The Energy Department’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico briefly activated its emergency operations center Thursday evening, and had workers leave the underground disposal area, after discovery of a “misaligned” drum within a waste container, WIPP’s prime contractor said in a release posted on its Facebook page.
Workers noticed the awkward alignment of the drum at about 7:30 p.m. local time and immediately stopped their normal waste handling operations, contractor Nuclear Waste Partnership said. In keeping with standard procedure, the workers were ordered to leave the underground.
The WIPP emergency center was deactivated by 10:30 p.m. Conditions are stable and there was no radiation release, NWP said. The contractor is planning re-entry to ensure the remaining drums of waste are emplaced safely.