baseline groundwater characterization, bruce nuclear site

Geofirma was retained by NWMO in 2007 to design and install a monitoring network at the Bruce nuclear site near Kincardine Ontario. The monitoring network was designed to include four Westbay Multilevel Systems (MP-55) down to 860 m below ground, three Westbay MP-38 systems down to near 200 m, and shallow conventional monitoring wells. The monitoring intervals for each Westbay System were designed based on core logging, geophysical logging and hydraulic testing results, which created a multi-level monitoring system designed specifically for each borehole to monitor specific features within each interval or a hydrogeological pattern between intervals.

Geofirma has carried out the on-going baseline groundwater characterization program since 2007, which includes pressure measurements from all of the Westbay Systems and monitoring wells, as well as groundwater sampling from the three MP-38 systems and the conventional monitoring wells. Geofirma interprets the hydrogeological data and geochemical data to provide on-going advice to NWMO for refining the monitoring program and identifies potential challenges to the program so the challenges can be addressed before they become risks.

The baseline characterization program developed and carried out by Geofirma at the Bruce nuclear site is the gold standard of Baseline Groundwater Characterization programs and the results from this program are being used by NWMO as part of their application to begin construction of the Deep Geological Repository for low and intermediate level nuclear waste.