Storage bunkers sealed off at nuclear dump closed by leak

[bananas]

Source: Associated Press

Hundreds of containers of waste have been entombed at the federal government's underground nuclear waste repository in southern New Mexico now that workers have closed off storage areas affected by a radiation leak, officials said Tuesday.

After months of work, crews finished sealing the last of two bunkers at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant late Friday. The milestone was announced by state Environment Secretary Ryan Flynn as he updated lawmakers gathered in Santa Fe on recovery efforts at the plant, which has been closed since the February 2014 leak.

<snip>

The repository remains closed and federal officials have said it could take years and more than a half-billion dollars to resume full operations.

<snip>

Read more: http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/business/energy/article/Workers-seal-off-storage-bunkers-at-nuclear-waste-6301892.php

[NYC_SKP]

1. In Southern New Mexico State (for a moment I thought this might be a Stamford, CT, incident) :-)

[BeanMusical]

2. All this will come back to haunt us sooner rather than later.

I'm not talking about this site in particular but it is a damn fiasco, to say the least.

[heaven05]

3. Where are the MUTO's

when we need them.......

[RobertEarl]

4. What is stored there?

Old nuclear weapon material is what is stored there.

That material caused a 'relatively minor' explosion.

It took over a year before they could close the place up and in the meantime they vented to the atmosphere the clouds of nuclear material that came from the explosion.

Imagine what an alpha decay particle can do to a bee. Could that be why the bees are bye-bye? Yep. Thanks nukers!