Arizona Radiation Regulatory Agency (ARRA)Waste Isolation Pilot Plant
What is WIPP?
"WIPP" is the abbreviation for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) facility located in the remote Chihuahuan desert of southeastern New Mexico, approximately 26 miles southeast of Carlsbad. WIPP is an underground nuclear waste disposal. The site chosen is a 16-square-mile tract of federal land that consists of a 2,000-foot salt formation that has been stable for more than 200 million years. The project facilities include disposal rooms excavated 2150 feet underground. The facility is the nation's first geological repository for permanent disposal of Transuranic (TRU) radioactive waste. Congress authorized the development of WIPP in 1980 to demonstrate the safe disposal of radioactive waste resulting from defense programs of the United States.
What is Transuranic Radioactive Waste?
The term "Transuranic" is derived from trans, meaning beyond, and uranic, meaning uranium. TRU waste which contains manmade radioactive elements, and have an atomic number greater than uranium (and therefore "beyond uranium") is produced during nuclear fuel assembly, nuclear weapons research, productions, and cleanup, and as a result of reprocessing spent nuclear fuels.The waste generally consists of protective clothing, tools, glassware, and equipment contaminated with radioactive materials. WIPP, is the world's first underground repository licensed to safely and permanently dispose of Transuranic radioactive waste left from the research and production of nuclear weapons. After more than 20 years of scientific study, public input, and regulatory struggles, WIPP began operations on March 26, 1999.
Why Salt?
There are many advantages to mining in rock salt. Some of them are:
- Most deposits are found in very stable geologic areas with very little earthquake activity.
- Salt deposits demonstrate the absence of flowing fresh water that could move waste to the surface.
- Salt is relative easy to Mine
- And, salt heals its own fractures because of its plastic quality. That is, salt formations will slowly and progressively move in to fill mined areas and safely seal the radioactive waste from the environment.
- Salt deposits demonstrate the absence of flowing fresh water that could move waste to the surface.
- Salt is relative easy to Mine.
- And, salt heals its own fractures because of its plastic quality. That is, salt formations will slowly and progressively move in to fill mined areas and safely seal the radioactive waste from the environment.
The Storage Area
Each disposal room is 300 feet long, 33 feet wide and 13 feet high, and each will hold the equivalent of 12,000 55 gallon drums of waste. The Waste is stored with Magnesium oxide to act as a chemical buffer, the stack of drums is to only be three high, DOE is to keep detailed records about the location and the contents of each drum. The waste is being shipped from the nation’s DOE sites. These generator sites through out the US have upward of 600,000 55-gallon barrels (38,000 shipments) of TRU waste waiting transport to WIPP in the next 35 years. This waste will be shipped in specially built containers called TRUPACT-II’s. They are made of 2 stainless-steel vessels, one inside the other, both sealed and not vented.
State’s Responsibility
Plan Development
- Develop effective emergency response plans and procedures for responding to WIPP transport incidents along the shipping corridor.
- Insure training reaches all public sector employers, which includes references and resources for radiological training, drills, and exercises.
- The most important: Public Outreach. Clearly communicate to the media and public the actual risk of shipments and the safety measurements in place.
- The state is getting the hospitals and first responders trained.