Selection of nuclear waste repository sites in the Permian Basin

Thesis/Dissertation · Wed Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1986

OSTI ID:6928559

Guzzetta, D J

Since late 1977, the US Department of Energy (DOE) has been conducting environmental and geologic studies in order to identify potential sites for the disposal of high-level nuclear waste from commercial reactors. The DOE proposes to bury the waste deep underground in conventionally-mined repositories located in stable geologic deposits such as salt formations. Geologic, environmental, and socioeconomic studies led to the identification of two potentially suitable repository sites in the Permian bedded salt formation of west Texas. Detailed multi-disciplinary studies will be required to confirm the ability of these sites to isolate the high-level nuclear waste from the human environment for a period of 10,000 years in an environmentally sound manner. This report provides a description and discussion of the multi-step site selection process that identified the two 9 square mile (23 square kilometer) sites from the 80,000 square mile (26,000 square kilometer) Permian salt formation.

• Research Organization: California Univ., Los Angeles (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6928559
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

052002* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Waste Disposal & Storage
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
510300 -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
530100 -- Environmental-Social Aspects of Energy Technologies-- Social & Economic Studies-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
INSTITUTIONAL FACTORS
MANAGEMENT
MATERIALS
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
PERMIAN BASIN
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
SITE SELECTION
SOCIO-ECONOMIC FACTORS
UNDERGROUND DISPOSAL
US DOE
US ORGANIZATIONS
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTES