Counties.
About Us
Contact
Mailing Address:
Washington River Protection Solutions
P.O. Box: 850 MSIN: H6-04
Richland, WA 99352
509-373-2196
Location:
2440 Stevens Center Place
Richland, WA
External Affairs:
Questions/Comments
About Us
Challenges
Nowhere in the U.S. Department of Energy’s nuclear complex is cleaning up the legacy of Cold War plutonium production more challenging than at the Hanford Site in south-central Washington State. Here, in 177 huge underground storage tanks dating from the early days of the Manhattan Project to near the end of the Cold War, is the waste from reprocessing 120,000 tons of irradiated uranium. Hanford’s tanks contain nearly 200 million curies of radioactivity, as well as a complex mixture of hazardous chemicals. Safely managing and retrieving the tank waste to prepare it for disposal is the job of Washington River Protection Solutions.
Environmental cleanup formally began at Hanford in 1989. Hanford’s tanks hold 53 million gallons of high-level radioactive and hazardous waste, the legacy of decades of plutonium production for the nation’s nuclear arsenal. The waste is a complex mixture of radioactive materials and chemical waste. No two tanks contain exactly the same kind of waste and the waste itself is not homogenous.
Multiple fuel reprocessing methods were used at Hanford to improve efficiency, recover valuable materials and protect tanks from degradation. Because the waste coming from the processing plants was highly acidic it had to be treated to prevent corrosion. This was achieved with the addition of large quantities of sodium hydroxide and other chemicals to turn the waste alkaline. Campaigns were also conducted to recover uranium from the waste and return the material to the fuel cycle. In addition, chemical processes were developed to remove both strontium and cesium from the tanks, which created additional waste forms. The chemistry of these multiple waste forms was further altered by mixing waste between tanks, plus changes resulting from chemicals being exposed to radioactive materials.
About Us
Community
The Hanford Reach National Monument Interpretive Center
- WRPS pledged a donation of $1 million over five years to the Hanford Reach National Monument Interpretive Center to help fund construction and educational exhibits. The Interpretive Center will demonstrate how the region has evolved over time, from the Ice-Age floods that make our region so fertile to its modern agricultural existence today.
The United Way
- For 2010, WRPS pledged approximately $300,000 in combined employee and corporate giving to the United Way of Benton and Franklin Counties. The United Way brings local people, agencies and services together to benefit the most critical human care needs in our community.
Columbia Basin College
- WRPS donated $250,000 (2009-2010) to CBC to support education programs such as nuclear technology, science and engineering as well as general scholarships.
Washington State University Tri-Cities
- WRPS made a donation of $250,000 (2009-2010) to WSU Tri-Cities to support equipment upgrades, research projects, and general scholarships.
The donation also assists small, local technology-based businesses in taking on student interns to ensure that students get the best education possible.
The Arc of Tri-Cities (Arc)
- WRPS made a donation of $100,000 to the Arc of Tri-Cities to help support construction of its new facility in
Richland’s Spaulding Business Park. The Arc of Tri-Cities promotes services and support of those with developmental disabilities. - Employees of WRPS also participate in the ARC’s Partners N Pals summer day camps by hosting a horseback riding, games and petting zoo event annually. Partners N Pals camps allow children with developmental disabilities such as Autism or Down’s syndrome to enjoy a fun-filled day.
Second Harvest Food Bank
- WRPS employees joined with Bechtel National and its affiliates to participate in the KNDU Family Food Drive benefitting the local Second Harvest Food Bank, together raising more than $54,000 in cash donations and 3,000 pounds of food.
March of Dimes
- WRPS employees participated in the 2010 March of Dimes March for Babies,raising approximately $26,000,
exceeding the $20,000 goal. In addition to the walk itself, WRPS hosted fundraisers, such as selling ice cream sandwiches or root beer floats at lunchtime, to raise the money. WRPS also served as a sponsor of the organization’s Gourmet Gala fundraiser in February. Money raised for the March of Dimes works to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality.
Red Cross
- WRPS employees donated over 160 units of blood to the Red Cross during blood drives from January 2009 to April 2010.
- WRPS also donated $15,000 to the Benton-Franklin Red Cross for local disaster relief and local military family support.
Junior Achievement
- WRPS partnered with Junior Achievement for its annual bowling fundraiser.
The 23 WRPS teams raised over $16,000 to help bring Junior Achievement programs to more than 8,300 local students. - WRPS sponsored the Junior Achievement Titans competition for local students. Fifteen teams from the Tri Cities area competed in a timed exercise where they made business decisions for a fictional company. The winning team members received $200 each and bragging rights on college applications.
Leadership Tri-Cites (LTC)
- WRPS has joined forces with Leadership Tri Cites as their corporate sponsor for the past two years. LTC is an educational program that examines regional issues and provides valuable tools and experience to develop leaders in our community.
Tri-Cities Visitors and Convention Bureau
- WRPS is the title sponsor of the Tri-Cities Visitors and Convention Bureau’s Sacajawea Heritage Trail Adventure Challenge.
WRPS supported the Challenge as a way for Tri-Citians to celebrate and explore the Sacajawea Heritage Trail, which runs along 23 miles on both sides of the Columbia River and through all three cities.
Columbia River Exhibition of History, Science and Technology Museum (CREHST)
- WRPS donated funds to the CREHST museum to support its local exhibits. These exhibits include a pioneering display, oral history items, and other display costs. CREHST is a museum and science center dedicated to telling the story of the Columbia Basin region. It features displays as well as interactive, hands-on activities.
About Us
Mission
Washington River Protection Solutions is committed to the safe and efficient management, retrieval and treatment of radioactive and hazardous risks to the Columbia River from the Hanford tank farms.
Vision
The Washington River Protection Solutions team is dedicated to bring proven and innovative worldwide technologies to the remediation of the Hanford tank farms, with a focus on workplace safety, performance excellence and respect for the environment.
About Us
Overview
Washington River Protection Solutions is committed to reducing the environmental risk posed by the 53 million gallons of radioactive and chemical waste stored in 177 underground tanks near the center of the 586 square-mile Hanford Site. This commitment includes the safe removal of waste from the aging single-shell tanks and the safe management of waste stored in the newer double-shell tanks until the waste can be prepared for disposal. Our commitment includes doing our job safely, with a strong focus on innovation, employee involvement and environmental protection.
Washington River Protection Solutions is a joint venture between URS Corporation and Energy Solutions, with AREVA as our primary subcontractor. Between us we have decades of experience which we bring to this job, which is considered one of the most complex cleanup projects in the nation.
While our first priority is doing our job, we recognize we also have a commitment to the community to help further its goals. As such, we are investing in programs and projects that advance educational and economic development opportunities in the region as well as those that enhance the quality of life. The future of the Tri-Cities area is bright, and we’re excited to be involved and help it grow to realize its full potential.
