Hydrology expert witness
In 1987 the US Congress designated Yucca Mountain the sole site for storing America’s nuclear waste. Since then, the State of Nevada has been contesting the repository, calling on the expert advice of researchers from across the globe to back its case.
Professor Howard Wheater is an internationally renowned expert in Hydrology with research areas including water resources and quality. Through Imperial Consultants, Howard and his colleagues have been advising the State of Nevada for a number of years.
The Yucca Mountain issue has been at the forefront of both the nuclear and environmental agendas in the US for over 20 years. Whilst nuclear energy is still one of the best options for meeting our future energy needs, issues still need to be addressed particularly relating to the disposal of the highly radioactive waste.
Over 20 of Nevada’s two hundred contentions to the Department of Energy’s application for Yucca Mountain as the national nuclear repository were written by Imperial researchers. Howard’s advice covered the movement of water in and through the mountain and the possible implications to the water table from storing nuclear waste in the mountain.
In 2008 Barack Obama came to power with an election mandate to scrap the Yucca Mountain project. The future of Yucca Mountain as the US’s nuclear waste repository may still be undecided, but Imperial’s expert witnesses have a lot to add to the debate.
