Site characterization plan basalt waste isolation project

The National Waste Terminal Storage (NWTS) Program of the US Department of Energy (DOE) is aimed at examining a variety of rock formations and geologic environments to assess their suitability as sites for nuclear waste repositories. A statement of position by DOE (DOE, 1980) clearly states objectives of the National Waste Terminal Storage (NWTS) and Basalt Waste Isolation Project (BWIP) and discusses the many individual steps that will be taken before a nuclear waste repository will be constructed and used. The BWIP of the DOE is an element of the NWTS concerned with addressing the suitability of the deep basalts beneath the Hanford Site as a medium for final disposal of nuclear waste. These studies have been under way since the inception of the NWTS program. This report summarizes the results of these studies which have led to the identification of a set of candidate sites within the Hanford Site which appear suitable for siting a nuclear waste repository. Geological, hydrological, and other technical studies have been under way on the Hanford Site for several years. Based on the data gathered from the studies, the site selection process has logically proceeded to the point of selecting a preferred location of approximately 70 square miles (181 square kilometers). The next logical step is to perform sufficient characterization activities to allow a preferred site of about 10 square miles (26 square kilometers) to be selected. The remainder of this document reports the activities that have taken place to date, and the planned efforts to allow the selection of a viable preferred site within the Hanford Site