The plant is a four-story, entirely above-ground building with a 10-25 MW electrical output.

The department has been looking for a temporary site where the spent fuel from more than 100 nuclear reactors around the country would be stored in above-ground buildings.

Most of the above-ground buildings were moved to other locations, but the underground store had to stay in place.

At first, Keedair had suggested establishing an elaborate holosystem that would blur the above-ground buildings and the dry-waterfall cave opening.

Another alternative is a above-ground buildings that would hold the wastes well into the 21st century, although finding the host for such a complex would be difficult if it appeared permanent.

Across Lake Champlain, an above-ground building near Swanton, Vt., was renovated into a machine shop.

It consists of an above-ground building containing a kitchen, sleeping quarters, offices and life-support equipment.

The supervisors then came up with a $23 million proposal for an above-ground building, which would not require a bond issue.

"Caves have esthetics impossible to capture in an above-ground building," said Dirk Hampson, Far Niente's wine maker.

It would also provide another above-ground building with a central entrance to all the lines.