WIPP Initial Cleanup Phase To Begin

Entries are scheduled to resume at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant to begin some initial cleanup work as the second phase of recovery is launched, the Department of Energy said yesterday. No teams have entered the mine since May 30, when it was shut down for filter replacement and ventilation upgrades necessary after the February incidents that have suspended operations at WIPP. “Once employees perform initial underground safety checks, they will begin conducting additional radiological surveys, restoring mine habitability, removing soot from the Feb. 5 truck fire, and performing ground control and monitoring,” DOE said in a release yesterday, which did not state when the next entry would occur. “The first entries involve evaluating underground equipment and verifying specific areas are contamination-free and that the passageways are safe following filter replacement activities. Then, workers will restore these areas to conditions that support employees working in the underground facility.”

Other teams will continue explorations in the room where the Feb. 14 radiation release originated, the exact cause of which hasn’t yet been identified. “Simultaneously, another team is exploring designs and options for ongoing investigations in Panel 7, Room 7. Controlled entries will continue into Room 7 to determine the cause of the radiological event and if any additional waste containers were affected,” DOE said.