§ 197.26 What are the circumstances of the human intrusion?
Current through Aug 22, 2025 · Read all of Part 197
For the purposes of the analysis of human intrusion, DOE must make the following assumptions:
(a) There is a single human intrusion as a result of exploratory drilling for ground water;
(b) The intruders drill a borehole directly through a degraded waste package into the uppermost aquifer underlying the Yucca Mountain repository;
(c) The drillers use the common techniques and practices that are currently employed in exploratory drilling for ground water in the region surrounding Yucca Mountain;
(d) Careful sealing of the borehole does not occur, instead natural degradation processes gradually modify the borehole;
(e) Only releases of radionuclides that occur as a result of the intrusion and that are transported through the resulting borehole to the saturated zone are projected; and
(f) No releases are included which are caused by unlikely natural processes and events.