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     The government of the United Kingdom’s Nuclear Waste Services (NWS) is preparing to carry out seismic surveys off the Cumbrian Coast between July and August of this year. They are trying to find a place to dispose of nuclear waste produced by Britain’s nuclear power reactors.
     A report commissioned by Radiation Free Lakeland (RFL), calls for these disposal plans to be delayed. The report claims that the impact assessment by the NWS is “deeply inadequate” and “lacking in appropriate scientific and academic rigor.”
     Seismic blasting is a process that permits scientists to gather data about the geography of the seabed. Loud, repetitive blasts of sound are produced by an underwater airgun. The echoes of the blasts are measured to map the underwater rocks. The airgun will be fired every ten to fifteen seconds throughout the survey period which will last about a month.
     The surveys have been commissioned by NWS. They will be investigating the possibility of locating a Geological Disposal Facility (GDF). Deep under the seabed, this facility will be used to dispose of the U.K.’s toxic legacy of highly radioactive spent nuclear fuel which is a byproduct of nuclear reactors.
     Shearwater GeoServices is the company whose work on South Africa’s ecologically sensitive Wild Coast was stopped by the high court. They are charged with carrying out the investigations of the Cumbrian seabed. According to a freedom of information request, a license of exemption to carry out these surveys was issued to NWS for ‘scientific research’ However RFL claims that the survey is not for ‘scientific research’ but to develop a plan for disposal of spent nuclear fuel.
      Marianne Birkby is one of the founders of RFL. She said, “We commissioned an independent report because we need to counter the PR spin from the nuclear waste industry who are calling the seismic testing ‘non-invasive scientific research.’” She argues that instead of seismic blasting for scientific purposes, the plan facilitates a commercial venture for a “deep nuclear dump for heat generating nuclear waste.” She went on to say that a limited company that wants to process even more nuclear waste from new nuclear reactor builds, Radioactive Waste Management (RWM), is behind it.
      Birkby said, “Despite the marine protections this part of the Irish Sea has, it is an outrage that independent environmental impact assessments have not been carried out. Protections clearly mean nothing when the nuclear waste industry wants to pave the way to a deep nuclear dump.”
     Chris Eldred is senior project manager for geosphere characterization at NWS. He said that “there is no requirement to undertake a public consultation for these surveys. We have undertaken marine environment assessments requested by Natural England and navigational authorities to assess any impacts and they have been satisfied that our activities are exempt.”
     Low frequency sounds generated by a single seismic airgun can carry over great distances, especially in deeper waters. They have been recorded at locations up to twenty-five hundred miles from the source. They can blanket areas up to one hundred and sixteen thousand square miles with noise. Studies have indicated that seismic surveys can impact entire aquatic ecosystems because they can disturb, injure or kill a wide variety of marine life.
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