Coupled Environmental Processes in the Mojave Desert and Implications for ET Covers as Stable Landforms.

Shafer, D. S. ; Young, M. H. ; Zitzer, S. F. ; McDonald, E. V. ; Caldwell, T. G.

Technical Information Center Oak Ridge Tennessee

关键词: Alpha-bearing wastes;    Evapotranspiration;    Deserts;    Radioactive waste disposal;    Clays;   

RP-ID  :  DE2006862368

学科分类：工程和技术（综合）

美国|英语

来源: National Technical Reports Library

【 摘 要 】

Monolayer evapotranspiration (ET) covers are the baseline method for closure of disposal sites for low-level radioactive waste (LLW), mixed LLW, and transuranic (TRU) waste at the Nevada Test Site (NTS). The regulatory timeline is typically 1,000 years for LLW and 10,000 years for TRU waste. Covers for such waste have different technical considerations than those with shorter timelines because they are subject to environmental change for longer periods of time, and because the environmental processes are often coupled. To evaluate these changes, four analog sites (approximately 30, 1,000 to 2,000, 7,000 to 12,500, and 125,000 years in age) on the NTS were analyzed to address the early post-institutional control period (the youngest site), the 1,000-year compliance period for disposal of LLW, and the 10,000-year period for TRU waste. Tests included soil texture, structure, and morphology; surface soil infiltration and hydraulic conductivity; vegetation and faunal surveys; and literature reviews.