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Title: Design and Installation of a Disposal Cell Cover Field Test

Abstract

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Legacy Management (LM) initiated a cover assessment project in September 2007 to evaluate an inexpensive approach to enhancing the hydrological performance of final covers for disposal cells. The objective is to accelerate and enhance natural processes that are transforming existing conventional covers, which rely on low-conductivity earthen barriers, into water balance covers, that store water in soil and release it as soil evaporation and plant transpiration. A low conductivity cover could be modified by deliberately blending the upper layers of the cover profile and planting native shrubs. A test facility was constructed at the Grand Junction, Colorado, Disposal Site to evaluate the proposed methodology. The test cover was constructed in two identical sections, each including a large drainage lysimeter. The test cover was constructed with the same design and using the same materials as the existing disposal cell in order to allow for a direct comparison of performance. One test section will be renovated using the proposed method; the other is a control. LM is using the lysimeters to evaluate the effectiveness of the renovation treatment by monitoring hydrologic conditions within the cover profile as well as all water entering and leaving themore » system. This paper describes the historical experience of final covers employing earthen barrier layers, the design and operation of the lysimeter test facility, testing conducted to characterize the as-built engineering and edaphic properties of the lysimeter soils, the calibration of instruments installed at the test facility, and monitoring data collected since the lysimeters were constructed.« less

Authors:
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [5]
  1. University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, Wisconsin
  2. S.M. Stoller Corporation, Grand Junction, Colorado
  3. Desert Research Institute, Reno, Nevada
  4. Geo-Smith Engineering, Grand Junction, Colorado
  5. U.S. Department of Energy, Grand Junction, Colorado
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
USDOE Office of Legacy Management (LM)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Legacy Management (LM)
OSTI Identifier:
1132761
Report Number(s):
DOE/LM-WM2011-Conf
Resource Type:
Conference
Resource Relation:
Conference: WM2011 Conference, February 27-March 3, 2011, Phoenix, AZ
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
disposal cells, Grand Junction, Colorado, Disposal Site, hydrological performance, barrier layers, final cover, lysimeters, WM2011 Conference, 2011

Citation Formats

Benson, C.H., Waugh, W.J., Albright, W.H., Smith, G.M., and Bush, R.P. Design and Installation of a Disposal Cell Cover Field Test. United States: N. p., 2011. Web.
Benson, C.H., Waugh, W.J., Albright, W.H., Smith, G.M., & Bush, R.P. Design and Installation of a Disposal Cell Cover Field Test. United States.
Benson, C.H., Waugh, W.J., Albright, W.H., Smith, G.M., and Bush, R.P. 2011. "Design and Installation of a Disposal Cell Cover Field Test". United States. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1132761.
@article{osti_1132761,
title = {Design and Installation of a Disposal Cell Cover Field Test},
author = {Benson, C.H. and Waugh, W.J. and Albright, W.H. and Smith, G.M. and Bush, R.P.},
abstractNote = {The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Legacy Management (LM) initiated a cover assessment project in September 2007 to evaluate an inexpensive approach to enhancing the hydrological performance of final covers for disposal cells. The objective is to accelerate and enhance natural processes that are transforming existing conventional covers, which rely on low-conductivity earthen barriers, into water balance covers, that store water in soil and release it as soil evaporation and plant transpiration. A low conductivity cover could be modified by deliberately blending the upper layers of the cover profile and planting native shrubs. A test facility was constructed at the Grand Junction, Colorado, Disposal Site to evaluate the proposed methodology. The test cover was constructed in two identical sections, each including a large drainage lysimeter. The test cover was constructed with the same design and using the same materials as the existing disposal cell in order to allow for a direct comparison of performance. One test section will be renovated using the proposed method; the other is a control. LM is using the lysimeters to evaluate the effectiveness of the renovation treatment by monitoring hydrologic conditions within the cover profile as well as all water entering and leaving the system. This paper describes the historical experience of final covers employing earthen barrier layers, the design and operation of the lysimeter test facility, testing conducted to characterize the as-built engineering and edaphic properties of the lysimeter soils, the calibration of instruments installed at the test facility, and monitoring data collected since the lysimeters were constructed.},
doi = {},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1132761}, journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Sun Feb 27 00:00:00 EST 2011},
month = {Sun Feb 27 00:00:00 EST 2011}
}

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