Underground Research Laboratory

 mine, scientific research institute / centre, nuclear research centre

Part of the Whiteshell Laboratory, whose main site is some distance to the southwest of this location, the $40-million Underground Research Laboratory (URL) was planned in 1980 and built in 1982 to study the deep geologic burial of nuclear waste. It had two main levels at 240 and 420 meters below the surface, with smaller sites at 139 and 300 m depth. Officially opening in 1985, the site was used for a wide variety of tests by Canadian and foreign researchers. The URL does not hold any nuclear materials, it was used only for geological and related studies. The decision to close the site was made in 2003 and work began in 2006, with the final closure in 2010. As part of the closure, the site was sealed and filled with water. Ongoing studies monitor any leakage between the fill water and the surrounding water table as part of an engineering study on ways to build a suitable long-term storage for nuclear waste