Investigations in Well EPNG 10-36 at the Gasbuggy Nuclear Test Site, Rio Arriba County, New Mexico

Technical Report · Mon Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 2003

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/821948· OSTI ID:821948

Lyles, Brad ^[1]; Chapman, Jenny ^[2]; Gillespie, David ^[2]

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1. Nevada Site Office, Las Vegas, NV (United States); Desert Research Institute
2. Nevada Site Office, Las Vegas, NV (United States)

Well EPNG 10-36 began as a production well in the San Juan Basin of northwester New Mexico. In 1967, the Gasbuggy underground nuclear test was conducted neaby as part of an effort to study nuclear stimulation of low-permeability reservoirs. The proximity of the well to the nuclear test required it to be p lugged prior to the test. Re-entry into the well after the test was not possible due to the original producing horizon in the Pictured Cliffs Formatino, so the well was completed as a groundwater monitoring well in the Ojo Alamo Formation. The well was sampled annually and in the mid-1980s, tritium was detected. A pressure test and subsequent sampling and analysis confirmed that the casing had been compromised. There are unresolved issues as to the original source of the tritium and discrepancies in the location of tritium in the wellbore.

• Research Organization: Nevada Site Office, Las Vegas, NV (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Environmental Management (EM)
• DOE Contract Number: AC08-00NV13609
• OSTI ID: 821948
• Report Number(s): DOE/NV/13609--31; DRI Pub. No. 45202
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS