Sky, I think sb was asking about Super-Kamiokande. It's my understanding that the various DUSEL (Deep Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory) proposals offer radically smaller backgrounds (~a factor of 100 less cosmic rays) as well as the opportunity to pursue comparable to larger detection volumes (~50 ktons) than SuperK, potentially with different detector technologies (liquid argon, or perhaps something else) than SuperK's water volume. So, in short, the new lab would offer stronger cleaner neutrino detection. The IceCube experiment in antarctica uses the ice itself for a detection volume (a nifty idea:
icecube.wisc.edu/
), but can't see much in the way of the low energy neutrinos we get from the sun. That's just for the neutrino experiments.
The low background nature of these really deep sites makes them really attractive -- there are many exciting experiments at the forefront of physics these days that simply cannot be done without a low background site (or the ever-present possibility of a mixture of phenomenal luck and a very clever idea or two). Furthermore, the deep sites offer rock solid (sic) temperature/environmental stability and wonderful isolation from cultural backgrounds (cars, trucks, nearby vibrations, etc.) that can plague some otherwise very precise experiments.
If the Cascade site were to be selected for DUSEL, it'd be a big win for the area scientifically, monetarily, and culturally, with minimal environmental impact. The project is simply making a pre-existing hole in the ground (the railroad tunnel) larger inside, without any appreciable alteration of the mountain's exterior. The presence of the rail line even makes the removal of the rock trivial and nearly invisible to an onlooker, unlike the Icicle Creek site, where dump trucks would've made their presence known for about a year. Properly managed, I believe it'd prove to be an extremely environmentally friendly endeavour.
Back to work in the lab.... daydreaming about fall-line skiing in the clouds...
