Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Repository

The Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Repository is located along the Yucca ridge in Nye County Nevada. The Yucca facility was designed by the U.S. Department of Energy to store nuclear waste from the countries nuclear energy plants. The plant was originally authorized to be constructed in 1985 by President Reagan, but because of heated debate, and controversy of the Yucca site/location it remains in the crosshairs of opponents of nuclear energy, and those who are pushing for safer ways to dispose of nuclear waste.

Usages of the Facility:

The Facility is located along the Yucca Mountain Ridge. This mountain is comprised of volcanic materials such as volcanic tuff. Supposedly this tuff, the remains of an ancient super caldera volcano will assist in protecting from the accidental spread of the radioactive materials to be housed in the facility. The Yucca Facility is located below the surface of the ridge, and has a 9-foot thick concrete barrier protecting its storage halls from the outside world. When the facility begins to receive waste, it will use a steel and concrete "cask" system to completely shut the nuclear waste away inside easy to manage packages. These casks will be placed in the halls of the storage facility, and will remain there until they are no longer radioactive. According the department of energy, the waste stored in this facility will take just over one thousand years before it is no longer radioactive. Therefore, the Yucca facility has been designed to protect this waste for 10,000 years.

The Yucca Facility was scheduled to open in January of 1998, and was a 9 million dollar project. Both taxpayers and the producers of nuclear energy funded this project. Yucca started with an operating budget of just over $490 million. After 8 years of operating with this immense budget, congress lowered the spending to $390 million. The diagram above shows the design of this underground facility, and will explain how the waste is gathered, transported, and stored.

1. The nuclear waste, or de-commissioned nuclear weapons arrive at the facility by train.

2. The waste is sealed in concrete and steel casks, logged into inventory, and then processed.

3. The waste is loaded onto a mechanical ramp, and delivered below the surface of the ridge to the underground storage facility.

4. The waste, sealed in its cask, is stored in the storage halls of the facility where it will stay until its no longer radioactive.

Effects on the Environment:

The Yucca site is opposed by many because of its long-term effects on the environment. The state of Nevada does not feel it should be responsible for the housing of this nuclear waste because the state of Nevada does not house a single nuclear plant. Simply, Nye county Nevada was chosen as a side because of its vast open desert, and its extinct caldera volcano. But geologists are not certain that this volcano is extinct. If for any reason the volcano is triggered, and erupts, the results could be catastrophic. Aside from the treat of volcanic activity, many are opposed to the placement of this repository because earthquakes hazard its location. Nevada currently ranks third in the U.S. for earthquakes and seismic activity. The Yucca ridge is on a fault line, and with its proximity to this fault, is in danger of an earthquake that could potentially damage the facility and put the surround area at risk for a radiation leak. Not only is there a fault line close to the ridge, the repository is built above one of the cotenants water tables. The proximity of this water table to the facility could pose a serious problem if any form of radiation enters the table, or the surround rock that filters the water. The Yucca facility opposed by so many for a variety of reasons. Each and every one of these claims against the use of a facility in this location is valid, and all have contributed to the facility remaining closed.

Long Term:

Although there are valid arguments on both sides of the debate over the Yucca nuclear waste repository, the evidence that the facility should not be used is overwhelming. The storage of this waste needs to be heavily monitored, and the Yucca Site has too many unknown variables that could contribute to a catastrophic disaster. Whether you are more concerned with the volcanic activity in the region, or the high number of earthquakes which plague the area one thing is certain, mother nature is not very predictable, and scientists are taking a chance with the location of this facility. Opponents to the location of this facility have concluded that if a significant amount of radioactive material were to escape this facility and penetrate the water table, that it would poison the supply for close to 10 thousand years.

Alternative Storage:

The concept of sealing nuclear waste in steel and concrete and they burying it deep within a mountain is certainly one way to "dispose" of the material. But with emerging science, and constantly evolving technology the modes of storage and disposal will continue to advance. According to the Department of Energy, freezing radioactive waste is a valid, and inexpensive way to store this waste. By freezing the waste with liquid nitrogen, you completely seal in all of the radiation and as long as the facility remains connected to an electrical supply, there is no chance of a leak. Also, it has been proposed that we utilize outer space as a means to dispose of our waste. Many have discussed simply sending this waste into space, and forgetting all about it... in any case, the methods in which to dispose of this waste are constantly evolving and will some day prove to be effective, safe, and clean. Until then we don't really have another choice besides simply burying the waste.

Conclusion:

Whether you think the Yucca facility is or is not the best way to dispose of the waste from our nuclear power plants, the evidence is irrefutable. All of the research, science, and debates have proven that the utilization of a facility such as Yucca is asking for a disaster. There are too many unknown variables, and when working with material as dangerous as nuclear waste, there is no room for error. Works Cited

"Eureka County, Nevada - Nuclear Waste Office." Yucca Mountain. The State of Nevada. 24 Nov. 2008 .

"Licensing the National Repository at Yucca Mountain." U.S. Department of Energy. 3 June 2006. U.S. Department of Energy. 24 Nov. 2008 .

"Yucca Mountain Standards." Yucca Mountain Standards - Radiation Protection - EPA Standards. Environmental Protection Agency. 24 Nov. 2008 .