Sediment accumulation rates in Conowingo Reservoir as determined by man-made and natural radionuclides

Journal Article · Wed May 01 04:00:00 EDT 1991 · Estuaries; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2307/1351688· OSTI ID:5142267

McLean, R I; Domotor, S L ^[1]; Summers, J K; Wilson, H ^[2]; Olsen, C R; Larsen, I L ^[3]

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1. Maryland Dept. of Natural Resources, Annapolis (United States)
2. Versar, Inc., Columbia, Maryland (United States)
3. Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States)

The Susquehanna River is the major contributor to sediment loadings in the Chesapeake Bay. Because many environmental contaminants are associated with suspended particulates, the degree of particle retention within the reservoirs of the lower Susquehanna River is an important consideration in evaluating contaminant loadings to the Chesapeake Bay. Profiles of weapons-test Cs-137, nuclear power plant-related Cs-134 and Cs-137, and naturally-derived Pb-210 were used to estimate rates of sediment accretion in the Conowingo Reservoir,an impoundmment of the Susquehanna River along the Maryland-Pennsylvania border. Net accretion rates ranged from about 2 cm yr{sup {minus}1} downstream of a nuclear power plant cooling discharge to a high of about 7 cm yr{sup {minus}1} at the mount of an incoming creek. Slight, but consistent, increases in the annual rate of accretion since the creation of the reservoir in 1928 are apparent. The current net average annual sediment load retained by the reservoir is estimated to be 0.4 {times} 10{sup 6} to 1.5 {times} 10{sup 6} metric tons yr{sup {minus}1}. The retained sediment load represents about 8-23% of the long-time average sediment input to the reservoir.

• OSTI ID: 5142267
• Journal Information: Estuaries; (United States), Journal Name: Estuaries; (United States) Vol. 41:5; ISSN ESTUD; ISSN 0160-8347
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540330* -- Environment
Aquatic-- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
ALKALI METAL ISOTOPES
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
ATLANTIC OCEAN
BAYS
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
CESIUM 134
CESIUM 137
CESIUM ISOTOPES
CHEMISTRY
CHESAPEAKE BAY
COASTAL WATERS
ELECTRON CAPTURE RADIOISOTOPES
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
FALLOUT
FALLOUT DEPOSITS
GEOCHEMISTRY
HEAVY NUCLEI
HOURS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI
INTERNAL CONVERSION RADIOISOTOPES
ISOMERIC TRANSI
ISOTOPES
LEAD 210
LEAD ISOTOPES
MASS TRANSFER
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
POLLUTANTS
POWER PLANTS
RADIOISOTOPES
RETENTION
SEAS
SEDIMENTS
SURFACE WATERS
THERMAL POWER PLANTS
WATER RESERVOIRS
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES