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The Role of the U. S. Geological Survey in Waste Disposal Monitoring a
Author(s) -
Callahan Joseph T.
Publication year - 1972
Publication title -
groundwater
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.84
H-Index - 94
eISSN - 1745-6584
pISSN - 0017-467X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1745-6584.1972.tb02918.x
Subject(s) - radioactive waste , groundwater , geological survey , waste disposal , waste management , environmental science , geology , engineering , paleontology , geotechnical engineering
The disposal of all types of liquid and solid wastes threatens the health and well‐being of mankind. In recent years the constraints on the disposal of industrial and municipal wastes into rivers and the seas have prompted the disposal through wells into the subsurface. Limestone terrane is particularly amenable to the acceptance of all types of wastes in the cavernous subsurface, and has resulted in widespread contamination of shallow ground‐water resources. Highway salting has caused the contamination of thousands of household wells, causing large‐scale replacement drilling programs in some northern States. A semantics problem also has arisen, because liquid wastes injected into the subsurface have not been disposed of, but rather have been placed in a new environment. They may be in storage, they may be attenuating, or they may be changing character by reaction with the rock mass or formation fluids. The U. S. Geological Survey has been concerned with the study of ground‐water resources for more than 80 years, and with the problems of radioactive waste contamination since World War II. A newly identified program of investigations of waste emplacement into the subsurface was begun two years ago. The purpose of the program is to develop the ability to predict the fate of any wastes deliberately or accidentally emplaced in the subsurface. The program includes research contracts and grants with universities and governmental organizations as well as in‐house research.