Research Capabilities
Cultural Resources
As the U.S. Department of Energy's prime cultural resource contractor, PNNL operates the Hanford Cultural Resources Laboratory (HCRL) the Hanford Cultural and Historic Resources Program, which is operated by the DOE Richland Operations Office (DOE-RL) to ensure protection of important cultural resources at the Hanford Site. Efforts include identifying prehistoric and historic archaeological sites, documenting the Manhattan and Cold War eras and ensuring DOE's compliance with the National Historic Preservation Act and other cultural resource authorities.
The HCRL is assisting in meeting DOE's accelerated cleanup mission by streamlining the documentation of plutonium production facilities and identifying cultural resources in areas targeted for cleanup and transfer. Additionally, HCRL is supporting PNNL's Research Campus of the Future by documenting historic features found on the proposed site and facilitating consultation with Native Americans.
HCRL uses modern capabilities to promote the protection and management of cultural resources including Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping, site monitoring, collecting data and conducting interviews, contributions to leading anthropological journals, providing training and teaming with educational organizations in the community.