buried waste

Until now it was assumed that sites deep underground provided a stable environment for buried waste.

Buried wastes can filter down through the soil and contaminate groundwater.

The results of this study have wider implications, such as understanding what happens to buried wastes over long periods of time.

The problem is finding people willing to have power plants or buried waste -- or both - in their backyards.

Also monitoring wells were installed at the site to provide for long term monitoring of the groundwater around and inside the buried waste.

A subsidiary already has received $1.06 billion in stimulus money to dig up buried waste, treat contaminated groundwater and tear down dozens of buildings.

-that my buried waste was broken down by the same discreet mech- anisms.

Over the years, brine had leaked through old well bores, buried waste pits and aging tanks and pipes.

Once closed, a landfill must be capped, or covered and ventilated, to prevent buried waste and gases from leaking into the environment.

They can readily identify geophysical conditions, buried wastes and utilities, extent of contamination, and potential migration routes.

Illegally buried waste is said to have contaminated soil and locally produced fruit and vegetables as well as buffalo herds.

Lekkerkerk in the Netherlands, in which residents of housing estates suffered illnesses and death from the effects of toxic buried waste.

Now atmospheric pollutants harm plants and animals, buried wastes pollute the water cycle, and pesticides kill organisms that contribute to healthy soil.

The site has become reserved for the "Eagle's Nest" golf course, and other developments which will occur in the future once the buried waste decomposes sufficiently.

For example, land could be contaminated where chemicals have seeped into the land from previous industrial activities, or where previous owners have buried waste.

Despite the contamination, some nearby residents don't want the Army to fence off the area during any cleanup, saying they can live with whatever threat the buried waste poses.

While buried waste must be monitored indefinitely for leakage, "environmental scientists believe they now know enough to design and locate safe landfills," writes Mr. Rathje.

Both open dumps and landfills (areas of buried wastes) may contain poisonous substances that seep into ground water or flow into streams and lakes.

“We just don’t know the state of the buried waste,” Wolfram König, head of the Federal Agency for Radiation Safety, said.

Illegally buried waste can now be discovered by a Time Team-style scanner without the need to dig up the ground, according to the UK's environment watchdog.

The scanner has already led inspectors to a large area of buried waste in the New Forest National Park that they estimate could cost around £500,000 to clean up.

The kit, which saves investigators digging up areas with earth-moving equipment, uncovered a large buried waste site in the New Forest National Park on its first outing.

French drains were built upgradient of the buried waste to divert surface water flows from eroding the cap over the buried waste.

In another surprise, water from a broken main flushed out buried waste near an old plutonium processing plant last year and pushed it beyond the largest dam built to stop the spread of contamination.

Spent nuclear fuel was removed from two water-filled pools near the Columbia River, dozens of buried waste sites have been dug up and workers continue to monitor and treat contaminated groundwater.