Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Geohydrology of rocks penetrated by test well USW H-5, Yucca Mountain, Nye County, Nevada

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/138200· OSTI ID:138200

This report contains the results of hydraulic and monitoring, geophysical logging, and water analysis of test well USW H-5, one of a group of test wells drilled in the vicinity of Yucca Mountain, Nye County, Nevada, on behalf of the US Department of Energy to investigate the suitability of the area to store and isolate high- level radioactive waste. The test well was drilled to a depth of 1219 meters; all rocks penetrated are of volcanic origin and of Tertiary age. Depth to water in the test well was 704 meters; the hydraulic head had no measurable variation with depth below land surface, altitude of the water surface was about 774 meters above sea level. Production during hydraulic testing of the test well was about 10 liters per second. Drawdown response to pumping was consistent with two alternative conceptual models. Chemical character of water from the test well was typical of that from tuffaceous rocks in southern Nevada; dissolved solids were about 200 milligrams per liter. Carbon-14 activity of the water was 21.4 percent of modern, yielding an apparent age of 12,400 years before present. 29 refs., 26 figs., 4 tabs.

Research Organization:
Geological Survey, Denver, CO (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
DOE Contract Number:
AI08-78ET44802
OSTI ID:
138200
Report Number(s):
USGS-WRI--88-4168; ON: DE91018333
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English