Decision on uranium permit due in January, page-7

Properties of Groundwater:
Movement:
Groundwater is in constant motion, although the rate at which it moves is generally slower than it would move in a stream because it must pass through the intricate passageways between free spaces in the rock. First groundwater moves downward due to the pull of gravity. But it can also move upwards because it will flow from higher-pressure areas to lower pressure areas.
The rate of groundwater flow is controlled by two properties of the rock: porosity and permeability. Porosity is the percentage of the volume of the rock that is open space (pore space). This determines the amount of water that a rock can contain. In sediments or sedimentary rocks the porosity depends on grain size, grain shapes, the degree of sorting, and the degree of cementation. Permeability is a measure of the degree to which the pore spaces are interconnected, and the size of the interconnections. Low porosity usually results in low permeability, but high porosity does not necessarily imply high permeability. It is possible to have a highly porous rock with little or no interconnections between pores. A good example of a rock with high porosity and low permeability is a vesicular volcanic rock, where the bubbles that once contained gas give the rock a high porosity, but since these holes are not connected to one another the rock has low permeability

Read more: http://www.lenntech.com/groundwater/properties.htm#ixzz3F8UHS94V

Upward movement of underground water:

Capillary water: Just above the water table, in the aeration zone, is capillary water that moves upward from the water table by capillary action. This water can move slowly and in any direction. While most plants rely upon moisture from precipitation that is present in the unsaturated zone, their roots may also tap into capillary water or into the underlying saturated zone.

This is usually a slow process. migration through porous particles usually means some degree of filtration, meaning contaminants would to build up in residual water body rather than move up with flow.

Pressure: Either man-made (eg, pumps) or "natural" (thermal: reactions due to chemicals used at site)

As long as Strata address any and all concerns raised re monitoring and maintaining water quality, they should prevail. They need to consider all contingencies - real and hypothetical - and define preventative procedures.

Cant imagine approval not being given but with stringent monitoring conditions.

MS