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> In addition, water is infiltrating the single-shell tanks. > A DOE study finished in January 2019 found that 24 single-shell tanks were being infiltrated wit
by abeppu 6y ago
> In addition, water is infiltrating the single-shell tanks.
> A DOE study finished in January 2019 found that 24 single-shell tanks were being infiltrated with 12 to 1,000 gallons each annually, the IG audit report said.
> The water makes it difficult to determine if the level of waste in the tanks is dropping, which could indicate more active leaks.
I can see why old, giant tanks of waste might have trouble keeping stuff from leaking out. But why is it hard to keep water from getting in?
- mulmen 6y agoFor the same reason it's hard to keep stuff in?
- abeppu 6y agoI mean, at the bottom of a big tank, there's a bunch of pressure driving stuff outward. In my mental model there's not anything special driving water into these tanks -- am I mistaken? If it's really just an issue of decades old structures out and exposed to the elements letting rainwater in ... can an auxiliary structure with a roof not be added?
- mulmen 6y agoIs the water getting in from the bottom or the top? Both? Is what's inside more or less dense than water? Are the tanks pressurized? Under vacuum? It's not hard to imagine why water could get in. It's water. That's what it does.