What happens after the repository closes?
DOE’s current plan is to monitor the potential repository for 50-300 years once the last waste package has been disposed. After the monitoring phase, DOE plans to seal the tunnels and post a guard at the gate for as long as necessary. It is impossible to predict which government institutions may evolve or disappear over the next 10,000 years, so at the time of permanent closure DOE plans to use “passive” measures to warn people against disturbing the site. Monuments, warning markers, and widespread records would be used to inform people of the contents of the Yucca Mountain site and to keep people from intruding into the site.[6] For more on the difficulties of designing long-lasting, comprehensive warning signs, read the Summer 2003 Nuclear Waste Update article, “Universal Warning Sign: Yucca Mountain.
DOE’s current plan is to monitor the potential repository for 50-300 years once the last waste package has been disposed. After the monitoring phase, DOE plans to seal the tunnels and post a guard at the gate for as long as necessary. It is impossible to predict which government institutions may evolve or disappear over the next 10,000 years, so at the time of permanent closure DOE plans to use “passive” measures to warn people against disturbing the site.
