Deep geological repository site characterization

NWMO is proposing to construct an underground facility for the management of low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste approximately 680 metres below the ground surface in the Paleozoic sedimentary bedrock of the Michigan basin at the Bruce Nuclear site in Kincardine, Ontario. Assessing the level of safety for such a facility is rooted in an in depth understanding of the limestone and shale bedrock within which the facility is to be sited and the low-permeability cap rocks that will overlie the facility.

Geofirma was contracted to design and implement a detailed site characterization program which included acquiring and interpreting 20 km of 2D seismic data, drilling, logging and testing of over 6 km worth of vertical, inclined, and directional boreholes to depths up to ~900 m (over 5000 m of continuous coring) and integration of all data in order to build this understanding.  The project is a fascinating mix of geology, hydrogeology, geomechanics, geophysics, petrophysics, and geochemistry, and a wealth of data gathered, synthesized, and presented in technical reports, peer reviewed journals and international conferences.  This project has set the gold standard benchmark for geoscientific site characterization in support of radioactive waste disposal focusing on a deep geological setting.

• The majority of our Site Characterization work was done during our Intera Engineering Ltd. phase, see About Us for details.