CALCULATING THE POTENTIAL FOR REPOSITORY INTRUSION AT WIPP:SURVEILLANCE OF PETROLEUM ACTIVITIES IN THE DELAWARE BASIN

摘要

Prior to receiving approval to open,the U.S.Department of Energy(DOE)was required to demonstrate that the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant(WIPP)repository would not release radioactivity in excess of the prescribed regulatory standards under two sets of conditions.The first is the case in which the repository remains undisturbed from human activity or catastrophic acts of Mother Nature.The second is a significant event that disrupts the containment of the repository.The U.S.Environmental Protection Agency(EPA)requires that DOE analyze the risk of each case and provide documentation of the results.Documentation responsive to this requirement was provided in 1996,which helped facilitate the approval to open WIPP(1). rnNow,after five years of operation,DOE must renew the documentation and update the analysis that will either confirm or revise the previous analysis.This paper summarizes the program established by DOE to track and trend the activities of the petroleum industry in the region surrounding WIPP.It also provides insight on how this information is considered in assessing the long-term performance of the repository.