Climate change will affect plans for an underground nuclear repository in the Ignace area.
That’s according to a new study conducted by the Nuclear Waste Management Organization and Golder Associates Ltd.
Kelly Liberda is a Senior Engineer with the NWMO and says “It’s likely that there will be increased precipitation in the future. Increased precipitation can lead to flooding or other extreme climate events. So it’s really important that we consider these factors when we are designing our facility.”
Liberda says their mission is to incorporate new knowledge and adapt plans in response to changing conditions.
“One of the ways that we will incorporate this information into our design is when we are designing our storm water management system. We’ll want to make sure that we have enough capacity so it can handle an increased precipitation level that may occur in the future.”
Liberda says the study information will be passed along to their engineering group and be used in future designs.
She stresses their priority is mitigating and minimizing any risks posed by environmental factors such as climate change.
Liberda notes similar research is underway at the second proposed site, South Bruce, Ontario.
To hear more from Kelly Liberda, visit the Audio link below.
