The facility provides safe, long-term storage for approximately 1.2 million cubic metres of historic low-level radioactive waste being cleaned up in the community as part of the Port Hope Project.
Engineered Aboveground Mound
The Port Hope LTWMF includes an engineered aboveground mound to isolate the historic low-level radioactive waste by securely encasing it on the top, bottom and sides with thick, multiple layers of natural and specially manufactured materials.
These layers form components of the cover and baseliner that, independently, are robust enough to prevent contaminants from entering the environment. Together, they function as multiple back-up safety systems.
The multi-component cover system will reduce surface water infiltration through the waste, provide protection of the mound from inadvertent intrusion into the waste, and reduce levels of gamma radiation on the surface of the mound to background levels.
Monitoring systems are installed within the mound and around the perimeter of the long-term waste management facility site.
Port Hope Waste Water Treatment Plant
Using best available technology, the Port Hope Project Waste Water Treatment Plant is designed to treat surface water and groundwater at the LTWMF during construction and contaminated water (leachate) from within the engineered aboveground mound after it is capped and closed.
The plant uses a two-stage process to remove a wide range of contaminants. Chemical precipitation and clarification followed by ROCHEM reverse osmosis technology to ensure the quality of water being discharged to Lake Ontario meets or exceeds stringent CNSC requirements, resulting in enhanced protection of the Great Lakes Basin ecosystem.