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Nuclear testing activities have been conducted at eight locations in five different states as part of the Plowshare and vela Uniform programs. The Atomic Energy Commission initiated the Plowshare program in 1957 to develop peaceful (industrial and scientific) applications for nuclear explosives. The Vela Uniform program began in 1959 and was part of a Department of Defense research and development program intended to improve the capability of detecting, monitoring, and identifying underground nuclear detections. All offsite testing ended in 1973.
As part of the Vela Uniform program, nuclear tests were conducted near Fallon, Nevada (Project Shoal), at the Central Nevada Test Area (Project Faultless), on Amchitka Island, Alaska (Projects Long Shot, Milrow and Cannikin. Of these, only Long Shot was part of the Vela Uniform program; Projetcs Milrow and Cannikin were part of the nuclear weapons testing program), and near Hattiesburg, Mississippi (Projects Salmon and Sterling). Projects Shoal, Faultless, and Long Shot were designed to determine the behavior and characteristics of seismic signals generated by nuclear detonations and to differentiate them from seismic signals generated by naturally occuring earthquakes. Projects Salmon and Sterling were designed to evaluate seismic signals from both coupled and decoupled detonations in a salt medium (the Tatum Salt Dome).
As part of the Plowshare program, the Department conducted nuclear tests at two sites near Rifle, Colorado (Rulison and Rio Blanco), near Farmington New Mexico (Project Gasbuggy), and near Carlsbad, New Mexico (Project Gnome-Coach). Projects Rulison, Rio Blanco, and Gasbuggy were designed to stimulate the production of natural gas in tight sandstone formations. Project Gnome-Coach was designed to determine the seismic signals, effects, and products of a nuclear detonation in a bedded salt medium.
Contamination resulting from these tests included radionuclides; organic compounds; metals, such as beryllium and lead; hydrocarbons; drilling mud; and residues from plastics, epoxies, and drilling instrumentation. The Department of Energy will control the access to the subsurface by retaining mineral rights and using other legal vehicles to ensure intrusion into the test shot cavities does not occur. Because of the location of some sites, the Department will maintain control of them until remediation has been completed. Ultimate Ownership of some sites is uncertain and is being negotiated with the respective states and other federal agencies, as appropriate.
All of the sites use the Environmental Restoration Program general approach, which is outlined in the introduction to the Environmental Restoration program in the Nevada Test Site. All activities at these sites are conducted within the scope of the Environmental program.
All of the sites will be involved in a hydrolic monitoring program to ensure there is no movement of possible ground water contaminants. The hydrologic monitoring programs will continue for approximately 30 years after completion of the remediation activities.
Sources:
United States Department
of Energy
