Rock salt more vulnerable to groundwater leaks than formerly believed

Underground rock salt deposits, considered suitable for storing nuclear waste, are more vulnerable to groundwater leaks than previously thought, new research from UT Austin has determined. Researchers from the university’s Cockrell School of Engineering and Jackson School of Geosciences used field testing and laboratory imaging experiments to show that rock salt might not protect water supplies if a storage vessel or capsule fails. The team’s findings, published in Science, has implications chiefly for nuclear waste storage, but also for oil and gas operations. For more, read the press release and articles in Phys.org and the Austin American-Statesman.