Ground Water at Yucca Mountain : How High Can It Rise?

The site of a proposed repository for high-level radioactive waste from the nation's nuclear power plants is not at risk of ground water infiltration, concludes this important book. Yucca Mountain, located about 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas, has been proposed as the site for permanent underground disposal of high-level radioactive waste from the nation's civilian nuclear power plants. To resolve concerns raised by a Department of Energy (DOE) staff scientist concerning the potential for ground water to rise 1,000 feet to the level proposed for the repository, DOE requested this study to evaluate independently the past history and future potential of large upward excursions of the ground water beneath Yucca Mountain. Table of ContentsFront MatterExecutive SummaryIntroductionWater Levels in the Vicinity of the Proposed Repository in the ast 100,000 YearsMight Increased Rainfall Cause Flooding of the Proposed Repository?Can an Igneous Intrusion Raise the Water Table to the Proposed Repository Level?Could a Nearby Earthquake Cause Flooding of the Proposed Repository?Summary of Conclusions and RecommendationsAppendix A: A Review of the Isotopic Geochemistry of the Yucca Mountain, Nevada, Proposed Nuclear Waste Repository SiteAppendix B: Yucca Mountain: Ground-Water FlowAppendix C: The Effects of Pluvial Climates in the Vicinity of Yucca Mountain: A SummaryAppendix D: Response of the Ground-Water System at Yucca Mountain to an EarthquakeAppendix E: Probabilities of Earthquakes Near Yucca Mountain, Nevada