Water balance relationships in four alternative cover designs for radioactive and mixed waste landfills

Conference · Mon Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 1994

OSTI ID:10173037

Warren, R W; Hakonson, T E ^[1]; Trujillo, G ^[2]

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1. Colorado State Univ., Ft. Collins, CO (United States)
2. Los Alamos National Lab., NM (United States)

Preliminary results are presented from a field study to evaluate the relative hydrologic performance of various landfill capping technologies installed by the Los Alamos National Laboratory at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. Four cover designs (two Los Alamos capillary barrier designs, one modified EPA RCRA design, and one conventional design) were installed in large lysimeters instrumented to monitor the fate of natural precipitation between 01 January 1990 and 20 September 1993. After 45 months of study, results showed that the cover designs containing barrier layers were effective in reducing deep percolation as compared to a simple soil cap design. The RCRA cover, incorporating a clay hydraulic barrier, was the most effective of all cover designs in controlling percolation but was not 100% effective. Over 90% of all percolation and barrier lateral flow occurred during the months of February through May of each year, primarily as a result of snow melt, early spring rains and low evapotranspiration. Gravel mulch surface treatments (70--80% coverage) were effective in reducing runoff and erosion. The two plots receiving gravel mulch treatments exhibited equal but enhanced amounts of evapotranspiration despite the fact that one plot was planted with additional shrubs.

• Research Organization: Los Alamos National Lab., NM (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-36
• OSTI ID: 10173037
• Report Number(s): LA-UR--94-2664; CONF-940815--73; ON: DE94016188
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

052002
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540350
CONTAINMENT SYSTEMS
DESIGN
HYDROLOGY
LEACHING
LOW-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
MOISTURE
SITE RESOURCE AND USE STUDIES
UNDERGROUND DISPOSAL
WASTE DISPOSAL AND STORAGE