The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, or WIPP, is an underground repository that handles the permanent and safe disposal of transuranic radioactive waste that is left from the production of nuclear weapons. It is located near Carlsbad, New Mexico. Waste is placed in rooms 2,150 feet underground that have been excavated from a 2,000-foot thick salt formation that has been stable for more than 200 million years. Because salt is somewhat plastic and will flow to seal any cracks that develop, it was chosen as a host medium for the WIPP project.

Waste that is to be stored at the location must meet certain specified criteria. WIPP is unsuited for high level radioactive waste as its high heat attracts water which would lead to rapid corrosion of the waste packages, and the dissolution of the waste into the salty water. The containers can also only contain a limited amount of liquids. The energy released from radioactive materials will dissociate water into hydrogen and oxygen. This could then create a potentially explosive environment inside the container. The containers must be vented, as well, to prevent this from happening.

Because drilling or excavation in the area will be hazardous long after the area is being actively used, there are plans to construct markers to deter inadvertent human intrusion for the next ten thousand years.

See also

• Stored Waste Examination Pilot Plant

References

• Expert Judgement on Markers to Deter Inadvertent Human Intrusion into the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, Sandia National Laboratories report SAND92-1382 / UC-721 (Excerpts)

External link

• Official Site for WIPP