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Nuclear Waste
updated 15 Apr 2024

Los Alamos Nuclear Waste
Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) has disposed at least 17,500,000ft3 of hazardous and radioactive wastes on-site at twenty-four different officially-designated material disposal areas (MDAs) since 1944.

LANL continues to generate and dispose of radioactive waste on-site at a facility called "Area G," which is the largest MDA (63 acres) and contains the most waste (10,800,000 ft3; enough to fill 1.4 million 55-gallon drums). LANL would like to expand MDA-G by 66 acres, more than doubling its size. Several small Indian ruins lie in the expansion path.

Resources on Nuclear Waste stored at LANL include:
 • DOE Submittal Corrective Action Measures, LANL MDA-C, Jun 30, 2021
 • Jonathan Plaue, DNFSB LANL resident inspector, presentation, Oct 1,2020
 • Potential Energetic Chemical Reaction Events Involving Transuranic Waste, DNFSB/TECH-46, Sep 29, 2020
 • "Draining the Nuclear Swamp," LASG Special Report, Roger Snodgrass, May 3, 2019
 • In depth information, maps, and photographs of Material Disposal Areas (MDAs) at LANL
 • Contaminated sites at LANL, and
 • How to clean up Los Alamos,Greg Mello, Sep 8, 2004
 • Selected Likely Key Issues in the Anticipated TA-54 Low-Level Waste Disposal Performance Assessment for Los Alamos National Laboratory - Jan 25, 2006
 • Expansion of LANL Waste Disposal: Lots of Mostly New-Made Waste - Jan 25, 2006
 • Sustained Disapproval, print media history of Technical Area 54, Material Disposal Area G, Los Alamos National Laboratory, 1992 - 2006

Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP)
Department of Energy (DOE) Environmental Management (EM) Newsletters & Accident Investigation Reports
 • DOE EM newsletters (most of the 2019 editions are focused on WIPP)
 • Radiological Release Event at WIPP, Feb 14, 2014
     • Phase 1, Apr 22, 2014
     • Phase 2, Apr 16, 2015
 • Underground Salt Haul Truck Fire at WIPP, Feb 5, 2014
     • Report: Mar 13, 2014

New Mexico Environment Department (NMED)
 • Response to February 2014 Underground Salt Truck Fire and Radionuclide Release Events

NMED WIPP documents
 • Monitoring data & reports
 • Maps & photos
 • Regulatory information
 • Background information

DNFSB correspondence and reports
 • WIPP maintenance issue report, Sep 24, 2018

Spent Nuclear Fuel
 • Expert declarations of Robert Alvarez before the Atomic Safety & Licensing Board on the Application for a License for a Consolidated Interim Spent Fuel Storage Facility by Waste Control Specialists LLC ( Docket No. 72-1050)
 • Oct 23, 2019
 • Feb 23, 2019
 • Nov 13, 2018
 • Spent Power Reactor Fuel: Pre-Disposal Issues, Robert Alvarez, Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, LASG, Apr 29, 2017 (posted Jul 28, 2017)

A few older fact sheets & ads generated by the Los Alamos Study Group on Area G & the disposal of radioactive waste
 • Did You Know? There is a nuclear dump just 19 miles from the Santa Fe Plaza. It's called "Area G," Jun 1999
 • Welcome to New Mexico, Land of Enchantment or World Capital of Nuclear Weapons and Waste?, 1997
 • Los Alamos Plans New Radwaste Dump, Expansion of "Area G" Threatens to Further Desecrate Pajarito Plateau, Oct 21, 1993

Los Alamos Study Group • 2901 Summit Place NE • Albuquerque, NM 87106 • ph 505-265-1200

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