Five site meet criteria for further consideration
Proposed Sites:
Initially, sites were identified that offered the available area required to contain the estimated waste. Twelve sites were identified. After screening criteria were applied, five sites met the Threshold Criteria.
Considerations included:
Wetlands, Power Lines, Land Use, Site Contamination, Tpographical Relief, Seismic Data Available, Accessibility, Hydrogeologic Setting, Floodplain Proximity, Aesthetics, Surface Water, and End Use.
Seismic Conditions
DOE and its contractors have evaluated the site seismicity and site geologic conditions, as documented in site-specific studies and referenced in the Draft Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study Report for the Paducah Waste Disposal Alternatives.
- The potential waste disposal facility would be designed to resist a worst case scenario earthquake event (maximum credible earthquake scenario), magnitude 7.6, as predicted at the New Madrid Fault.
- The worst case scenario for Paducah is predicted to be no greater than magnitude 5.5.
- There are no reports of failures of modern landfills in Fukushima or after recent earthquakes in the 2003 magnitude 7.8 in Turkey or 2010 magnitude 8.8 in Chile.
Concentric rings in the graphic show the impact of seismic events based on the magnitude of the event:
These observations on actual performance of modern landfills, along with seismic analyses completed in 2012 for the C-746-U Landfill at the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant (PGDP), provide confidence that an on-site waste disposal facility can be designed to resist the worst case scenario earthquake event in this area.
Hydrogeological Conditions
Assessments are made of hydrologic conditions at each site including groundwater flow direction, proximity to streams, distance to wells, and floodplains.
The map shows impact to the Paducah Site related to one of the worst floods in Paducah history in 1937:
