Geohydrological aspects of the long-term safety assessment of the disposal of radioactive waste in salt domes in the Netherlands

In the Netherlands a generic long-term safety assessment has been made by a working group of the Interdepartmental Nuclear Energy Commission focussed on the salt domes in the N.E. Netherlands. Only the geohydrological aspects of this safety assessment are discussed in this paper. A description is presented of a salt dome and its surrounding strata with emphasis on the geohydrological classification of the geological formations. The data used for the salt dome are comparable with those for the salt domes, that may be suitable for the disposal of radioactive waste. The processes or events which could affect the isolation of the waste from the biosphere are described. Those phenomena are identified that could initiate or influence transport of radionuclides. (Auth.)