Subsurface hydrology of strata overlying the Salado Formation at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant site, Eddy County, New Mexico
The fluid-bearing zones above the Salado Formation which have been identified at the WIPP site are the Rustler-Salado contact zone and the Culebra and Magenta dolomites of the Rustler Formation. The nearly saturated brines along the Rustler-Salado contact are found primarily in the area of Nash Draw. The high salinity of this water precludes its use for human or livestock consumption. The permeability of the Culebra dolomite is highly variable, thus, the Culebra contains water in some locations but is essentially devoid of moisture in others. Though the concentration of dissolved solids in the Culebra varies considerably, the water is generally too saline for human consumption and marginal in most locations for livestock. The Magenta is fluid-bearing in some places; however, the transmissivity of the dolomite is quite low, providing very slow recharge to wells in the WIPP site area. With the exceptions of a localized zone in the Santa Rosa Sandstone to the east and a thin sandy zone in the Dewey Lake Redbeds, no zones of saturation have been detected in the rocks above the Rustler Formation.
- Research Organization:
- Westinghouse Electric Corp., Pittsburgh, PA (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC04-78AL05346
- OSTI ID:
- 6154592
- Report Number(s):
- WTSD-TME-3059; ON: DE86004313
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Results of hydrologic tests and water-chemistry analyses, wells H-6A, H-6B, and H-6C, at the proposed waste isolation pilot plant site, southeastern New Mexico
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Related Subjects
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
520500 -- Environment
Aquatic-- Site Resource & Use Studies-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ALKALINE EARTH METAL COMPOUNDS
CALCIUM CARBONATES
CALCIUM COMPOUNDS
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBONATE MINERALS
CARBONATES
DOLOMITE
ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
FEDERAL REGION VI
FUNCTIONAL MODELS
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
GROUND WATER
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROLOGY
MAGNESIUM CARBONATES
MAGNESIUM COMPOUNDS
MINERALS
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NEW MEXICO
NORTH AMERICA
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PILOT PLANTS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE FACILITIES
SALT DEPOSITS
UNDERGROUND FACILITIES
US DOE
US ORGANIZATIONS
USA
WATER
WATER QUALITY
WIPP