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Title: Preliminary assessment of tree mortality near F- and H-area seepage basins

Abstract

A preliminary assessment was conducted to evaluate factors that may have been responsible for the vegetation damage that has occurred in groundwater seeps downslope from the F- and H-area seepage basins. The factors that were considered included altered hydrology, toxicity from hazardous chemical constituents associated with seepage basin operation, and toxicity from non-hazardous constituents associated with basin operation. It was concluded that the observed damage was not likely to have resulted from altered hydrologic conditions or hazardous constituents associated with basin operation. Insufficient information is currently available to determine definitively which of the non-hazardous constituents, alone or in concert, were responsible for the observed vegetation damage. The most likely explanation, however, is that elevated Na, pH, and conductivity is outcropping seep water are responsible for tree mortality. All three of these factors will return to ambient levels over a period of several years when basin operation ceases. Faster remediation can be achieved using lime at the seep line.

Authors:
;
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Savannah River Lab., Aiken, SC (USA)
OSTI Identifier:
5169108
Report Number(s):
DPST-88-260
ON: DE88009570
DOE Contract Number:
AC09-76SR00001
Resource Type:
Technical Report
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES; 63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.; 54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; LOW-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES; RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL; RADIOACTIVE EFFLUENTS; BIOLOGICAL RADIATION EFFECTS; TREES; MORTALITY; CHEMICAL EFFLUENTS; GROUND WATER; HAZARDOUS MATERIALS; HYDROLOGY; LIMING; SAVANNAH RIVER PLANT; TOXICITY; BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS; HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS; MANAGEMENT; MATERIALS; NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS; OXYGEN COMPOUNDS; PLANTS; RADIATION EFFECTS; RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS; RADIOACTIVE WASTES; US AEC; US DOE; US ERDA; US ORGANIZATIONS; WASTE DISPOSAL; WASTE MANAGEMENT; WASTES; WATER; 052002* - Nuclear Fuels- Waste Disposal & Storage; 560162 - Radionuclide Effects, Kinetics, & Toxicology- Animals, Plants, Microorganisms, & Cells; 510200 - Environment, Terrestrial- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (-1989); 510300 - Environment, Terrestrial- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport- (-1989)

Citation Formats

Loehle, C, and Gladden, J. Preliminary assessment of tree mortality near F- and H-area seepage basins. United States: N. p., 1988. Web. doi:10.2172/5169108.
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Loehle, C, & Gladden, J. Preliminary assessment of tree mortality near F- and H-area seepage basins. United States. doi:10.2172/5169108.
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Loehle, C, and Gladden, J. Thu . "Preliminary assessment of tree mortality near F- and H-area seepage basins". United States. doi:10.2172/5169108. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/5169108.
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@article{osti_5169108,
title = {Preliminary assessment of tree mortality near F- and H-area seepage basins},
author = {Loehle, C and Gladden, J},
abstractNote = {A preliminary assessment was conducted to evaluate factors that may have been responsible for the vegetation damage that has occurred in groundwater seeps downslope from the F- and H-area seepage basins. The factors that were considered included altered hydrology, toxicity from hazardous chemical constituents associated with seepage basin operation, and toxicity from non-hazardous constituents associated with basin operation. It was concluded that the observed damage was not likely to have resulted from altered hydrologic conditions or hazardous constituents associated with basin operation. Insufficient information is currently available to determine definitively which of the non-hazardous constituents, alone or in concert, were responsible for the observed vegetation damage. The most likely explanation, however, is that elevated Na, pH, and conductivity is outcropping seep water are responsible for tree mortality. All three of these factors will return to ambient levels over a period of several years when basin operation ceases. Faster remediation can be achieved using lime at the seep line.},
doi = {10.2172/5169108},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Thu Jan 28 00:00:00 EST 1988},
month = {Thu Jan 28 00:00:00 EST 1988}
}
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DOI:  10.2172/5169108
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  • ; ; ; ...
    Areas of tree mortality, originating in 1979, have been documented downslope of the F- and H-Area Seepage Basins. The basins were used as discharge areas for low-level radioactive and nonradioactive waste. Preliminary studies indicated that there are three possible causes of stress: altered hydrology; hazardous chemicals; and nonhazardous chemicals. It was originally hypothesized that the most likely hydrological stressors to Nyssa sylvatica var. biflora were flooding where water levels cover the lenticels for more than 26 percent of the growing season, resulting in low oxygen availability, and toxins produced under anaerobic conditions. In fact, trees began to show stress onlymore » flowing a drought year (1977) rather than a wet year. Dry conditions could exacerbate stress by concentrating contaminants, particularly salt. Study of the soil and water chemical parameters in the impacted sites indicated that salt concentrations in the affected areas have produced abnormally high exchangeable sodium percentages. Furthermore, significantly elevated concentrations of heavy metals were found in each impacted site, although no one metal was consistently elevated. Evaluation of the concentrations of various chemicals toxic to Nyssa sylvatica var. biflora revealed that aluminum was probably the most toxic in the F-Area. Manganese, cadmium, and zinc had concentrations great enough to be considered possible causes of tree mortality in the F-Area. Aluminum was the most likely cause of mortality in the H-Area. Controlled experiments testing metal and salt concentration effects on Nyssa sylvatica would be needed to specifically assign cause and effect mortality relationships.« less

