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Hydrologic Studies

At Yucca Mountain, the most likely pathway for radioactive contaminants from the proposed repository to reach the accessible environment at some point in the future is by water. The climate at Yucca Mountain is arid, with less than 7.5 inches of precipitation per year, mostly intermittent streamflow, and very little infiltration of water into the ground. The proposed repository will be about 1,000 feet below the surface of Yucca Mountain, and about 1,000 feet above the water table. Understanding the site hydrology involves studying the climate, infiltration, flow and transport through the unsaturated rocks above the water table, seepage into the waste-emplacement drifts, and ground-water flow and transport through the saturated rocks.

Illustration showing conceptual model of water movement at Yucca Mountain.	Image from U. S. Department of Energy - Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management
Image from U. S. Department of Energy - Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management

Unsaturated-zone hydrology

Saturated-zone hydrology

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