Prioritization of ESF Testing and Integration with Design and Construction

The developmental strategy for underground site characterization testing in the Exploratory Studies Facility (ESF) of the Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Program is outlined. The history and rationale behind ESF test program development, and each step in the test prioritization and planning process leading up to field implementation, is described. A major challenge for the Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Project Office (YMPO) is the definition and implementation of a testing program that is fully responsive to major characterization objectives and milestones while optimally integrated with, and minimally impactive to, ESF design construction activity. The outlined strategy provides YMPO a technically sound, defensible process for defining, integrating, and ultimately fielding a comprehensive underground testing program in the ESF.