Annalee Grant reports that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission will study the groundwater impacts of the Yucca Mountain geological repository for nuclear waste as a supplement to the DOE environmental impact statement, according to a notice to be published in the Federal Register on March 12.
The NRC previously concluded that the original EIS published by the DOE in 2002 did not adequately address all of the impacts that the proposed repository would have on groundwater or the impacts from surface discharges of groundwater. The announcement came a day after Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., revealed that he will introduce legislation that would allow the construction of a nuclear waste repository only if state, local and affected Indian tribe officials give their consent.
The NRC originally asked the DOE to complete the study on groundwater, but the agency declined to prepare it. The DOE instead prepared a separate analysis of the post-closure water impacts of the Yucca Mountain region in Nye County, Nev. The NRC said in the notice of intent that it will consider that study as it conducts its own supplement to the EIS.
The NRC study will look at parts of the volcanic-alluvial aquifer that could become contaminated and how water and potential contaminants may be able to leave the system. The study will also determine the amount of contaminants that can be reasonably expected to enter the aquifer from the repository, and the amount that can be reasonably expected to remain over time.
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