Summary of radiological monitoring of Columbia River water along the Hanford Reach, 1980 through 1989

Technical Report · Tue Feb 01 04:00:00 EST 1994

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/10132301· OSTI ID:10132301

Dirkes, R L

The Surface Environmental Surveillance Project (SESP) is conducted by the Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) for the US Department of Energy (DOE) at the Hanford Site in southeastern Washington State. The Columbia River monitoring program, conducted as part of the SESP, provides a historical record of contaminant concentrations in the river attributable to natural causes, worldwide fallout, and operations conducted at the Hanford Site. In addition to ongoing monitoring, special studies are conducted periodically to enhance the understanding of the transport and fate of contaminants in the river. The Columbia River monitoring program includes sampling of river water, river sediment, river-bank springs entering the river, and various types of aquatic biota found in or along the river. These samples are analyzed for radiological constituents and a wide range of chemical parameters. This report describes the water sampling component of the overall Columbia River monitoring program conducted during the years 1980 through 1989 and summarizes the radiological results generated through the program during this time period. The only radionuclides found in the river that were consistently influenced by Hanford were tritium and iodine-129. Strontium-90 and uranium, also attributable to Hanford operations, were present in localized areas within the river near ground-water discharge points; however, these contaminants are quickly dispersed within the river to concentrations similar to background.

• Research Organization: Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC06-76RL01830
• OSTI ID: 10132301
• Report Number(s): PNL--9223; ON: DE94008060
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

053002
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540330
COLUMBIA RIVER
ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
HANFORD RESERVATION
IODINE 129
RADIATION MONITORING
RADIOACTIVE EFFLUENTS
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS MONITORING AND TRANSPORT
RADIOECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION
STRONTIUM 90
TRITIUM
URANIUM