A schematic of the WIPP facility.

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, or WIPP, is the world's first underground repository licensed to safely and permanently dispose of transuranic radioactive waste that is left from the research and production of nuclear weapons. It is located approximately 26-miles almost due east of Carlsbad, New Mexico. Waste is placed in rooms 2,150 feet (655 m) underground that have been excavated within a 3,000 foot (1000 m) thick salt formation (Salado and Castile Formations) that has been stable for more than 250 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. The deep geological repository concept involves the encapsulation of used nuclear fuel in long-lived engineered casks which are then placed and sealed within excavated rooms in a naturally occurring geological formation at a design depth of 500 to 1000 metres below ground surface. ... In chemistry, transuranium elements (also known as transuranic elements) are the chemical elements with atomic numbers greater than 92, the atomic number of Uranium. ... Radioactive wastes are waste types containing radioactive chemical elements that do not have a practical purpose. ... The mushroom cloud of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Japan, 1945, rose some 18 km (11 mi) above the epicenter. ... It has been suggested that Carlsbad North, New Mexico be merged into this article or section. ... The Delaware Basin in West Texas and southern New Mexico is famous for holding large oil fields and for exposing a fossilized reef. ...

Waste that is to be disposed of at the location must meet certain "waste acceptance 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.^[1][2][3]

The United States Department of Energy began planning for the facility in 1974.^[4] After more than 20 years of scientific study, public input, and regulatory struggles, WIPP began operations on March 26, 1999. Disposal operations are expected to continue until 2070 with active monitoring for a further hundred years. By 2006, the facility had already processed 5,000 shipments of waste. The United States Department of Energy (DOE) is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government responsible for energy policy and nuclear safety. ...

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Waste Isolation Pilot Plant

• Stored Waste Examination Pilot Plant

Image File history File links Commons-logo. ... The Stored Waste Examination Pilot Plant (SWEPP) is a facility at the Idaho National Laboratory for nondestructively examining containers of radioactive waste to determine if they meet criteria to be stored at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant. ...

References

It has been suggested that Sandia Base be merged into this article or section. ... is the 123rd day of the year (124th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This just IN !!!:paris hiltons new dog. ...

External links

• Official Site for WIPP

Coordinates: 32°22′18″N, 103°47′37″W Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Waste For the company, see Waste Management, Inc. ... Anaerobic digestion component of Lübeck mechanical biological treatment plant in Germany, 2007 Anaerobic digestion is a process in which microorganisms break down biodegradable material in the absence of oxygen. ... An active compost heap, steaming on a cold winter morning. ... An eco-industrial park is a type of industrial park in which businesses cooperate with each other and with the local community in an attempt to reduce waste, efficiently share resources (such as information, materials, water, energy, infrastructure, and natural resources), and produce sustainable development, with the intention of increasing... For other forms of waste plant that produce energy see waste-to-energy. ... Look up landfill in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Anaerobic digestion and air processing components of Lübeck mechanical biological treatment plant in Germany A mechanical biological treatment system is a form of waste processing facility that combines a sorting facility with a form of biological treatment such as composting or anaerobic digestion. ... Radioactive wastes are waste types containing radioactive chemical elements that do not have a practical purpose. ... Reuse is using an item more than once. ... The international recycling symbol. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Reuse. ... The word sewerage means the provision of pipes etc to collect and dispose of sewage. ... For other uses, see Waste (disambiguation). ... For the corporation, see Waste Management Incorporated Waste management is the collection, transport, processing or disposal of waste materials, usually ones produced by human activity, in an effort to reduce their effect on human health or local amenity. ... Waste sorting is the process by which waste is separated into different elements. ... The waste hierarchy The waste hierarchy refers to the 3 Rs reduce, reuse and recycle, which classify waste management strategies according to their desirability. ... The following page contains a list of different waste management related concepts and acronyms: BANANA Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anything Best practicable environmental option (BPEO) Extended producer responsibility Linguistic detoxification NIMBY Not in my back yard Pay as you throw Polluter pays principle Proximity principle Waste strategy Waste hierarchy... Depending upon the country different legislation governs the way waste is managed and disposed of. ... Waste treatment refers to the activities required to ensure that waste has the least practicable impact on the environment. ... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...