DUSEL Update

[Squid]

http://www.duselprocess.com/

 

The link above is to the DUSEL Process webpage. Not much there except this link to the Citizen Advisory Committee's Report to the Port of Chelan County. The advisory committee is split between yes, no, and maybe.

[catbirdseat]

I read the citizens advisory committee document. There are very few assertions that are supported by reasoned arguments or facts. Paranoia runs throughout the document.

[Squid]

Brian, I respectfully disagree.

One aspect of the DUSEL project that gives me pause is the useful lifespan of the facility. This facility is not projected to be useful beyond 30-40 years. In this regard, the project seems analogous to the small veins of ore that gave rise to many small mining towns in the west: you'll see about a generation's worth of growth and development in the region, followed by a long period of decay and abandonment. The growth that this project will induce is not sustainable for the region.

 

I could be wrong, but I haven't seen anything to induce me to think otherwise.

[Ade]

You can file a Public comment here:

 

http://www.duselprocess.com/index.php?page_id=2

[AlpineK]

I read the citizens advisory committee document. There are very few assertions that are supported by reasoned arguments or facts. Paranoia runs throughout the document.

 

You just can't wait to have the Icicle shut down to climbing.

[Ade]

I read the DUSEL Cascades proposal and there's very little in it to convince me that the it has much merit, much less that it will be of any long term benefit to Leavenworth.

 

I'm not argueing with the science but it seems with four of the current five completeing proposals already being at mining sites the last thing we need is another big hole in the ground somewhere that is relatively unspoilt and that sees a fair amount of recreational use.

 

In addition many of the spinoff benefits seem to mean more traffic and impact; K-12 outreach, extension campus, ecological fieldwork.

 

The 40 year projected lifetime might well be extended but probably at the cost of upgrades to the project which could mean further digging. Typically when these things get built they last a lot longer than people initially expect. Examples of this are JET and CERN, both in Europe. Both are well beyond their original projected lifetimes and have been upgraded and are still producing useful science.

 

The report also sersiously condradicts itself in regard to the possible expansion to include a "mega detector". In the "Summary of the Pre-Proposal for DUSEL-Cascades" it states:

 

"Future Construction of a Megadetector: A very large detector – or megadetector -has been discussed in connection with some other sites. As discussed in section 7.5 of the preproposal, Cashmere Mt. is not suitable for this detector."

 

However section 7.5 of the preproposal says:

 

"In our view NUSEL-Cascades would be an ideal choice for such a new-technology megadetector."

 

I would say that it was quite possible, if not probable, that the detector site would grow before the 40 year mark and outlive its projected lifespan.

 

The proposal is worth a look:

 

http://www.int.washington.edu/DUSEL/jim_reid_final.pdf