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

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The spoils piles could have an adverse visual impact. If left onsite, these spoils,
if piled 3 meters high (about 10 feet), would occupy about 2 to 5 km 2 (-1 to 2 square
miles). This amount of material is equivalent to 13 to 44 million tons of rock, depending
on repository host rock, and might be used in the construction of markers for the
repository.
In the case of repositories in salt, little noise other than that from traffic would
be expected in conjunction with repository construction. In the case of shale repositories
construction would probably be performed with occasional blasting when encountering tightly
bound hard portions of the rock; otherwise, as in the case of salt, little noise would be
discernible at the surface. In the case of basalt and granite, almost all rock removal will
require blasting and, as a consequence, considerable blast noise or, more likely, ground
rumble would result. The degree of annoyance produced would depend in large part on the
proximity of populated areas to the repository.
There were no identifiable sources of odor unique to the construction and operation of
a geologic repository for radioactive waste. Increased air pollution from construction and
commuter vehicles is expected; however, this is not expected to be experienced as odor.
Stacks at the coal-fired support plants will be designed to mitigate noxious odors and ash
from coal burning.