ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) – Hundreds of containers of waste have been entombed at the federal government’s underground nuclear waste repository in southern New Mexico now that workers have closed off storage areas affected by a radiation leak, officials said Tuesday.
After months of work, crews finished sealing the last of two bunkers at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant late Friday. The milestone was announced by state Environment Secretary Ryan Flynn as he updated lawmakers gathered in Santa Fe on recovery efforts at the plant, which has been closed since the February 2014 leak.
Flynn described the closure of the area known as Panel 6 and one room within Panel 7 as a major accomplishment.
Inside the two areas were 422 containers packed with radioactive waste similar to the one that ruptured last year and caused the leak. The containers appear stable, but officials say they still include an incompatible mix of nitrate salts and organic cat litter used for absorbing moisture.
“We, along with the Department of Energy, believe that they needed to permanently close these panels as soon as possible in order to prevent against any additional releases,” Flynn told the lawmakers.