Workers are expected to begin mining operations at the U.S. nuclear
waste dump in New Mexico for the first time in three years following a
radiation release that contaminated part of the underground repository,
the Energy Department said Tuesday.
The work to carve out more
disposal space from the ancient salt formation where the repository is
located will begin later this fall and should be completed by 2020, the
department said in a statement.
Workers will remove more than
112,000 tons (101,605 metric tons) of salt, making way for seven
disposal rooms. Each will have space for more than 10,000 drums
containing up to 55 gallons (208 liters) of waste.
The
repository, named the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, began accepting
shipments of radioactive waste from defense sites and national
laboratories earlier this year after being closed for nearly three
years.
It’s working to catch up with the nation’s
multibillion-dollar program for cleaning up tons of waste left behind by
decades of bomb-making and nuclear research. The waste includes
radioactive tools, gloves, clothing and other debris.
The
pace of shipments is increasing slowly, but federal auditors recently
raised concerns that the repository could run out of space. The U.S.
Government Accountability Office also found that the Energy Department
has no plans for securing regulatory approvals and expanding the Waste
Isolation Pilot Plant before it reaches capacity in less than a decade.
Mining for the new disposal area first began in 2013 but was halted after the radiation release in February 2014.
Data: 20.10.2017
Fonte: www.washingtonpost.com
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