A settlement between the Department of Justice and CH2M Hill Hanford Group over alleged timecard fraud at the Hanford tank farms is expected to be announced as soon as Wednesday.

CH2M Hill held the contract to manage 56 million gallons of radioactive waste in underground tanks until it expired in 2008.

Last fall, the federal government took over a civil lawsuit filed by a former CH2M Hill worker on behalf of the United States under the False Claims Act. The act allows individuals to sue on behalf of the government and collect a portion of any damages awarded.

Eight former CH2M Hill workers have pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court for Eastern Washington to conspiracy to commit timecard fraud.

The lawsuit claims CH2M Hill knowingly presented false claims for reimbursement to the Department of Energy for more than a decade.

CH2M Hill has said that it brought up concerns about timecard practices to the federal government as early as 2004 and asked for help investigating the matter.