The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) near Carlsbad, New Mexico was closed down in February 2014 after a 55-gallon drum of radioactive waste began leaking a radioactive foam. Twenty-one workers received low levels of radiation, according to Digital Journal.
On December 23, 2016, the Department of Energy authorized the WIPP to resume operations after confirming that pre-start corrective actions identified in the two operational readiness reviews had been completed, according to the Los Alamos Daily Post.
At that time, the DOE anticipated the first waste emplacement would begin sometime in early January 2017. Right on schedule, two pallets of 55-gallon drums of transuranic waste were transferred from a storage site above-ground and emplaced near Room 5 in Panel 7 at 12:45 p.m. Wednesday, 2,000 feet underground.
“It went great,” said Rick Fuentes, president of the local chapter of the United Steelworkers Union, and a waste handler himself. Fuentes, who did not assist in the waste emplacement, said. “We’re excited to be back to work,” according to the Current-Argus.
The DOE Operational Readiness Review (DORR) identified 21 pre-start findings that had to be resolved and validated before the resumption of operations at the WIPP. This information was released at a Town Hall meeting on December 15, 2016. Emergency preparedness, waste acceptance, fire protection, and other functional areas were addressed in the findings.
A Contractor Operational Readiness Review (CORR) was also conducted over a period of two weeks in October 2016. The report identified seven pre-start findings in the areas of emergency notification, initial response actions, emergency evacuation, personnel training and qualifications, and procedure management.
According to the DOE, all pre-start findings have been corrected or remedied, allowing for resumption of operations at the nuclear waste repository. From the day the WIPP was shut down in February 2014 until today, no nuclear waste has been shipped to the facility.
