Hanford workers finished filling the K East Basin with sand over the weekend after the last of the radioactive water was drained from the basin two weeks ago.

Over the past two weeks, 514 trucks hauled 5,100 cubic yards of sand mixed with a thin slurry of grout to the basin, according to Fluor Hanford. The grout allowed the sand to be piped into the basin.

The sand, which has a consistency similar to that in a child's sandbox, will provide a platform for heavy machinery that will demolish the building above the basin this summer.

The sand also will provide shielding to protect workers from radiation in the concrete walls of the basin as they remove some items from the building before it is demolished.

Just two months ago the leak-prone K East Basin, which is 400 yards from the Columbia River, held 1 million gallons of radioactive water.

The K West Basin, which is sturdier, still is filled with water to provide shielding for highly radioactive sludge consolidated from both basins in underwater containers until it is treated.