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It concluded last year that a large settling tank and two trenches where plutonium-contaminated liquids were poured into the ground for disposal posed a high risk of collapse and contamination, Tri-City Herald reported Tuesday.

The partial collapse of a tunnel storing nuclear waste the nuclear reservation in 2017 prompted a federal study which concluded last year that a large settling tank and two trenches where plutonium-contaminated liquids were poured into the ground for disposal posed a high risk of collapse and contamination, Tri-City Herald reported Tuesday.

One of them was a community water-treatment system in Rwanda that combined a settling tank, sand-based filtration and solar-powered ultraviolet disinfection.

“We have a fish aerator in the tank. The water from the tank, along with most of the solid waste, will flow into the 55 gallon settling tank. It is there that bacteria naturally breaks down the fish waste into nitrates. Then the nitrate rich water flows into the grow beds, which are 4-foot by 8-foot, to feed the plants. “Once in the growth beds, there the constantly floating roots will catch the water and cleanse it as it removes the nitrates,” he continued.

Police say a 55-year-old employee of a contractor hired to clean a waste tank was cleaning the interior of the drained sludge settling tank when he stepped into the sump pit, which is a below-floor-level 10 foot-by-10 foot settling area within the tank.