What is the future of Yucca Mountain?
The most crucial step still remaining is that the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission must approve the site. Once construction authorization is given,
construction is slated to begin in 2005, with the first waste expected
to be accepted in 2010. Under the belief that the repository will accept
70,000 metric tons over the next 100 years, the facility will start permanent
closure in the year 2110. Complete closure is expected in 2116, at which
time reclamation will begin.
 |
Plant species native to the area to determine the necessary reclamation
steps. (Source)
|
 |
The desert tortoise is the only federally listed species at Yucca
Mountain under the Endangered Species Act.(Source)
|
 |
Reptiles were monitored during intial Project Activities to determine
if they have been affected.
(Source)
|
Reclamation will consist of repairing damaged soils, replacing the natural
vegetation, and recontouring the surface. The original topsoil will be
stored and returned. Natural habitats for the animal life will be restructured.
Problems are expected to arise because currently very little is known
about reclaiming a desert environment.
While the site is scheduled to be officially closed in 2116, underground
the waste and waste packages will still be evolving over the next 10,000
years. Therefore, the site will still be monitored.
 |
High heat has been simulated in Yucca to determine the geological
response. (Source)
|
It is believed that from 100 to 1,000 years the depository will remain
completely in tact: the waste containers will not have corroded and the
heat emanating from the waste will drive away moisture so no water will
enter the repository. From 1,000 to 10,000 years after closure most of
the heat will have dissipated and water will begin percolating through
into the repository. The only wastes that will remain at this point are
those with long half-lives, the short-lived material will have already
decomposed. The canisters will begin to corrode and it is likely that
some canisters will begin to leak waste. Some waste will be transported
out of the repository through the groundwater system. Technetium-99 and
iodine-129 are most likely to be transported out of the facility. 1,000
to 1,000,000 years after closure the repository will degrade into a mix
of oxides, hydroxides or carbonate of the container and waste-form materials.
Temperature will be back to ambient levels9.
Return to Yucca Mountain Overview
|
