92. 



A. Quarries in granite and other crystalline rocks. 



(1) Advantages 



Availability. There are numerous abandoned granite 

 quarries in many parts of the country (e.g. , 

 Texas, Minnesota, etc.). 



Low cost of acquiring and preparing disposal site. 



Recoverability of material if it is wanted. 



If the quarry is tight, the material will not move. 



(2) Hazards 



Contamination of ground water or of atmosphere by 



leakage or by sucking up of material in tornadoes. 

 Vulnerability to bombing. 



(3) Problems and unknown factors 



a. Effectiveness of a grout curtain to prevent seepage 

 into ground water. It was doubted by the engineering 

 geologists present that any grout curtain is 100 per- 

 cent effective. 



b. How could such a site be effectively monitored, an 

 apparent necessity in any jointed crystalline rock? 



c. Can the wastes be made self-sealing and thus provide 

 their own "grout" curtain? Apparently this cannot be 

 answered at the present time. Current wastes are 

 high in aluminum salts, which might be useful in self- 

 sealing, but power reactors will undoubtedly have 

 wastes high in zirconium or stainless steel. More re- 

 search is needed on self-sealing possibilities. 



(4) Conclusions 



It was the opinion of the majority that both grouting 

 and self- sealing are probably unreliable. Granite 

 quarries are feasible only if the wastes can be per- 

 manently immobilized. 



(5) Significant parts of discussion leading to above summary. 



Goldich: There are a number of granite quarries which 

 might be used, especially in Texas or Minnesota. You 

 could combine surface disposal with self- sealing. I 

 favor surface disposal because you know where it is. A 

 pit 100 x 200 x 50 feet could hold a million gallons. 



