New Mexico Administrative Code › Title 20 - ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION › Chapter 3 - RADIATION PROTECTION › Part 13 - LICENSING REQUIREMENTS FOR LAND DISPOSAL OF RADIOACTIVE WASTE › Section 20.3.13.1321 - DISPOSAL SITE SUITABILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR LAND DISPOSAL

Current through Register Vol. 35, No. 13, July 16, 2024
Disposal site suitability for near-surface disposal: The
				  primary emphasis in disposal site suitability is given to isolation of wastes,
				  and to disposal site features that ensure that the long-term performance
				  objectives are met.
A. The disposal
				site shall be capable of being characterized, modeled, analyzed and
				monitored.
B. Within the region
				where the facility is to be located, a disposal site should be selected so that
				projected population growth and future developments are not likely to affect
				the ability of the disposal facility to meet the performance objectives of this
				part (20.3.13 NMAC).
C. Areas
				having known natural resources which, if exploited, would result in failure to
				meet the performance objectives of this part (20.3.13 NMAC) shall be
				avoided.
D. The disposal site shall
				be generally well-drained and free of areas of flooding or frequent ponding.
				Waste disposal shall not take place in a 100-year flood plain, coastal
				high-hazard area or wetland, as defined in Executive Order 11988, "floodplain
				management guidelines".
E. Upstream
				drainage areas shall be minimized to decrease the amount of runoff which could
				erode or inundate waste disposal units.
F. The disposal site shall provide sufficient
				depth to the water table such that ground water intrusion, perennial or
				otherwise, into the waste will not occur. The department will consider an
				exception to this requirement to allow disposal below the water table if it can
				be conclusively shown that disposal site characteristics will result in
				molecular diffusion being the predominant means of radionuclide movement and
				the rate of movement will result in the performance objectives being met. In no
				case will waste disposal be permitted in the zone of fluctuation of the water
				table.
G. The hydrogeologic unit
				used for disposal shall not discharge ground water to the surface within the
				disposal site.
H. Areas shall be
				avoided where tectonic processes, such as faulting, folding, seismic activity
				or vulcanism, may occur with such frequency and extent to significantly affect
				the ability of the disposal site to meet the performance objectives of this
				part (20.3.13 NMAC), or preclude any defensible modeling and prediction of
				long-term impacts.
I. Areas shall
				be avoided where surface geologic processes, such as mass wasting, erosion,
				slumping, landsliding or weathering, occur with such frequency and extent to
				significantly affect the ability of the disposal site to meet the performance
				objectives of this part (20.3.13 NMAC), or may preclude defensible modeling and
				prediction of long-term impacts.
J.
				The disposal site must be located where nearby facilities or activities could
				adversely impact the ability of the site to meet the performance objectives of
				this part (20.3.13 NMAC) or significantly mask the environmental monitoring
				program.