Independent report questions viability of Yucca repository

Monday, Nov. 23, 1998 | 10:57 a.m.

An independent scientific panel is concerned about the uncertain future of Yucca Mountain and the potential threat to public health the proposed nuclear waste dump could pose.

The Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board released a special report Friday that questions whether the mountain, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas, can contain highly radioactive wastes based on the current design of the repository proposed by the Department of Energy.

The board's report echoes similar concerns expressed by 220 environmental groups last week at a press conference in Washington, D.C.

The environmentalists have called for the DOE to stop work at the mountain.

The review board, however, urges the DOE to continue studies and to focus its efforts on ground water contamination and how well storage containers will keep the radiation away from people and the environment.

The current DOE testing results on water from rain entering the unsaturated repository rock concerned the board the most, the report said.

Radioactive chlorine-36 has been found throughout the mountain. The chlorine was formed from nuclear weapons exploded in the Pacific Islands, which traveled through the air and mixed with rain. The chlorine has moved through Yucca Mountain's rock in less than 50 years.

The DOE's own rules disqualify any repository site that allows water to move through it in less than 1,000 years.

The Energy Department said that more studies are necessary at Yucca Mountain before deciding whether the old volcano can contain 77,000 tons of the nation's nuclear waste. The DOE will not apply for a license to build a repository before the year 2002.

The review board said the DOE must continue to collect water samples and analyze them carefully to discover the extent of the chlorine-36 contamination.

Waste containers, not yet built, also require special attention, the review board said.

The report cited lack of quality control of manufacturing the containers, inspecting them and how long the welds would last. Nuclear waste has to be welded shut into the containers for disposal.

The review board emphasized that its special report was separate from the viability assessment, a report card by the DOE to Congress. They did not review that report, board members said.

The review board was created by Congress when it amended the Nuclear Waste Policy Act in 1987. The board is mandated to evaluate scientific and technical activities at Yucca Mountain.