FOREWORD Plans for disposing of radioactive waste have raised a number of unique and mostly philosophical problems, mainly due to the very long timescales which have to be considered. While there is general agreement on disposal concepts and on the approach to establishing that disposal facilities are safe, consensus on a number of issues remains to be achieved. To assist in promoting discussio...

Assay of the radioactive content of waste drums is important for inventory and waste disposal purposes. The sampling of the drum content is a difficult, time and labor consuming procedure, involving special radiation protection considerations. On the other hand the characterization of waste drums containing radioactivity by measuring the drum as a whole (without opening) offers overall simplici...

This paper presents a large-scale modeling study characterizing fluid flow and tracer transport in the unsaturated zone of Yucca Mountain, Nevada, a potential repository site for storing high-level radioactive waste. The study has been conducted using a three-dimensional numerical model, which incorporates a wide variety of field data and takes into account the coupled processes of flow and tra...

No public policy issue has been as difficult as high-level nuclear waste. Debates continue regarding Yucca Mountain as a disposal site, and-more generally-the appropriateness of geologic disposal and the need to act quickly. Previous research has focused on possible social, political, and economic consequences of a facility in Nevada. Impacts have been predicted to be potentially large and to e...

In several countries, low-level radioactive wastes are treated and stored awaiting construction and operation of a final repository. In some cases, interim storage may be extended for decades requiring special attention regarding security issues. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) recommends segregation of wastes that may be exempted from interim storage or ultimate disposal. The pap...

The IAEA's Programme on BlOsphere Modelling and Assessment (BIOMASS) provided an international forum for information exchange, development and collaboration in the area of environmental assessment modelling. This paper contains a brief overview of the work and results of the three themes of BIOMASS, namely: radioactive waste disposal, environmental releases and biosphere processes. The BIOMASS ...

The EPA Regional Ground Water Forum is a group of EPA professionals representing Regional Superfund and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Offices, committed to the identification and resolution of ground-water issues impacting the remediation of Superfund and RCRA sites. The Forum is supported by and advises the Superfund Technical Support Project. Emerging technologies that could p...

Composting is a natural biological process which results in the degradation of organic waste to a stable end product, commonly referred to as compost, which can be utilized for various agricultural purposes. Increasing landfill costs and regulations which limit many types of waste accepted at landfills has increased interest in composting as a component of waste management (Goldstein and Spence...