Ground Control Annual Plan for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (Rev. 8)

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) is designed to permanently dispose of transuranic radioactive waste left from the research and production of nuclear weapons. Transuranic waste consists of clothing, tools, rags, and other such items contaminated with trace amounts of radioactive elements, mostly plutonium. Located in southeastern New Mexico, 26 miles east of Carlsbad, project facilities include disposal rooms excavated in an ancient, stable salt formation 2,150 feet (655 meters) underground. This deep geologic setting requires that a comprehensive ground control program be in place to monitor and assure the stability of the underground openings and address issues of concern. The primary objective of the WIPP ground control program is to provide a safe environment for personnel and equipment in a manner that is consistent with the primary facility operational objective of waste disposal. In meeting this primary objective, the regulatory requirements specific to ground control are also satisfied. The ground control program is a concerted and centralized activity responsible for providing a continuing assessment of the capabilities of the underground openings to achieve that objective. The fundamentals on which the ground control program at WIPP is based are as follows: (1) safe access is maintained as long as access is required; (2) regular ground-control maintenance is required to maintain safe access; (3) ground control maintenance efforts increase with the age of the openings; (4) ground control plans are specific but flexible; and (5) regulatory requirements are met. The extensive geotechnical monitoring program provides a high degree of confidence in the ability to predict and mitigate ground control issues before they become safety problems. The evaluation of ground conditions is a continuous process. The Westinghouse TRU Solutions (WTS) Geotechnical Engineering Section gathers and evaluates data from various sources on a periodic basis. This information i. DOE Contract: AC29-01AL66444. Subjects: 12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES; access drifts; clay seam; creep response; cross drifts; design criteria; deviations; emplacement rates; excavation; experimental; fracturing; ground control; haulage routes; instrumentation; shaft stations; small-scale bolting; spalling; ventilation; waste disposal