KENNEWICK — Radioactive waste held in underground tanks has begun to be transferred for the first time to the massive Hanford nuclear site vitrification plant for long-awaited treatment for disposal.

“This is a historic moment for everyone who has worked to make this a reality,” said the Washington state Department of Ecology, a Hanford regulator, in a statement Wednesday afternoon.

“We are now on the brink of achieving hot commissioning at the plant — a legal milestone indicating the facility is fully operational and work has begun to treat tens of millions of gallons of nuclear waste,” Ecology said.

An alert to Hanford workers went out about 11:30 a.m. Wednesday saying the transfer had commenced after more than two decades of construction on the Waste Treatment Plant, or vitrification

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