Aquifer characterization and groundwater modeling in support of remedial actions at the Weldon Spring Site
- Argonne National Lab., IL (United States)
- Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc., St. Charles, MO (United States)
Aquifer characterization studies were performed to develop a hydrogeologic understanding of an unconfined shallow aquifer at the Weldon Spring site west of St. Louis, Missouri. The 88-ha site became contaminated because of uranium and thorium processing and disposal activities that took place from the 1940s through the 1960s. Slug and pumping tests provided valuable information on the lateral distribution of hydraulic conductivities, and packer tests and lithologic information were used to determine zones of contrasting hydrologic properties within the aquifer. A three-dimensional, finite- element groundwater flow model was developed and used to simulate the shallow groundwater flow system at the site. The results of this study show that groundwater flow through the system is predominantly controlled by a zone of fracturing and weathering in the upper portion of the limestone aquifer. The groundwater flow model, developed and calibrated from field investigations, improved the understanding of the hydrogeology and supported decisions regarding remedial actions at the site. The results of this study illustrate the value, in support of remedial actions, of combining field investigations with numerical modeling to develop an improved understanding of the hydrogeology at the site.
- Research Organization:
- Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-31109-ENG-38
- OSTI ID:
- 10188111
- Report Number(s):
- ANL/EA/CP-79850; ON: DE94001278; TRN: 93:025504
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: PBD: [1993]
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
GROUND WATER
FLUID FLOW
CHEMICAL PLANTS
REMEDIAL ACTION
MISSOURI
HYDROLOGY
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
AQUIFERS
THORIUM
URANIUM
RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL
ORE PROCESSING
STRATIGRAPHY
SITE CHARACTERIZATION
FINITE ELEMENT METHOD
054000
050400
052002
540250
HEALTH AND SAFETY
FEED PROCESSING
WASTE DISPOSAL AND STORAGE
SITE RESOURCE AND USE STUDIES