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U.S. Department of Energy
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Final report of the second dye-tracer test at the Chestnut Ridge Security Pits, Y-12 Plant, Oak Ridge, Tennessee

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:10140909

Martin Marietta Energy Systems, Inc. (Energy Systems) manages a closed hazardous waste disposal unit, Chestnut Ridge Security Pits (CRSP), in the form of two trenches and several auger-holes, located on top of the eastern portion of Chestnut Ridge at the Department of Energy (DOE) Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant in Tennessee. The groundwater monitoring system for the unit presently consists of a network of upgradient and downgradient monitor wells. To investigate the discharge of groundwater to springs and streams. An initial dye-tracer study was conducted during the driest part of 1990. The dye was detected at some of the monitoring sites, but verification was necessary due to the proximity of some sites to extraneous dye sources. A second dye-tracer was conducted during the wet weather season. The actual test commenced during the first week of February 1992 with a 4-week baseline monitoring period to determine the inherent variability of the emission spectra within the wavelength range characteristic of Rhodamine WT (RWT) and Fluorescent Brightener 28 (FB28) or similar naturally occuring compounds within in the aquifer. This is commonly referred as background in discussion of minimum detectable levels of dyes. Because two monitoring stations produced dye/optical brightener emission spectra during the baseline period, no results could be characterized on a quantitative or qualitative basis as positively indicating the detection of RWT or FB28 at these monitoring locations. The remaining monitoring produced no results which could be positively characterized as a detection of RWT or FB28. At no time was a characteristic dye spectrum that could be resolved from the background levels or interfering peaks recorded for any sample, nor could any of the results be qualitatively characterized as dye detection.

Research Organization:
Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant, TN (United States); Science Applications International Corp., Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
DOE Contract Number:
AC05-84OS21400
OSTI ID:
10140909
Report Number(s):
Y/Sub--92-99928c/Y10/1; ON: DE93010848
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English