Safety Assessment for a Double-Barrier In-Ground Container for Waste Storage

Abstract

The worst credible accident scenario was identified as ground water contacting the stored waste through a failure of an in-ground container, leaching radioactivity from the waste, travelling down to the lower aquifer, and reaching a well. The maximum dose to a member of the critical group, who lives on a farm that derives its potable and irrigation water from a public well at about 2 km from the storage site. is approximately 7.9 x 10-4 Sv/a. The maximum dose to a local worker who drinks water on the job from a well within the property boundary, located about 700 m from the storage site, is approximately 2.9 x 10-4 Sv/a. The likelihood of such an accident is shown to be very small.