B4. Irretrievable Nuclear Waste Disposal Test Shaft

B4. Irretrievable Nuclear Waste Disposal Test Shaft. In 1980, Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. (AECL) sank a shaft and excavated this chamber 500 meters deep in a granite pluton in the Canadian Shield. Additional funding for this test shaft came from the United States, Japan, and Sweden. According to AECL, geologic storage in precambrian rock is a permanent disposal method for irradiated fuel. After 10 years of public hearings, an Environmental Assessment Panel recommended against siting a geologic storage facility in Canada because (1) the concept is not socially acceptable, and (2) there are unresolved safety issues. Lac du Bonnet, Manitoba, Canada. 15 September 1986.

These photographs by Robert Del Tredici are protected by copyright and are available for purchase as high-quality digital prints on archival paper or as silver gelatin prints from bdeltredici@hotmail.com.