  • ;
    This report summarizes results of recent analyses of radioactivity in fish from SRS streams near the F-Area and H-Area seepage basins. Fish were collected from headwater areas of Four Mile Creek and Pen Branch, from just below the H-Area seepage basin, and from three sites downstream in Four Mile Creek. These fish were analyzed for gross alpha and gross beta radioactivity using standard EPA methods. Levels of gross alpha and nonvolatile beta radioactivity in fish were found to be comparable to levels previously reported for these sites. Gross alpha activity was not found to be influenced by Separations Area discharges.more » Nonvolatile beta activity was higher in the nonvolatile beta activity was attributable to Cs-137 and K-40. The dosimetric consequences of consuming fish from this area were found to be well below DOE guidelines.« less

  • ;
    This report summarizes results of recent analyses of heavy metals in fish from Savannah River Site (SRS) streams near the F-Area and H-Area seepage basins. Fish were collected from headwater areas of Four Mile Creek and Pen Branch, from just below the H-Area seepage basin, and from three sites downstream in Four Mile Creek. These fish were analyzed for RCRA trace metals using standard EPA methods. Silver, arsenic, beryllium, cadmium, copper, nickel, lead, antimony, and thallium were all either undetectable or had only a few detectable values. Mercury values were all well below the regulatory limit of 1 {mu}g/g. Formore » the total group of fish analyzed, there were no differences among sampling site for aluminum, chromium, or zinc. Selenium concentrations differed among sites, with fish collected near the H-Area and two control sites having the highest concentrations. When selenium concentrations were compared across sunfishes only, the seepage basin site was shown to be slightly elevated. Among species, yellowfin shiners had higher aluminum and zinc concentrations than sunfishes and bottom fish. 24 refs.« less

  • ;
    This report summarizes results of recent analyses of radioactivity in fish from SRS streams near the F-Area and H-Area seepage basins. Fish were collected from headwater areas of Four Mile Creek and Pen Branch, from just below the H-Area seepage basin, and from three sites downstream in Four Mile Creek. These fish were analyzed for gross alpha and gross beta radioactivity using standard EPA methods. Levels of gross alpha and nonvolatile beta radioactivity in fish were found to be comparable to levels previously reported for these sites. Gross alpha activity was not found to be influenced by Separations Area discharges.more » Nonvolatile beta activity was higher in the nonvolatile beta activity was attributable to Cs-137 and K-40. The dosimetric consequences of consuming fish from this area were found to be well below DOE guidelines.« less

  • In 1980, vegetative stress and arboreal mortality in wetland plant communities down-gradient from the F- and H-Area seepage basins were detected using aerial imagery. By 1988, approximately six acres in H-Area and four acres in F-Area had been adversely impacted. Today, wetland plant communities have become well established at the H-Area tree-kill zone.