Basic data report for WQSP 1; WQSP 2; WQSP 3; WQSP 4; WQSP 5; WQSP6; and WQSP 6a

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) is located in southeastern New Mexico about 30 miles east of Carlsbad, New Mexico. The WIPP was authorized by Congress in 1979 (Public Law 96-194) and given the mission to provide open-quotes hor-ellipsis a research and development facility to demonstrate the safe disposal of radioactive wastes resulting from the defense activities and programs of the United States exempted from regulation by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.close quotes The WIPP is intended to receive, handle, and permanently dispose of transuranic waste. To fulfill this mission, the U.S. Department of Energy is constructing a full scale facility to demonstrate both technical and operational principles of the permanent storage/disposal of transuranic waste. Technical aspects are those concerned with the design, construction, and performance of subsurface structures. Operational aspects refer to-the receiving, handling, and emplacement of transuranic waste in salt. The facility is also designed for in situ studies and experiments in salt. The Water Quality Sampling Program (WQSP) evaluates the physical and chemical properties of the groundwater above the repository horizon that are part of the technical performance aspects