DOE Phase One Accident Report - WIPP Release

As you said, how the breach occurred is not stated, but the resultant release was a combination of poor design, engineering, maintenance, and management. If everything had been done properly, none of this information would have ever reached the public's eye because there would have been no release outside of the facility.

I wonder how many other incidents have occurred where there was no release, and therefore no public information made available. Maybe we should be thankful that the release did happen.

As a side note: Amazing how the layout of that facility looks like the set from the original "Andromeda Strain", I wonder if that's where they got their design from.

Glad they don't let too much information out - there would be a lot of 'citizens' running around like chickens with their heads cut off.

No big deal.

The chatter is it will be closed from 18 months to 3 years. The transfer of the arriving material to an interim site was stopped due to security concerns.

This is a very disappointing setback.

The AP has released an article claiming that a change in the type of kitty litter (I'm not making this up) used to absorb radioactive spills may be responsible for a chemical reaction inside the drums that was the cause of the release!