A new utility shaft at EM’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) recently surpassed the 1,900-foot level continuing toward the underground waste repository depth of 2,150 feet. The concrete liner inside the shaft has been installed to its final depth of 873 feet; the remaining shaft will be lined with steel mesh and rock bolts. Activities for shaft excavation include drilling, blasting, material removal, geological mapping and installation of ground support. These activities will be repeated until the shaft reaches its final depth. It is WIPP’s fifth shaft — there are also salt, waste, air intake and exhaust shafts — and upon completion, the utility shaft will be the site’s largest at 26 feet in diameter. The shaft will be an air intake for the massive Safety Significant Confinement Ventilation System being constructed on the other side of the WIPP site. When finished, that system will increase airflow to the WIPP underground from the current 170,000 cubic feet per minute (cfm) of filtered ventilation to as much as 540,000 cfm, an increase of 217%. The new shaft and permanent ventilation system are part of EM's investment in upgrading WIPP’s infrastructure so the facility can operate safely and compliantly for decades to come. 

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