RADIOACTIVITY TRANSPORT IN WATER--TRANSPORT OF STRONTIUM AND CESIUM BY STREAM AND ESTUARINE SEDIMENTS. Technical Report No. 1

Technical Report · Sat Jun 01 04:00:00 EDT 1963

OSTI ID:4153125

Reynolds, T D; Gloyna, E F

Factors involved in the transport of radioisotopes of Sr and Cs by suspended and bottom sediments in fresh water streams, lakes, and estuaries were investigated in watersheds of Texas and San Antonio Bay. An evaluation of the distribution coefficients and mass action constants for Cs/sup 137/ and Sr/sup 89/ was based on observed data from laboratory and field studies. Uptake and release data for Ru/sup 103/, Cr/sup 51/, Fe/sup 59/, and I/sup 131/ were also collected. The bod ies of water selected were the Guadalupe River, Lake Austin on the Colorado River, Lake Falcon on the Rio Grande River, and San Antonio Bay. These sampling areas provided a variety of geographical and environmental factors. Although some uranium deposits are found in the watershed, the major portion of the radioactivity in the surface waters resulted from fallout and washout of radionuolides after nuclear detonations. Results showed that the transport of Sr/ sup 89/ and Cs/sup 137/ in fresh water systems can be predicted, that their uptake by river and lake sediments is primarily an ion exchange process, that the mass action coefficients are relatively constant provided the K concentration in the solution did not vary appreciably, that the concentration of Sr/sup 89/ and Cs/sup 137/ in the sediments were relatively uniform throughout the fresh water reaches of the Guadalupe River, that sediments from San Antonio Bay contain lesser concentrations of Sr/sup 90/ and Cs/sup 137/ than the river sediments, that monovalent cations were more inhibitive to Cs/sup 137/ uptake while divalent cations were inhibitive to Sr /sup 89/ uptake, and the coarse-grained materials were significant in the uptake of Cs /sup 137/ and Sr/sup 89/ because of incrusted clay particles on the surface of the sand or gravel materials. (C.H.)

• Research Organization: Texas Univ., Austin. Environmental Health Engineering Research Lab.
• NSA Number: NSA-18-001899
• OSTI ID: 4153125
• Report Number(s): TID-19559
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

CATIONS
CESIUM 137
CESIUM ISOTOPES
CHROMIUM 51
CLAYS
DEPOSITS
DISTRIBUTION
FALLOUT
GEOLOGY AND MINERALOGY
HYDROLOGY
IODINE 131
ION EXCHANGE
IRON 59
NUCLEAR EXPLOSIONS
POTASSIUM
RADIOACTIVITY
RIVERS
RUTHENIUM 103
SAMPLING
SAN ANTONIO BAY
SEA
STRONTIUM 89
STRONTIUM ISOTOPES
TEXAS
URANIUM MINERALS
WATER