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

Waste Management at the Nevada Test Site Fiscal Year 2001 Current Status

Conference ·
OSTI ID:794943
 [1]; ;
  1. Bechtel Nevada
+ Show Author Affiliations
The performance objectives of the U. S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Operations Office (NNSA/NV) Low-level Radioactive Waste (LLW) disposal facilities located at the Nevada Test Site transcend those of any other radioactive waste disposal site in the United States. Situated at the southern end of the Great Basin, 244 meters (800 feet) above the water table, the Area 5 Radioactive Waste Management Site (RWMS) has utilized a combination of engineered shallow land disposal cells and deep augured shafts to dispose a variety of waste streams. These include high volume low-activity waste, classified radioactive material, and high-specific-activity special case waste. Fifteen miles north of Area 5 is the Area 3 RWMS. Here bulk LLW disposal takes place in subsidence craters formed from underground testing of nuclear weapons. Earliest records indicate that documented LLW disposal activities have occurred at the Area 5 and Area 3 RWMSs since 1961 and 1 968, respectively. However, these activities have only been managed under a formal program since 1978. This paper describes the technical attributes of the facilities, present and future capacities and capabilities, and provides a description of the process from waste approval to final disposition. The paper also summarizes the current status of the waste disposal operations.
Research Organization:
Bechtel Nevada Corporation (US)
Sponsoring Organization:
US Department of Energy (US)
DOE Contract Number:
AC08-96NV11718
OSTI ID:
794943
Report Number(s):
DOE/NV/11718--714
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

Similar Records

Environmental Management at the Nevada Test Site Year 2001 Current Status
Conference · Mon Feb 25 23:00:00 EST 2002 · OSTI ID:833331
Waste Management at the Nevada Test Site Year 2002: Current Status
Conference · Sun Feb 23 23:00:00 EST 2003 · OSTI ID:825661
Low-level radioactive waste management at the Nevada Test Site -- Current status
Conference · Wed Mar 31 23:00:00 EST 1999 · OSTI ID:334230

Related Subjects

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEFENSE
GREAT BASIN
LOW-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
NEVADA TEST SITE
NUCLEAR WEAPONS
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL
RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTES
WATER TABLES