Suitability of Palestine salt dome, Anderson Co. , Texas for disposal of high-level radioactive waste

Technical Report · Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1980

OSTI ID:5277859

Patchick, P F

The suitability of Palestine salt dome, in Anderson County, Texas, is in serious doubt for a repository to isolate high-level nuclear waste because of abandoned salt brining operations. The random geographic and spatial occurrence of 15 collapse sinks over the dome may prevent safe construction of the necessary surface installations for a repository. The dissolution of salt between the caprock and dome, from at least 15 brine wells up to 500 feet deep, may permit increased rates of salt dissolution long into future geologic time. The subsurface dissolution is occurring at a rate difficult, if not impossible, to assess or to calculate. It cannot be shown that this dissolution rate is insignificant to the integrity of a future repository or to ancillary features. The most recent significant collapse was 36 feet in diameter and took place in 1972. The other collapses ranged from 27 to 105 feet in diameter and from 1.5 to more than 15 feet in depth. ONWI recommends that this dome be removed from consideration as a candidate site.

• Research Organization: Battelle Memorial Inst., Columbus, OH (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC06-76RL01830
• OSTI ID: 5277859
• Report Number(s): ONWI-74; TRN: 80-010433
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
RADIOACTIVE WASTE FACILITIES
SITE SELECTION
BRINES
DISSOLUTION
GEOLOGY
HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL
SALT DEPOSITS
TAXES
UNDERGROUND DISPOSAL
WELLS
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
MANAGEMENT
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTES
052002* - Nuclear Fuels- Waste Disposal & Storage
510500 - Environment
Terrestrial- Site Resource & Use Studies- (-1989)