Site evaluation for a defense transuranic nuclear waste repository
- Environmental Evaluation Group, Albuquerque, NM (United States)
The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) located in southeastern New Mexico, USA, is being constructed to be a geologic repository in salt beds for the disposal of defense transuranic waste. Site investigation for the WIPP began in 1974. The characteristics of regional geology, hydrology and underground geomechanics are now fairly well understood. Performance assessment to predict the long-term containment capability of the site has identified some additional issues of site characterization that need to be resolved. There is a plan to temporarily emplace some waste at the WIPP for experiments to measure gas generation from waste, but that may not contribute much to assess the suitability of the project for containment of the waste for 10,000 years or more. The facility was designed for a 25 year operation and excavation of the shafts and the major tunnels started in 1982. It is recommended that assessment of the repository`s long-term suitability be accelerated, robust engineered barriers be included in the design, and the project should proceed to make the decision whether to use it as a repository. It is not necessary to first temporarily emplace some waste at the site to make this decision.
- OSTI ID:
- 100828
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-930906-; ISBN 0-7918-0691-X; TRN: 95:019634
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: `93 international conference on nuclear waste management and environmental remediation, Prague (Czech Republic), 5-11 Sep 1993; Other Information: PBD: 1993; Related Information: Is Part Of Proceedings of the 1993 international conference on nuclear waste management and environmental remediation. Volume 1: Low and intermediate level radioactive waste management; Alexandre, D.; Baker, R.; Kohout, R.; Marek, J. [eds.]; PB: 776 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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