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Management of Commercially Generated Radioactive Waste - U.S. ...

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Draft p. 1.25<br />

Issue<br />

322<br />

ALTERNATIVE DISPOSAL CONCEPTS<br />

There are major problems with this option, if the hole is lost (collapses or is other-<br />

wise rendered unuseable) during the waste emplacement or backfilling-sealed stages, we<br />

would end up with the waste in the wrong place or irretrievably placed in an unsealed hole,<br />

both <strong>of</strong> which are probably unacceptable. These potential problems should be pointed out.<br />

(218-DOI)<br />

Response<br />

The problems mentioned in this comment are real and might be handled by casing the<br />

hole, as discussed in Section 6.1.1.2 <strong>of</strong> this revised Statement. Other potential problem<br />

areas are also discussed in the Section.<br />

Draft p. 3.3.1<br />

Issue<br />

It is stated in the draft: "In summary, the deep hole concept cannot be evaluated as<br />

a nuclear waste alternative without more information on the deep groundwater system, rock<br />

strength under increased temperatures and pressure due to decay <strong>of</strong> wastes, and the sealing<br />

<strong>of</strong> the holes over long periods <strong>of</strong> time."<br />

These are three areas that have also been identified under the research and develop-<br />

ment needs (Section 3.1.6) for Conventional Geologic Disposal.<br />

Why does the evaluation <strong>of</strong> deep hole disposal as an alternative depend on obtaining<br />

this information, while it is taken for granted that conventional Geologic Disposal is a<br />

viable alternative? If this information is obtained for conventional geologic disposal,<br />

would it apply to deep hole disposal? (208-NRC)<br />

Response<br />

The discussion from p. 3.3.1 referenced in this comment has been substantially revised<br />

and updated in the final Statement. In the final version (Section 6.1.1.1) the geologic<br />

characteristics <strong>of</strong> the site are presented in terms <strong>of</strong> the very deep hole concept, with the<br />

objective <strong>of</strong> locating the wastes below circulating groundwaters. In addition, the status<br />

<strong>of</strong> information available on very deep geology is discussed in Section 6.1.1.3.<br />

In response to this question, it is worth noting the main difference between deep hole<br />

and mined repository disposal: deep hole disposal conceptually applies to depths which may<br />

not be practical for mined disposal and, hence, for geologic and hydrologic regions that<br />

might be quite different.

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