Setting aside the possibility of a major catastrophic leak, the risk of any degree of contamination of nuclear waste into a shared water source resulting from minor leaking of materials onsite or en route to the facility is not a risk to dismiss lightly. What the Yucca Mountain project asks the locals of western Nevada and eastern California to do is to risk their lives and livelihoods on the nation’s behalf, to store the most dangerous substance on the planet in their backyards for the remainder of their lives, their children’s lives, their grandchildren’s lives and the lives of more than 300 future generations.