Stockpile of Nuclear Weapons Waste in SC Left in Limbo

NUCLEAR DISASTER WATCH
RADIATION LEAK
NUCLEAR WASTE DISPOSAL
NIGHTMARE SCENARIO 043
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South Carolina nuclear weapons waste has no place to go!

The plans to ship weapons grade nuclear waste stored at the Savannah River Site (SRS) are in limbo, after  a radioactive leak that has indefinitely shut down the  the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), a nuclear waste dump in New Mexico.

The Department of Energy (DOE) has thus far been unwilling to reveal whether they have any contingency plan to dump the toxic waste elsewhere, should they be forced to shut down WIPP permanently.

SRS has been under a federal mandate to ship its transuranic waste to the New Mexico facility and has been doing so since 2001, according to DOE; however, about 700 cubic meters of the waste still remains in SC.

The Savannah River Site

SRS [aka, The Bomb Plant] is a  nuclear reservation located in the state of South Carolina adjacent to the Savannah River, about 40 km from Augusta, Georgia. The site, owned by DOE, was built in the 1950s to refine nuclear materials for nuclear weapons. It covers more than 800km² and employs about 10,800 people.

SRS is also home to the “world’s surplus plutonium” where it is “being stored in a minimally-secured building located on top of the most dangerous earthquake fault in the South,” said a report.

The Bomb plant Promo

Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP)

WIPP is one of DOE’s nuclear waste dumps where the U.S. Gov buries transuranic (man-made radioactive elements that are heavier than Uranium) radioactive waste such as plutonium used in making nuclear weapons.

A shipment of contact-handled transuranic waste arrives at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant. Source: WIPP, US Department of Energy

Located about 26 miles east of Carlsbad in SE New Mexico, WIPP has “disposal rooms” excavated in an ancient salt formation, about 700m (2,150 feet) underground. WIPP employs more than 800 workers. Waste disposal began at WIPP in 1999.

The Horizontal Emplacement and Retreival Equipment (HERE) is used to push remote-handled transuranic waste into horizontal boreholes in the disposal room walls. Source: WIPP, US Department of Energy

The 250-million-year-old salt formation below the Chihuahuan Desert is used to dump thousands of cubic meters of TRU radioactive waste each year. About 4% of the TRU waste received at WIPP is far too toxic and the containers must be remote-handled by robots and automated  machinery.

If Anything Can Explode, Leak, Contaminate… It Will!

On January 12, 2014 FIRE-EARTH forecast:

Estimated 100,000 HAZMAT storage sites across the U.S. can potentially explode, leak, contaminate the environment

United States is dotted with an estimated 100,000 HAZMAT storage sites containing one or more of deadly substances including radioactive, biohazardous, toxic, explosive, flammable, asphyxiating, corrosive, oxidizing, pathogenic, or allergenic materials, as well as herbicides, fungicides and fertilizers that don’t fall into those categories.

Some of the substances (hazchems), which include more than 200 types of dioxins, are so lethal that even a small leak into the water supply could kill or permanently harm millions of people, before they are detected.

Related Links

• Radiation Leak in N.M. WIPP Leaves Nuclear Waste in Limbo March 1, 2014
• Likely Radiation Leak at NM Military Nuclear Waste Dump February 17, 2014
• If Anything Can Explode, Leak, Contaminate…  January 12, 2014

States of Emergency Declared in Multiple States

EXTREME WEATHER AND CLIMATIC EVENTS
DEADLY SNOW AND ICE STORMS
STATES OF EMERGENCY
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Delaware, New Jersey,  Mississippi, Tennessee … Declare States of Emergency due to Severe Snow and Ice Storms

Heavy snowfall and icy conditions have caused deadly accidents, extremely hazardous roadway conditions and widespread power outages in Central and Eastern U.S., prompting at least 4 states, as well as several counties and cities in other states to declare states of emergency.

Delaware

Gov. Markell declared a State of Emergency in Delaware starting at midnight Sunday, after NWS issued  a winter storm warning for the state.

Markell announced that state government as well as the city of Wilmington  will be closed Monday.

New Jersey
Gov. Christie declared a state of emergency for New Jersey, and ordered state offices closed Monday for non-essential services.

“This winter storm is expected to arrive tonight and last through Monday, bringing heavy snow and creating hazardous travel conditions throughout the state,” said Christie.

Philadelphia Mayor declared an official snow emergency for the city on Sunday, while officials canceled schools Monday classes and closed university campuses.

Mississippi

Gov. Bryant has declared a State of Emergency due to the severe weather. NWS has forecast an ice storm in northwest Mississippi and in the Delta area. Severe thunderstorms and tornadoes are also forecast for central and south Mississippi.

“It may seem difficult to accept with today’s warm temperatures, but the National Weather Service has predicted winter weather and severe storms for parts of the state,” said Bryant. “Residents should take necessary precautions now before the bad weather arrives.”

Tennessee
Governor Haslam declared a State of Emergency in Tennessee as the massive storm system moved closer to the region.

National Weather Service (NWS) has warned counties in southern and western Kentucky could see more than an inch of ice accumulation as the storm moves across the area.

Many school systems have announced closings ahead of the dangerous ice storm.

NWS Weather Forecast

Significant snow storm to impact the eastern U.S. on Monday while unseasonably cold temperatures continue

Late season winter storm will continue to shift east through Monday. Heavy snow is forecast from the Ohio Valley into the Mid-Atlantic through Monday night. Unseasonably cold temperatures more typical of January will prevail east of the Rocky Mountains for the next few days keeping winter around for a while longer.

Severe cold is forecast to continue throughout the Upper Midwest, as the major winter storm bears down on Central and Eastern states, said NWS.

Indiana
At least 12 inches of snow had fallen on Parts of Indiana by late Sunday evening, locals said.

Flight Cancellation and Delays
About 4,500 flight cancellations within, into, or out of the United States between Saturday and Monday (so far) were reported, in addition to more than 12,000 delays due to the massive storm system.

Deadly Storm
Road crashes due to icy conditions have left a number of people dead including a 13-year-old girl in southwest Missouri on Sunday, and a 32-year-old woman in Colorado, who was killed in a 120-vehicle pileup near Denver on Saturday, while scores of others were reportedly injured.