Sylvie Dale
Online Editor
Jan. 21, 2002 -- An environmental group criticized the Department of Energy (DOE) for what they call inadequate testing of groundwater near the Nevada Test Site.
The report was released by a group called Citizen Alert, which has championed the cause against using the Yucca Mountain area as a permanent nuclear waste dump.
Citizen Alert claims that while DOE tests for radioactivity in the groundwater near the test site, they are testing water in wells that are not as likely to be contaminated, Environmental News Service reported.
The Nevada Test Site, 100 miles Northwest of Las Vegas, was used for atmospheric and underground nuclear tests between 1951 and 1992.
According to a technical report commissioned by Citizen Alert, the most likely pathways of the contaminant plumes would be in areas not currently being tested. The group is concerned that DOE's testing may not answer the question of whether radioactive water may eventually reach nearby Oasis Valley.
There is no technology that can treat contaminated groundwater, the group said in the report, and in dry areas like Nevada, a great many of its residents rely upon groundwater for their drinking water.
With a grant from the Citizen's Monitoring and Technical Assessment Fund, Citizen Alert hired experts to perform an independent analysis of the effectiveness of the Department of Energy's (DOE) groundwater monitoring program.
The study looked at the government's ability to provide early detection and warning of radioactivity in water in time to prevent harm to people and the environment, ENS reported.
The Pahute Mesa area was host to 82 underground nuclear explosions which produced a total yield of about 20 megatons and which left 74 million curies of radiation in the ground below the water table, said Citizen Alert.
The distance between one large test and Oasis Valley is less than 17 miles.
The analysis concludes that none of the possible 260 plumes migrating in the groundwater from the nuclear tests has been studied, ENS said.
Citizen Alert asked DOE to recognize that its present testing strategy is not adequate, and renegotiate with Nevada Department of Environmental Protection (NDEP) for a new strategy. The group suggested narrowing the focus of testing to one large cavity on Pahute Mesa, and studying all aspects of the plume.
Once DOE has this information, it should be able to inform nearby residents of the risks of living in the area as part of an "early warning system."
