Water Level Confirmed at Homestake

By Wendy Pitlick, Black Hills Pioneer
Article Source

LEAD - Video inspection of the Ross Shaft of the Sanford Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory (SUSEL) at Homestake this week confirmed that the accumulated water in the mine is at the 4, 996-foot level, according to Dave Snyder, Executive Director of the South Dakota Science and Technology Authority. The confirmed water level is now 4 feet higher than the water level detected by sensors in July of this year.

This video confirmation of the water level indicates that the water may be filling the mine somewhat slower than earlier anticipated. The new information was inserted in the water fill rate computer model, which now indicates that the water may not reach the 4,850-foot level until sometime in February 2008. The fill rate is highly dependent upon variations in precipitation. "Our objective is to keep the water from reaching the 4,850-foot level, and we remain on course to do that," said Snyder.

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