Post by Ex_Nuke_Troop on Mar 8, 2014 13:31:56 GMT
Carlsbad Current-Argus : WIPP currently sells the salt to local private industry, including for use as salt feed at local dairies.
POSTED: 03/06/2014 07:51:45 PM MST
CARLSBAD >> Unmanned probes into the depths of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, located 26 miles east of Carlsbad, are expected to begin within the next week according to Department of Energy secretary Ernest Moniz.
Moniz relayed the news to New Mexico's Congressional delegation during a private meeting in Washington D.C. on Thursday afternoon.
David Klaus, deputy under secretary for management and performance, and David Huizenga, senior advisor for the DOE's Office of Environmental Management, made the trip to Carlsbad from Washington D.C. and said that the DOE is not giving up hope that all radiation particles in WIPP's south salt mine can be eradicated.
"There's no other option for us, we need to go down there, sort it out and make it even safer in the future than it was in the past and get back and continue operations," Huizenga said.
Radiation was first detected below ground on the evening of Feb. 14 and traces of americium and plutonium were later found outside the site as far as a half mile away from the nation's only nuclear repository for transuranic waste.
Huizenga acknowledged that cleanup of the radiation leak would be difficult but the DOE has a few contingency plans in place.
"The particles are small and indeed the environment down there is challenging in that regard, but we actually have put together contingency plans years ago early on to try and address the situation in the event that this would have occurred," Huizenga said.
A couple of the plans cleanup crews are considering underground at WIPP include mining some of the salt off the existing wall which is done regularly and using sprayable concrete over the contamination areas to get it off the walls.
"It all depends on the data we get on the first entry which is the unmanned piece and then when the manned personnel actually make the entry, they will then recover a lot of information," said Joe Franco, DOE Carlsbad Field Office manager. "They'll be recording and taking sample readings from air monitors so there's a lot of steps that will be taken. We'll need to regroup and (reevaluate.)"
Scientists will also eventually begin testing the salt mined in the north mine for radiation contamination. WIPP currently sells the salt to local private industry, including for use as salt feed at local dairies. Franco said he thinks the DOE should be able to continue selling the mined salt.
Fran Williams, a technical advisor for URS, and Farok Sharif, president of Nuclear Waste Partnership, joined the panel to speak to about 200 residents in attendance at the Gerrells Performing Arts Center.
New Mexico Environment Department secretary Ryan Flynn was in attendance, along with many local politicians and representatives from the New Mexico congressional delegation. Flynn requested that the DOE begin speaking each day to the city of Carlsbad along with the state of New Mexico.
John Heaton, chairman of the Carlsbad Nuclear Task Force, aired his frustration with the lack of initial communication and updates at previous town hall meetings.
"We need to have a real agenda for those meetings," he said.
Carlsbad Mayor Dale Janway announced Thursday night that he will begin hosting weekly town hall meetings beginning immediately to provide updates as the DOE and NWP begin the process of cleaning up the underground.
Reporter Zack Ponce can be reached at (575) 689-7402.
POSTED: 03/06/2014 07:51:45 PM MST
CARLSBAD >> Unmanned probes into the depths of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, located 26 miles east of Carlsbad, are expected to begin within the next week according to Department of Energy secretary Ernest Moniz.
Moniz relayed the news to New Mexico's Congressional delegation during a private meeting in Washington D.C. on Thursday afternoon.
David Klaus, deputy under secretary for management and performance, and David Huizenga, senior advisor for the DOE's Office of Environmental Management, made the trip to Carlsbad from Washington D.C. and said that the DOE is not giving up hope that all radiation particles in WIPP's south salt mine can be eradicated.
"There's no other option for us, we need to go down there, sort it out and make it even safer in the future than it was in the past and get back and continue operations," Huizenga said.
Radiation was first detected below ground on the evening of Feb. 14 and traces of americium and plutonium were later found outside the site as far as a half mile away from the nation's only nuclear repository for transuranic waste.
Huizenga acknowledged that cleanup of the radiation leak would be difficult but the DOE has a few contingency plans in place.
"The particles are small and indeed the environment down there is challenging in that regard, but we actually have put together contingency plans years ago early on to try and address the situation in the event that this would have occurred," Huizenga said.
A couple of the plans cleanup crews are considering underground at WIPP include mining some of the salt off the existing wall which is done regularly and using sprayable concrete over the contamination areas to get it off the walls.
"It all depends on the data we get on the first entry which is the unmanned piece and then when the manned personnel actually make the entry, they will then recover a lot of information," said Joe Franco, DOE Carlsbad Field Office manager. "They'll be recording and taking sample readings from air monitors so there's a lot of steps that will be taken. We'll need to regroup and (reevaluate.)"
Scientists will also eventually begin testing the salt mined in the north mine for radiation contamination. WIPP currently sells the salt to local private industry, including for use as salt feed at local dairies. Franco said he thinks the DOE should be able to continue selling the mined salt.
Fran Williams, a technical advisor for URS, and Farok Sharif, president of Nuclear Waste Partnership, joined the panel to speak to about 200 residents in attendance at the Gerrells Performing Arts Center.
New Mexico Environment Department secretary Ryan Flynn was in attendance, along with many local politicians and representatives from the New Mexico congressional delegation. Flynn requested that the DOE begin speaking each day to the city of Carlsbad along with the state of New Mexico.
John Heaton, chairman of the Carlsbad Nuclear Task Force, aired his frustration with the lack of initial communication and updates at previous town hall meetings.
"We need to have a real agenda for those meetings," he said.
Carlsbad Mayor Dale Janway announced Thursday night that he will begin hosting weekly town hall meetings beginning immediately to provide updates as the DOE and NWP begin the process of cleaning up the underground.
Reporter Zack Ponce can be reached at (575) 689-7402.