Ecological studies related to the construction of the Defense Waste Processing Facility on the Savannah River Site. Annual report, FY-1991 and FY-1992
The Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) was built on the Savannah River Site (SRS) during the mid-1980`s. The Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (SREL) has completed 14 years of ecological studies related to the construction of the DWPF complex. Prior to construction, the 600-acre site (S-Area) contained a Carolina bay and the headwaters of a stream. Research conducted by the SREL has focused primarily on four questions related to these wetlands: (1) Prior to construction, what fauna and flora were present at the DWPF site and at similar, yet undisturbed, alternative sites? (2) By comparing the Carolina bay at the DWPF site (Sun Bay) with an undisturbed control Carolina bay (Rainbow Bay), what effect is construction having on the organisms that inhabited the DWPF site? (3) By comparing control streams with streams on the periphery of the DWPF site, what effect is construction having on the peripheral streams? (4) How effective have efforts been to lessen the impacts of construction, both with respect to erosion control measures and the construction of ``refuge ponds`` as alternative breeding sites for amphibians that formerly bred at Sun Bay? Through the long-term census-taking of biota at the DWPF site and Rainbow Bay, SREL has begun to evaluate the impact of construction on the biota and the effectiveness of mitigation efforts. Similarly, the effects of erosion from the DWPF site on the water quality of S-Area peripheral streams are being assessed. This research provides supporting data relevant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, the Endangered Species Act of 1973, Executive Orders 11988 (Floodplain Management) and 11990 (Protection of Wetlands), and United States Department of Energy (DOE) Guidelines for Compliance with Floodplain/Wetland Environmental Review Requirements (10 CFR 1022).
- Research Organization:
- Savannah River Ecology Lab., Aiken, SC (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC09-76SR00819
- OSTI ID:
- 10193817
- Report Number(s):
- SREL-47; ON: DE94002813; TRN: 94:000147
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: PBD: Jun 1993
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Ecological studies related to construction of the Defense Waste Processing Facility on the Savannah River Site
Ecological studies related to construction of the Defense Waste Processing Facility on the Savannah River Site. Annual report, FY 1993
Related Subjects
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
SAVANNAH RIVER PLANT
ECOLOGY
HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
RADIOACTIVE WASTE PROCESSING
AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS
RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION
WETLANDS
EROSION
AMPHIBIANS
WATER QUALITY
ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY
ENDANGERED SPECIES
BIOLOGICAL INDICATORS
PROGRESS REPORT
052001
540230
540330
WASTE PROCESSING
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS MONITORING AND TRANSPORT