Dive Brief:
- Countries such as France, Switzerland and Belgium are placing nuclear waste in underground tunnels mined from shale formations, with additional countries possibly following suit.
- Geological experts state that shale is impermeable, so there is little chance of the radioactive materials leaking into water.
- Boreholes are another storage option. However, this method must be studied due to technical challenges: worker safety, the massive quantities that would have to be drilled and if a three mile borehole is even possible.
Dive Insight:
Approximately 70,000 metric tons of nuclear waste are located at 70 sites in 35 states throughout the country. New technology is making the search for nuclear storage feasible through the use of analytical tools. According to Science Daily, U.S. Geological Survey hydrogeology expert C.E. Neuzil says, "… some shales have natural groundwater pressure anomalies that can be analyzed -- as if they were permeability tests -- on a very large scale."
